2024 employee benefits & workplace predictions: Diversity, equity & inclusion
Industry leaders share their thoughts, comments, and concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion in today's workforce and how it will affect their 2024.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts have always been important not only employees and employers , but to benefits advisors as well. DE&I doesn’t just affect the workplace, but also how people live their everyday lives, like getting care from their doctors.
Industry leaders share their thoughts, comments, and concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion in today’s workforce and how it will affect their 2024.
More focus on inclusivity and equity, including gender-affirming care
In 2024, we’ll see a true focus on inclusivity and equity in health care. We’ve started to see recent progress; for example, ASRM changed its definition of infertility to be inclusive of same-sex couples and single-intending parents. I expect we’ll see more attention paid to other areas of health care that have not had as much attention as they need, including gender-affirming care (GAC).
There are 1.3 million adults in the U.S. who identify as transgender, and the vast majority of these people will utilize GAC. For that population, the greatest challenge of GAC is accessing care. It’s still difficult to find the right resources for those starting on their journey (or even those well into their journey). Even as a training REI in San Francisco 6-9 years ago, where there is a large transgender community, I did not feel that it was easy to help patients navigate potential medical and other supportive services.
We’re starting to see a meaningful shift with more awareness and resources for gender-diverse people, and I expect we’ll see more employers begin to offer benefits that include GAC coverage, making support more accessible.
Dr. Asima Ahmad, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer, Carrot Fertility
AI & disability inclusion
People with disabilities represent the world’s largest and fastest-growing minority, and research from WHO shows that people with disabilities face significant barriers in the workplace. According to EY’s Belonging Barometer 3.0, 85% of workers with disabilities feel excluded at work. In 2024, it will be increasingly important for talent managers to explore how AI tools can be leveraged effectively to increase access for people with disabilities and complement their retention and recruitment efforts. For example, a team at EY recently developed an AI sign language translator app that converted sign into spoken words, and spoken words into sign. This can help close a communications gap and create a more inclusive environment for all team members to interact efficiently and effectively.
Karyn Twaronite, Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness, EY Global
Ingraining DEI into the larger business
I believe that many factors (hybrid and remote working, world events) will have people increasingly craving a sense of connection and belonging in the coming year. Amid economic uncertainty and tighter budgets, many companies had to reduce their DEI budgets in 2023. I expect one way we will want to support our people will be by putting additional effort towards DEI&B initiatives in the new year. Ingraining DEI into the larger business is a proven way to attract and retain talent – in fact, Benevity data shows that a staggering 78% of employees would not consider working for a company that fails to commit significant resources to prioritizing DEI initiatives.
As employees’ desire to work somewhere that matches their passions and personal beliefs intensifies, this demand to see DEI prioritized in the workplace will only become more prominent in 2024. One solution to delivering on this is taking a co-leading approach with DEI and People and Culture teams. Having a head of DEI work in partnership with their HR Leaders allows for a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Together these teams can elevate goals to the top of the executive agenda and remain aligned on business priorities all while driving DEI initiatives forward.
Janeen Speer, Chief People Officer, Benevity
Diversity, equality, inclusion, and belonging initiatives will continue to hang in the balance
Mass layoffs of Chief Diversity Officers and less investment have meant that DEIB initiatives have seen significant rollbacks in the last two years. With public policymakers scrutinizing DEI programs more closely, organizations that were nominally committed to DEIB will prioritize it even less in 2024. Those who continue to foster safe spaces for open dialogues, be transparent and accountable to DEIB goals, and encourage inclusive representation will be best positioned to benefit from a stronger talent pool and increased innovation.
Sam Friedman, SVP of People Strategy, Hired