At a time when HR budgets and indeed wider organisation priorities are constantly under pressure, the ED&I agenda can sometimes seem to take a backseat. If not given the required level of importance there is always the chance that these kind of initiatives can be viewed as tokenism only, signs that an employer is well aware of the importance of looking like they’re ‘on board’, but not so worried about delivering on that promise.
The HR World’s webinar this week addressed ED&I and with a panel consisting of Sandi Wassmer, Chief Executive Officer at Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei), René Bujard, HR Director, EMEA at Sunstar, Laura Pettit, Chief Culture Officer at Snag and Cat Wildman, Founder of Powered By Diversity and the webinar’s sponsor.
The discussion was thoughtful, provoking and practical in equal measure. Each panellist gave examples from their own experience of where the ED&I agenda currently rests and the challenges of getting this agenda and related activities right as soon as possible. The webinar addressed questions raised by its audience in real time, including how HR should discuss and support DE&I initiatives – how these were valued by the workforce and should be supported in order to create an effective and productive workplace.
It was interesting to hear how the ED&I agenda has played out over recent years and the importance of organisations to ensure that these issues have a real impact and a real place within their organisations.
At the end of the day, ED&I doesn’t just play an important part in recruitment and retention for a business – which it undoubtedly does – but is also important in generating a world which includes everyone.
