13 Things About Hr You May Not Have Known

 01

Mailbag: A candidate spilled their pay history. What's HR's next move?

In HR Dive's Mailbag series, we answer HR professionals' questions about all things work. Have a question? Send it to [email protected].

Q: A candidate divulged their salary history during an interview. What do we do now?

The answer to this question is the short but frustrating answer to many questions: It depends. Thankfully, the answer depends on only one factor, and that's location.

When job seekers utter their current or previous earnings, that information serves as a cue for recruiters, hiring managers and HR to remember the state and local laws of their jurisdiction, according to Fisher Phillips Partner Kathleen Caminiti.

"It really comes down to knowing the law in their location, and making sure that other important players in the hiring process are aware of the limitations or requirements," she told HR Dive.

The location-dependent answer to the question of volunteered salary history information illuminates the dynamic landscape of pay history. The growing spate of bans is causing a shift in workplace culture. Soon, Caminiti predicted, it will be an expected practice not to discuss salary history during the application process. 

"Are you married? Do you have children? What's your date of birth? No one asks those questions anymore, but they did maybe 20 years ago," she remarked. "This is the next wave."

Location, location, location

Legislation banning employers from asking candidates about their salary history information exists in more than 20 states now. The laws generally intend to help candidates who have been historically underpaid — women and people of color, Caminiti said. "The theory is you start low and you stay low," she said. Basing a candidate's compensation on their previous pay level can perpetuate pay disparities, pay discrimination and pay stereotypes.

New York was the first state to put a salary history ban into effect when its state-wide prohibition took effect Jan. 9, 2017. Nevada was the most recent state to join the salary history ban brethren, with its statewide ban going into effect October of last year.

With nearly half of all U.S. states employing some kind of salary history ban, it's important for employers and HR pros to take note of the state they're operating in and the law that applies, Caminiti said. When a candidate volunteers their pay history, "they may not need to do anything because the state they're working in is not regulated," she said.

But there's a good chance they'll need to do something, based on the growing prevalence of statewide bans. There's also local legislation to consider: "New York City and Atlanta have very specific and limiting requirements," Caminiti said. "It really is important to know what you can do."

To complicate matters, many employees now work remotely. 

HR's response to a candidate's volunteered information will depend on both the candidate's location and the employer's location. "If somebody is working in Wisconsin, which has banned the concept of a salary history ban, that's fine," Caminiti remarked. "But if they're in Colorado, that's a whole new game." 

Caminiti noted that there's no surefire approach to the intersection of remote work and pay equity laws.

"The conservative approach is to consider the law of both locations — the employer's location and the employee's location," she said. "In practicality, the state and local laws may impact whether the laws of the remote location apply."

The continuum of salary history ban laws

In comparing state and local legislation banning employers from considering salary history information, a continuum emerges. 

Caminiti classified the most restrictive laws in what she dubbed the "can't ask, can't use" category. California's ban belongs in this group. Employers in the Golden State cannot use a candidate's salary history information to set compensation, even if that information is volunteered. And if a candidate asks for a pay scale, the employer is obligated to disclose one. Similar requirements apply to employers in Cincinnati, Caminiti remarked. "That goes to show you that the laws really are very specific locally."

Next on the continuum are slightly less stringent laws. In this category, employers can't screen employees based on their previous pay rates, but they can confirm salary history information if a candidate offers it. New Jersey's law belongs to this group. 

One step further down the continuum are laws that allow employers to consider salary expectations if they are volunteered. Illinois employers are subject to such requirements. Employers can take voluntarily disclosed salary expectations into account when making a salary offer, Caminiti said.

The last stop on the continuum is in the Midwest, where Michigan and Wisconsin have totally departed from the nationwide trend and banned the very concept of the salary history ban.

Considering her continuum, Caminiti has one "big takeaway" for anyone with a candidate sharing their pay history: "You've really got to know what your location is to figure out what you're doing."

HR's plan of action

HR can prepare for the chatty candidate who brings up their past pay. Interview guidelines that spell out the dos and don'ts are a good idea, Caminiti said. But she made one caveat: "It's important that they're correct — the last thing you want is an outdated set of guidelines where the law has changed. You can see that the pay equity laws are evolving quickly. If they are going to develop a guideline, they want to make sure they stay current with the law."

Interview guidelines are important because the application process often involves people who aren't familiar with HR protocol. Good guidelines will help familiarize hiring managers with the nuances of the laws at play, Caminiti said. "Then they won't be asking questions that are prohibited," she said. "If you train individuals regarding what's permitted and what's not permitted, it puts you in a position where it's easier to comply."

California employers can remind recruiters and interviewers that they can't consider salary history information, even if divulged. If a candidate says she's making $80,000 and needs to make $85,000 to consider a job change, the employer needs to offer $90,000 if that's what it planned to offer in the first place. 

This move may go against best business practices. "It's counter to a cost-savings approach that many businesses have," Caminiti said. "But they just can't consider it."

Employers may want to document when a candidate reveals pay history information. But, again, this decision depends on the applicable law. Employers in states that allow HR to consider voluntarily disclosed information must have a documentation process, Caminiti said. Documentation would record that a candidate shared the pay history. In states where employers can consider expectations, employers must ensure documentation discusses only expectations, even if a candidate discussed pay history. 

As employers consider interview guidelines, they can also review HR documents, starting with applications, job postings and employee handbooks. "Older applications have a spot for current salary or desired salary," Caminiti said. "You want to make sure you have your applications and that they don't have anything that's inappropriate."

Employers may have quite a bit of reviewing and tweaking to do, but it's par for the course in HR, Caminiti said. "It wasn't that long ago that employers really felt that salary information was confidential and that it was inappropriate to be discussing compensation at work," she said. "And now you've got Glassdoor. It's a big sea change in a short amount of time."

02

"I Started Secretly Recording His Responses": People Are Revealing How They Confronted Their Toxic Boss Once And For All

Have you ever worked at a job where you were confused or felt disrespected by your manager, but you didn't quite know how to stand up to them or call them out for their behavior?

For example, maybe your boss made fun of your presentation or maybe a manager took credit for your work when they clearly had no part in helping.

Twinsterphoto / Via Getty Images/iStockphoto If you're currently going through a similar situation, don't fret, we asked the BuzzFeed Community: "When was a time you had to confront and talk to your boss about their bad behavior — and how did they respond?"

Shotprime / Via Getty Images

We gathered several of the responses for you to read below. If you have your own story to share, leave it in the comments. 1."Years ago, at one of my former jobs, every employee who had taken three or more sick days was called into their supervisor's office. (I had taken three-and-a-half sick days off; we were allowed to take six sick days per year.) When I was called into the office, I told my supervisor that my daughter was sick and that is why I took the time off. He told me I had to figure out which is more important. I yelled at my supervisor and told him that my job is important, but my daughter is more important. I was extremely angry that he had the nerve to say that. He did not say anything after that. He did not have any children at that time."

—Anonymous

2."A few days before my wedding, my manager decided to change how coverage was done. Before, you would put the dates you needed off on the calendar, and the manager or owner would coordinate coverage for you. My manager informed me — with a smile — that we now needed to coordinate our own coverage, and that if I didn’t find someone, I wouldn’t be cleared for my honeymoon (which we had already spent thousands of dollars on)."

"I looked at her straight-on and said, 'I’ve had these dates on the calendar since last year when the store opened and was assured it would be handled. I’ve got too much going on to add this to my plate as well. I’m only doing this as a favor to the owner (he’s a longtime family friend), so I’ll check with him about this new policy. If you are really insisting I won’t be able to go on my honeymoon, then consider this my notice.”

(I called the owner after, and he had not approved the change to coverage coordination. Bonus: the manager was my future MIL.)"

—jenaer2

Shansche / Via Getty Images/iStockphoto 3."My boss was both my general manager and the HR manager. For months he harassed me at work and made me feel constantly uncomfortable and stressed. But because he was the HR manager, I had no way of reporting him indirectly. Eventually, I bit the bullet and booked a one-on-one meeting with him. I didn't disclose the reason beforehand, and he came in clueless."

Story continues

"He then sat down and asked me what I wanted to discuss. I told him I'd like to lay a formal complaint about him to him. I then listed all the instances where he had treated me inappropriately, and he had to write them down in front of me and file it as an official complaint afterward.

I've never felt more ballsy and was so proud of myself. He never did anything inappropriate again after that until the time I left."

—Anonymous

4."During meetings, if you would ask a question, my boss would insist for time's sake to answer one-on-one after the meeting. Then he would tell you something privately about policy that he could later deny having said as there were no witnesses. He backtracked so often, I started secretly recording his responses on my phone in case I ever needed to go to HR. Fast forward to my last day, I had quit for a better opportunity and he pulled me aside and gave me a journal."

"In an attempt to undermine my confidence and plant doubt about my new job, he told me to write down anything that seemed off about the new job so I could have proof if it didn’t work out.

When I just stared at him blankly, he said you do understand what I mean, right? My response? 'Sure, kind of like how I recorded you every time we spoke, so I could have proof if something was off?'

His face got extremely red, he mumbled good luck and just walked away. It felt awesome to let him know I knew what he was up to."

—bblackberri35

Nora Carol Photography / Via Getty Images 5."My boss' boss kept interrupting me during a presentation I was giving. It was a terrible habit of his, and I despise being interrupted. After another interruption, I declared in my best teacher's voice that I would get to his question on the next slide, but if he kept interrupting me, then we were going to run out of time. He finally shut up after that. Thankfully, no consequences came of it since all of the other people in the meeting felt the same."

—crimsonenigma

6."I worked as a barista for a now-closed-down bookstore. I opened every day and one time, I waited 30 minutes to be let in. I rang the bell and knocked on the window. I didn't have a phone at the time because I was broke. After finally getting in and rushing to open, I had to go to the morning meeting where the manager made a big over-the-top passive-aggressive speech about being on time to work. She also added, '...and if I don't answer the bell, call the store.' I got really angry and informed her in front of the staff that I was there early and since she did the schedule she should know when her employees arrive, and no one should ever have to call to be allowed to work. I couldn't help but add: if she wasn't in the back smoking weed, she would have heard the bell."

"She was transferred to another store and fired from that store for not fulfilling her duties."

—lincolncitykdoo

Nitat Termmee / Via Getty Images 7."I started a position as a budget analyst and was told in the interview that the position would be managing current finances. After starting my job, I was told I was expected to work well past 40 hours a week, including every weekend with manual labor (i.e. setting up and breaking down large equipment for sporting events) — as a budget analyst! I asked repeatedly for my job description to show this was in my contract and was denied the paperwork. After I told my manager I would not work the hours, he threatened to cut my pay and fire me. I left after a month — I just up and left the office without warning, leaving the keys to my office on my desk. The next day, I reported him to HR and the state for fraud and forgery."

—Anonymous

8."We were in the process of moving to a new office. Since I’m a paralegal, I was being moved into the smallest office with a giant pole running through it. The office was about the size of a small walk-in closet. I found out that my manager was planning to hire a second paralegal in about six months, and we would be sharing the small office, practically breathing on one another. When I tried to tell her I was concerned about my productivity being affected negatively because the office was too small for two people, she asked me: 'Is that going to be a problem for you? Because you won’t work for me.' She then took me to the new office and asked very loudly in front of the construction crew 'Why do two paralegals deserve a bigger office than one attorney?' She was power tripping on me HARD."

"When I got back to my office, I applied for a new job with benefits and a better work-life balance. I was offered the position a couple of weeks later. So she’s right. I won’t work for her."

—Anonymous

William_potter / Via Getty Images/iStockphoto 9."I was one of seven women working in an office of a privately owned small company. By the time I walked out after nine months of toxic behavior, screaming at employees, hiding positive COVID cases (we weren't notified until 40% of the office had been infected and confirmed positive), and incredibly poor management, only two women remained at the company. I had been looking for a new job for a while but hit the ground hard after my boss cut majority of female employee's hours to part time just before the holidays. After walking out, I sent him a text telling him that he'll never earn respect from his employees by managing through fear and expecting dedication and respect from employees who he treated like crap. I also called out his harassment toward female employees. I heard that he cornered the two remaining women in the office the next day asking them if they felt targeted by him — as if they'd tell him the truth."

—Anonymous

10."My ex boss was the PR director of a big fashion company. She was using the company’s budget to fly her friends and family to fashion shows and using the corporate card to buy her outfits and pay for her family’s and friends' parties at clubs. I found out about it and I confronted her. After that, she began threatening me and creating a very toxic environment, hoping I would quit. She was good friends with a HR manager and between them, decided to transfer me to another position in the company without asking me. I went to the HR director and told her everything. She didn’t believed me but in order to 'protect' me, she urged me to take another position instead of looking into my complaint. I lasted six months in the new position before I quit because I didn’t liked my new position."

"A year after I quit, my ex-boss resigned not before doing $150,000 worth of fraud by using false invoices from an agency she owned outside the company. She was never charged because technically the services she charged for were done, just extremely overpriced.

If the HR director had believed me in the first place, this probably would have never happened. Karma is a bitch and she charges thousands of dollars."

—Anonymous

Radoslav Zilinsky / Via Getty Images 11."I worked for a small mom-and-pop store in a small town. The owners were in complete charge of ordering products for customers, and they would downright refuse to buy for certain customers. When these particular customers would return looking for their products, I would get blamed for the product not being ordered. After months and months of being blamed, I called out the owners in front of these customers and it was an explosion of cuss words, calling me names, and slamming their fists on the counters. I just walked out and my chronic migraines slowly disappeared."

—Anonymous

12."My new manager at the time did not respect women. For example, he would come in at the start of the shift and speak to all the male supervisors and not me (I was the only female supervisor), purposely mispronounce my name to get a response, and ALWAYS interrupted me while speaking. After a few months, I told him I wanted to take him out to dinner and discuss what our issues were so that we could have a better work relationship."

"He had no response to my issues but agreed to dinner and got worse with his disrespect. After thinking it over for a couple of weeks, I decided to leave the location.

I shouldn't have to take my boss to dinner to get treated fairly at work. I am loving my new job and most of his management has left due to his craziness."

—Anonymous

10'000 Hours / Via Getty Images 13."I worked for a breakfast/after-school club company as a deputy manager. After a while, I just got frustrated with things the manager would do (or wouldn't do). A few examples: One day, I needed the first aid kit, but it wasn't stocked despite being recently signed off as checked and fully stocked. I asked the manager about this and she said, 'Yeah, I probably signed it but didn't do it.' We had a child with a nut allergy. We weren't supposed to have anything that even said 'may contain nuts.' However, cereal that was bought first week said: 'do not give to children with a nut allergy.' I informed my manager about this at the time, but then I saw the child eating the cereal the following week — and it was given by the manager. I confronted her about this, and she dismissed it saying she would 'take the fall.'"

"After I sent an email to the higher-ups and a generic email was sent around regarding allergy training, we ended up having a very loud conversation after work, with her saying she wasn't sure what I actually did at work and that me getting to work on time and wanting to leave when work finished wasn't good enough.

I basically told her that I, at least, wouldn't put a child's life at risk and dismiss it like that and that it's okay for me to want to do the hours that I am actually paid for as I need downtime and have other work.

Cut to the following week, more food was bought that 'may contain nuts' and handled by the same child. I was going to leave at one point but this brought the date forward. I felt it was a safeguarding incident waiting to happen and couldn't trust the staff anymore."

—parjer1989

Antonio Krämer / Via Getty Images/EyeEm 14."I called my manager out at a meeting in front of his mother (the owner), and he stormed out. He began texting me while I was still at this meeting, telling me that when I finish the job to go look for another company to work for. I just held the phone out to his mother and she chuckled. She told me he still doesn’t know how to treat women, and not to worry because I still have a job."

However, when I got out of the meeting, I immediately looked for a new company. I finished the job and parted ways."

—bettysometimes

15."I worked at a fast-food place and my general manager was hated by everyone (so hated that in the one year I worked there, 43 people had quit). One day, I walked into his office and told him I didn’t like the way I was being treated. I told him that the way he treats the other employees is rude, disrespectful, and honestly embarrassing, especially since he gossiped about employees TO OTHER EMPLOYEES. He was also kind of slimy (i.e. putting his hand on only the girls’ lower back when passing by, making offensive jokes based on women’s appearances, etc)."

"As I was telling him all of this, his leg was shaking and he looked like he was about to combust with tears. His ego could NOT handle it. Unfortunately, nothing about his behavior changed — but fast forward to six months later, he got demoted and transferred to another branch.

His boss, who often dismissed the employees’ complaints, also got fired."

—laidedahunsi

D3sign / Via Getty Images 16."I work at a craft store and was basically acting as the manager because none of them were doing their jobs. Anytime someone had a question, I was usually the one to answer and I enforced company policies. Almost all of my co-workers told me I’d be better than the managers (one in particular, we’ll call her Jane) we had. One of my close friends (we’ll call her Tina) also works at this store. Jane told Tina that I would be a bad manager because I’m 'too emotional and calls out too much.' This is coming from someone who can’t handle pressure during peak season and calls out more than I do. I was also basically doing her job because she couldn’t be bothered, I guess. Tina told me what Jane had said. Jane and I ended up in the break room together when we were clocking out."

"There has been a situation earlier that day and she said something about the way I handled it, so I said, 'because I’m too emotional, right?' The look on her face was priceless because she instantly knew what had happened.

She doesn’t talk about me, at least to Tina, behind my back anymore."

—crewgirlat221b

17."Me and most of my co-workers (about ten of us) had problems with our boss. She was toxic, petty, jealous of any employees outshining her, and overall a mean person. So many people quit because of her. At one point it got so bad that me and my co-workers all reported her behavior to HR. They did an investigation into her actions and eventually told her in a meeting 'if you don't change your behavior, you will be fired. As soon as you leave this room, you are going to treat your team with respect.' For about a year, she was a better manager. But after that, she became nasty again and people continued to either suffer through it or quit. For me, the straw that broke the camel's back was when she went on vacation for a week and left me a few projects to complete."

"When she returned, she claimed I did not satisfactorily complete the work, though I absolutely did (with plenty of evidence to prove it). But she was insistent. I reported her again to HR.

My boss eventually acquiesced and admitted I did the work, but the damage was done. I decided I didn't need to take this anymore and gave my two weeks.

For the seven years I worked there, I tried to make the situation better. I really thought I could change the way she managed people, or that maybe we could get her fired and replaced — but at the end of the day, the company only cared about two things: 1) she wasn't breaking any laws, and 2) she continued to earn the company money. They didn't really care how she was treating us."

—Anonymous

Morsa Images / Via Getty Images 18."I was working as a key holder for a music store in the '90s. Management was in an upheaval and the company brought in an awful manager. When I was hired on, it was under the condition that I already had a trip planned and would only take the job if leave was granted at hiring (which it was). After working for her for a month and watching her change time cards and mess with peoples' money, she came in one day and told me my leave for my vacation was cancelled because she was taking one then. I handed her the keys to the store and walked out. I told her to enjoy her vacation. She was the only key holder left. She had to work every day as she had run off the entire management team. I had a fabulous vacation in Vegas."

—Anonymous

19."I was in a manager's meeting, and we were all venting our frustrations. Afterward, my manager called me into her office and told me to shut the door. She then pulled out a letter of reprimand for unprofessional comments and asked me to read and sign it. I read it and then told her I would be happy to sign it when she printed off more copies of the letter and gave them to everyone who had been in the meeting, including herself. I stated that I had not said anything different than others had said and gave her three examples when she pulled the letter back and put it away and nothing more was said about. I never trusted on anything again." Morsa Images / Via Getty Images Have you ever had to call out your manager for their behavior? If so, tell us what happened and if anything came of it in the comments below.

03

It's never too late: HR's guide to starting your DEI journey, shared by 14 leaders

閱讀中文版本

These leaders share their advice for organisations that have not yet prioritised DEI, ranging from one thing they can do to get started, to practices and beliefs that need to stop immediately. 

It is never too late to start focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As such a complex and extensive topic, it may understandably be daunting — even confusing — for many organisations to even begin to address. After all, DEI is a continuous process that is deeply rooted in all aspects of the way a company runs. 

As a guide, 14 leaders share with Arina Sofiah their advice for organisations that have not yet prioritised DEI, ranging from one thing they can do to get started, to practices and beliefs that need to stop immediately. Read on for some inspiration!

Shiyun Wan, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, PPRO

Businesses that haven’t yet taken steps to prioritise DEI should not panic – it’s never too late to start!

A great first step toward tackling inequality in the workplace is educating HR and decision-making staff on unconscious bias that aids discrimination. This is an extremely valuable exercise because, while many people might not realise their biases, they influence both the way teams are structured, and the roles and responsibilities of those within a team. For example, a result of unconscious bias might be that women are the ones being asked to order coffees for meetings, or book meeting rooms, rather than men. These types of tasks are easily divided between teams, and raising awareness that this is happening is the first step an organisation needs to take to tackle the issue.

Something that organisations should also stop in order to be more diverse, is to remove names and genders from CVs and job applications. This will help to rid the decision-making process of unconscious bias, and ensure candidates are selected on the merit of their experience, rather than their gender, race, religion, or economic background.

Kaja Natland, Regional President Asia Pacific-Japan, Organon

At Organon, we believe women are the foundation of a healthier world, and that gender equity is critical to women’s health and prosperity. Our commitment to gender equity reflects a whole-of-company approach and guides the creation of a responsible and sustainable business. For example, our highly experienced board of directors is 70% women, setting a new standard for diversity. We are committed to listening to women and working in partnership with others to implement change.

For example, on International Women’s Day this year, we provided paid time-off for our employees worldwide to focus on their health or the health of the women in their lives. We are asking organisations to join us to raise awareness of the inequity in women’s health and be part of the solution. When women rise, we all rise — and when women are healthy and empowered, so too are their families and communities.

Andy Sim, Vice President and Managing Director, Singapore, Dell Technologies

Today, DEI is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but a business imperative for organisations to attract and retain talent, spur innovation, and drive business growth. Recognising this is the first step for organisations to change mindsets and prioritise a DEI strategy – and this must be driven from the top. Companies should also stop viewing DEI as the sole responsibility of the HR team, but instead a company-wide commitment to cultivating inclusion. For example, at Dell Technologies, we’ve set ambitious goals to have 50% of our global workforce and 40% of our global people leaders as those who identify as women by 2030.

For those starting from ground zero, begin by building awareness around DEI. One way to foster inclusivity is to introduce programmes to help employees understand and appreciate their differences. In line with our 2030 Moonshot Goals to cultivate inclusion, we educate employees on unconscious biases and how they impact inclusion through our Many Advocating Real Change (MARC) foundational course. This programme offers team members a judgment-free space to examine their beliefs and cope with challenging subjects directly and honestly.

Rachel Lau, Managing Partner, RHL Ventures

Start now. DEI has great benefits in encouraging natural creativity and innovation.

Be proactive in the ways you hire, and promote the workforce. But ideally, examples are led from the top, a robust diverse group with different ages, backgrounds, and gender on the board level will be critical to set the tone of the business. If we keep doing the same thing again and again, then we will fall behind. The only way forward is to change and disrupt the ways we do business.

Do not have biases, do not judge, do not put labels. Be open-minded, learn, grow, accept different ideas, listen to other viewpoints. Challenge, be creative, be bold in the way we look at problems, how we capitalise on the diversity of human talent, and leverage on the beauty of our differences.

Diversity, not conformity, is the way for us to innovate. The person who can't change is the person who is left behind.

Mae Cheah, President for Asia, TRAFALGAR

Real diversity is recognising that people aren’t a set of attributes on a spreadsheet and that every voice is unique. It’s this approach to diversity that leads to inclusion, and where an organisation should start if they are starting out on their DEI journey.

DEI initiatives should be prioritised in any organisation to reap the rewards of having a broader talent pool, more innovative ideas to make better business decisions, and fostering a happy and healthy workplace culture that leads to more productive employees and overall business growth.

However, DEI also needs to be reflected in the way an organisation does business. We at TRAFALGAR strive to make our guided tours as diverse and inclusive as possible. Recently, we also began offering Women's Only Tours to help women share the joy of travel with other women, all while exploring the world and inspiring each other along the way.

Integrating DEI practices isn't difficult at all. To successfully integrate DEI practices, you need to create allyship up, down, and across your organisation, ensuring that everyone has a voice, a genuine sense of belonging, and is encouraged to be part of the DEI journey. All it requires are dedicated leaders who champion the cause and integrate it into the organisation across all levels.

Phoebe Yan, Partner, Litigation, Paul Hastings

DEI is incredibly important and it makes a huge impact internally and externally. Organisations, particularly ones with a multinational presence, should incorporate citizenship programmes and other pro-bono activities, to encourage both global and regional DEI programmes.

One thing that a company can do right away to promote equity and diversity for women in the workplace is improve their child support systems for their employees. These can include offering flexible maternity and paternity leaves, allowing parents more flexibility at work, offering more support for pregnant employees and their family members returning after childbirth, and so on. We need to change the idea that having a child will unduly affect female employees’ ability to contribute meaningfully to the business.

Too much emphasis on career devotion, such that it presents both female and male employees with what appears to be a binary choice of "work vs. family," has led to many talented professionals giving up their careers too soon. The company culture needs to change so that it can retain talent who pursue families and are lost to this false binary choice.

Jennifer Gibb, Group Director, Human Resources, Singapore, International SOS

To get a kickstart on diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace, it is important to guide managers, implement ways to measures change, then assess progress. Critical to success is to demonstrate commitment from top leadership. By making diversity a discipline within the organisation, people will be educated and guided towards change, rather than being forced to adapt their behaviours. Our experience has shown that diversity initiatives should be implemented at the middle management level rather than at the top.

For example, mentoring and training promising female talent at the middle management level will ensure your promotional talent pool reflects diversity, and demonstrates commitment from the organisation. Employees who see the progress of such initiatives will also be inspired by change, and naturally buy into this long-term journey with the organisation.

Shefali Sharma, Head of People & Culture, Toku 

If organisations want to attract a younger talent pool, DEI is a must-have — not a preference.

Research shows that more diverse companies are more innovative internally and externally, and that diversity significantly impacts corporate outcomes and retention rates.

Organisations need to localise their DEI initiatives. Not prioritising DEI can lead to fewer applications for positions, resulting in a competitive disadvantage. Overall, DEI looks very different in a market like Asia as compared to the West. Most companies hire people based on the markets they work in across APAC. It's challenging to have a one-size-fits-all approach in a multi-cultural environment, especially in a country like Singapore which has always been a melting pot of different cultures for decades. Companies need to know how to tap into Asia's rich diversity and be self-aware of effective inclusion programmes and the ROI.

Companies need to ensure equitable and inclusive structures are put in place to support a diverse work culture. This is because finding the "right culture fit" has become increasingly crucial for jobseekers. If companies don't already have a safe space for existing underrepresented groups, they won’t be able to attract more diverse employees and retain them.

Here are a few things I believe are critical:

First, prioritise and assess corporate accountability and empower employees to drive company culture. This helps foster a sense of belonging and needs a top-down approach. Organisations can initiate an employee survey or pulse check to find out what the DEI gaps are that need to be addressed (e.g. Gender? LGBTQ? Ethnic/Religious minorities?)

Organisations can also launch an internal culture club to serve and hear from underrepresented groups better and increase the leadership team’s awareness of the different backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences within the company.

There must also be a P&C team in place to identify DEI needs. The team will also be responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination policies and protocols and conducting internal training to educate employees on topics such as how to be culturally sensitive, how to engage in inclusive conversations, and so on.

Companies need to stop posting job and company descriptions that don’t reflect what goes on behind the scenes.

It's essential to promote transparency and open communication. This also means making changes at the organisational, leadership, and individual levels to show they are committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

Deb LaMere, Chief Human Resources Officer, Datasite

Making diversity and inclusion a priority in the workplace is a continuous process. To create change and new dynamics, there must be ongoing conversation and discussion. Last year, we initiated a series of quarterly Datasite employee diversity and inclusion events, including panel discussions, and are looking forward to more this year. In addition to this, leaders can take other small and daily steps, such as public recognition, to support a culture where employees feel seen and connected.

For example, one of our female product managers led her team in the development of a new application that was named a 2021 BIG Innovation Award winner. We spotlighted her achievement on social media and internally to show that having diverse leaders and employees is not only something we value but also gets results.

Clare Lin, Senior Director HRBP APAC, Yahoo

Many organisations’ DE&I programmes are often not part of the company DNA and, at times, done to tick a box. Relying on short-term diversity programmes to bring long-lasting impact, while well-intentioned, can create an illusion of inclusion and lead to more harm.

Organisations need to start from within. The process begins with evaluating the status quo to address underlying issues that genuinely resonate and enact real and meaningful change. Start with education, and implement clear policies that tackle unconscious bias — a significant but invisible barrier for women. At Yahoo, we have embedded DEI&B in everything we do, from hiring to development and employee engagement. Our DEI&B Employee Resource Group focuses on fostering strong, inclusive communities that celebrate diversity, amplify inclusion, and drive innovation through talent and representation.

Break the silence, recognise bad practices transparently, and empower change, whether top-down or bottom-up. Sometimes all it takes is one voice and action to start a chain reaction.

Deborah Woollard, Group Chief People Officer, MyRepublic

 

Start by building a shared understanding and agreement around what DEI means within your organisation. It is never possible to focus on all aspects of DEI all the time. Instead, double down on creating practices that build a culture based on inclusion rather than traditional diversity areas. If you can embed inclusive practices into your work practices, you will be on your way to building diversity in all aspects of your workplace. And most importantly bring in a diverse range of employee representatives to help you shape those practices. That way, inclusion is owned by all and not just dictated by a few.

The start of any DEI journey begins by acknowledging that we all have inherent biases and deeply-held beliefs. Building self-awareness around these biases and beliefs is a critical first step for any company seeking to make progress with its DEI agenda. Start creating space for open dialogue and a chance for your teams to share their experiences and to listen to others' perspectives with trust and openness. There are many great DEI programmes available that can serve as a good starting point to build a baseline of understanding and provide a good foundation from which to start creating open dialogue and discussion.

Equality and equity tend to be used interchangeably but actually have different meanings. Equality seeks to provide the same opportunities, support, and tools to everyone regardless of their individual circumstances. This does not result in fairness for all as it fails to take into consideration the unique circumstances an individual may have which makes their needs different.

Instead, we should be looking to create equity. We should customise our tools, practices, and support to address individual needs and circumstances so that everyone has the chance to succeed and reach equal outcomes. That is what makes a true DEI strategy successful.

June Chui, HR Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Pure Storage

The impact of DEI, or the lack of it for companies, has existed for many years before the term was coined. If the essence of DEI isn't already in a company's DNA, they would likely have experienced lower employee engagement scores underpinned by a lack of belonging, sense of purpose, pride, and commitment.

DEI is not only important to drive higher engagement and productivity with current employees. It is equally important in impacting the success of talent acquisition and how the company engages with its partners and customers. It's important for companies to remember that DEI isn't just an inward-looking happiness index but also an important factor in long-term sustainability.

It can be daunting to create a full-fledged, multi-faceted DEI plan all at once. Think about how you can create an all-inclusive culture where all employees are encouraged and allowed to thrive. Start small with one to two focus areas that you see a direct impact on the business, which can easily be executed in areas that employees care about. Create diversity metrics as a first step, but also ensure that you are building your foundation around Inclusion and how you would create a work atmosphere without unconscious bias and be accepting of new diversity and equality initiatives.

Stop equating DEI to just a ratio of female and male employees. DEI is about encouraging the representation and participation of diverse groups of people. This includes not only people of different genders, races and ethnicities, abilities and disabilities, religions, cultures, ages, and sexual orientations, but also those with diverse backgrounds, experiences, skills, and expertise.

Mukta Arya, Chief Human Resources Officer, APAC, Societe Generale

For organisations that have not yet prioritised DEI, my advice will be to really analyse the issues facing the organisation in terms of DEI (could be traditional such as gender, cultural, or related to diversity in thoughts, social background, etc.), using organisational HR data on demographics, attrition, retention, succession planning and more, understand and quantify the difference it can make to the business if worked on. It should start from the top and senior management and then go down the path of establishing a diversity council and networks with wider involvement.

One thing that organisations should stop doing is following other organisations and adopting the "best practices". It can work sometimes but not all the time as each organisation is unique with different issues related to diversity and potentially different solutions.

Sharon Tan, Director of Human Resources, W Singapore

At W Singapore – Sentosa Cove, we remain committed to inclusivity and equality, and that sense of acceptance is in our DNA. Having a diverse and inclusive workforce brings about positive differences like innovation, creativity, and other opportunities that, in turn, support overall business objectives. Being an inclusive employer also brings positive employer branding which impacts the organisation’s employee value proposition and will improve its talent acquisition and retention efforts.

Organisations can begin by introducing DEI initiatives in their recruitment efforts. Exclusion of having to ask about an applicant’s race, gender, age, religion, and marital status at the recruitment stage, can be the first step towards building a DEI programme. Additionally, it is important that any DEI initiatives being introduced should be sustainable, with key stakeholders aligned. In my opinion, organisations should stop stereotyping employees or applicants. This would allow more opportunities to explore and gain different insights and new probabilities.

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