A new report claims that diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) is now a top priority for 87% of businesses across the UK.
The research, commissioned by Workday, surveyed 2,600 people, including UKI CEOs, as well as HR, IT and finance leaders. He examined the reasons and actions behind the rise of DEI and it appears that AI tools are helping.
The research found a “strong correlation” between AI adoption and a good DEI program. AI has also apparently improved the results of sentiment surveys (95%) and promotion discussions (91%), and Workday says the reason is that AI can “help paint a more nuanced picture of the experience.” and employee development.
Closing the skills gap
Workday also claims that AI is helping to increase companies' understanding of their employees' skills, in turn helping them diversify their talent pools.
Daniel Pell, vice president of UKI at Workday, said: “We are seeing positive adoption of Workday Skills Cloud, a solution that allows businesses to understand the skills and capabilities of their entire workforce.”
He added that “by using this data, organizations can create even better people strategies and identify gaps and opportunities to upskill, reskill and even hire new talent with ease.”
Workday also highlighted the importance of AI in closing the digital skills gap, which is currently a major concern for many companies around the world. Michael Houlihan, chief executive of Generation UK&I, said: “There are a large number of people intrinsically well suited for digital roles who are being overlooked.”
He added: “AI tools can play an important role here, both in improving and accelerating people's learning process, and in helping employers implement skills-based hiring in a consistent, impactful and life-enhancing way. the business”.
Workday found that 62% of companies are advancing the use of data and technology to improve DEI, while 40% have not yet started using them. Workday believes that one of the reasons many companies do not implement effective DEI strategies “depends on [their] ability to foster joint accountability and shape DEI goals from the top down.”
He also states that AI can help in this regard, but it must be implemented responsibly and transparently. Ashleigh Ainsley, co-founder of Colorintech, said that “organizations must consciously find ways to build trust in their workplace so that employees know how any AI-powered technology will be used and, ultimately, how they will benefit from it.”
