Recap and Recalibrate for the New Year

2023 is fast approaching. There are still a lot of uncertainties and challenges in the workplace, but also opportunities to update strategies and put action steps in place for the new year. Those don’t have to be in place January 1, but a Q1 target can mean a stronger start to the year.

Many companies have gone through open enrollment and are working on end-of-year projects. It can be a very busy time. Spending some of that on an evaluation plan of employee engagement, health, and wellbeing should be on your agenda. For key positions, there is still a war for talent. COVID may still impact businesses this winter in different parts of the U.S.. There is uncertainty in the financial markets. Now, more than ever, organizations need to keep their teams resilient and engaged.

Questions for Your Organization

• Following escalating anti-LGBTQ+ violence and the attack on Club Q, how did your organization support LGBTQ+ employees? If you have an LGBTQ+ affinity group, it is a good idea to show support outside of Pride month and make employees aware of resources like your EAP or any local resources in your area. If you don’t have an initiative or affinity group for LGBTQ+ employees, consider creating one as a first step.
  
  
• The World Economic Forum’s 2022 Gender Equity Report showed clearly that gender equity has regressed over the past two years. What initiatives will you have in place to close any gender gap issues in your organization?
  • One measurement you can take is counting how many women left the company over the past two years and from what divisions and locations. Measure this figure against the quality women applicants you’ve had over the past two years.  
  • Another measurement is to see what percentage of women and women of all backgrounds are in leadership going down five levels. That will provide a clearer picture of the woman leadership pipeline.
• The U.S. workforce is aging. You may have up to five generations working in your organization. Ageism is still a bias that gets little attention. Do you know what percentage of your workforce is 50+ years old? You should. Chances are that percentage will grow over the next five years. Addressing ageism and making older employees feel more included can have a financial return for the company.
  
  
• Though there is a need for mental health and wellbeing support overall, your youngest employees may need more. What are you doing for them? A targeted, engaging campaign around what your company provides and ongoing efforts to destigmatize getting support can mean better engagement. You should see an uptick in EAP usage, if the communications work well.
  
  
• DE&I is still very much top of mind for most organizations. If you are doing a mandatory training, are you measuring if that training is having impact? Consider some additional training for leadership to better address diversity challenges and put in some KPIs around the initiative.

Do a review of all marketing and recruiting material to see if the people pictured in them are truly reflective of the diversity in your workplace and the diversity you want to attract. If you make improvements, be sure to tie that back to your DE&I initiative to show a company commitment to a welcoming workplace for all.

There is always room to improve and show that your company understands the benefit of everyone being able to contribute, be respected and help meet the goals of the organization.