By Sumit Kumar
India is a diverse nation, and its multiculturalism is clearly evident in the country’s modern workplaces. Thus, for present-day organizations to flourish and prosper, fostering diversity and inclusion has become the need of hour. According to a Harvard Business Review study, diversified businesses generate 19% more revenue through innovation. A varied and inclusive workplace welcomes a wide range of perceptions and points of view, which in turn promotes creative and innovative problem-solving and decision-making. Additionally, it fosters a sense of community among all staff members, which improves job satisfaction and loyalty.
Undoubtedly diversity and inclusion are the cornerstones of an organization’s success and the indispensable role played by the HR partners in building that diverse environment cannot be understated. By offering the best training possible, developing useful programs, planning the logistics of delivery, and assessing training effectiveness, HR plays a crucial role in boosting employee productivity, performance, and job satisfaction. Moreover, the arrival of cutting-edge technologies, such as AI, has made it particularly simple for HR to establish a collaborative and inclusive workplace that encourages staff growth. By increasing employee engagement, lowering bias, and organizing tailored training sessions, artificial intelligence aids HR partners in building a dynamic and inclusive workplace.
Role of AI in promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace
Fair and impartial assessment of candidates: It is undeniable that the most time-consuming part of hiring is the resume screening process. Employers thus struggle to maintain objectivity in light of the overwhelming amount of job applications. For instance, given the difference in the date of the applications, employers tend to favour choosing fresher and more recent candidates while rejecting older ones. As a result, they run a higher chance of overlooking qualified candidates. On the other hand, AI systems examine candidate data, eliminate recognizable qualities, and support a variety of recruiting choices. Unlike blind resume screening processes, artificial intelligence analyses the language and tone of interviews and responses, enabling the HR partners to get the ideal employee on board.
Enhanced employee engagement: AI-powered platforms provide individualized interactions that increase inclusiveness and employee engagement while providing a specialized learning environment tailored to each employee’s unique needs and objectives. These platforms also examine current skill sets, job positions, and performance statistics in order to suggest pertinent training programs, courses, and other resources that will aid employees in developing both personally and professionally. A LinkedIn study found that 94% of employees would stay on the job if their employer supported their professional development. This data highlights the value of focusing on employees’ both professional and personal goals in the workspace in order to encourage inclusivity and diversity within an organization and ensure staff retention.
Detection and mitigation of partiality: Whether unintentional or intentional, biases at a workplace can result in unfair treatment of workers, fostering a toxic workplace with low morale and productivity. In addition to bias, there are additional unfavourable workplace elements that can weaken worker engagement, motivation, and productivity, as well as raise attrition rates and undermine the core values of company culture. Here, artificial intelligence enters the picture, finding and eliminating prejudice in organizational data like feedback or performance evaluations and putting proactive measures in place to promote inclusivity.
AI in workspace: Road aheadTransforming every walk of life, AI is certainly evolving and moving towards becoming a powerful tool for fostering inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Evaluating employee feedback and identifying areas where staff feels excluded, AI is being widely used in today’s modern workspaces. The future will emphasize on maximizing the potential of this technology to build more dynamic work settings. Although the importance of AI is undeniable in fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace today, its adoption must be done systematically, ethically, and under constant human oversight. Nonetheless, given its current growth trajectory it is safe to assert that AI will transform the present-day workspace, establishing a more healthy and positive working environment.
The author is director, Headsup Corporation