In 2025, it’s time to really talk about diversity, equity and inclusion. The question is not whether DEI is here to stay; it’s how prepared we are to thrive in a future where it touches every part of society. This is bigger than election results and policy changes, bigger than seeing some companies pull back on initiatives.

DEI is no longer a standalone effort. It’s a strategic imperative that’s embedded in the processes, demographics and communities shaping our world.

The Future Is Diverse

By 2045, the U.S. is forecast to become a majority-minority nation. Gen-Z—the most diverse generation in history—is making up an increasing share of the workforce. Working for inclusive organizations is important to this group of young people. These shifts are undeniable. Diversity is the very foundation for business survival and innovation. Companies that fail to adapt risk becoming obsolete.

On the other hand, organizations that understand how DEI ties directly to business outcomes can thrive. These leaders recognize that DEI is essential to ensuring long-term relevance in an evolving marketplace.

Navigating Societal Divides

We’re living in a time of great societal change. Political polarization and fragmented social media ecosystems have created echo chambers and eroded the middle ground. This complexity presents challenges for DEI leaders, but it also presents opportunities to build bridges.

I’ve been reflecting deeply on the outcomes of the recent presidential election. For me, I was a single-issue voter, prioritizing women’s reproductive rights. Yet the election results showed that many others prioritized different issues.

Reconciling this has been difficult, but as my mother wisely said, “When you point one finger, three point back at you.” It’s forced me to ask myself tough questions: Have I “othered” those whose views differ from mine? Have I judged their priorities as less important than mine? Have I shown them the same openness and patience I expect from them? Honestly, the answer is no.

So I’m choosing the path of introspection. Over the next few months, I will listen and learn. As someone who tends to be impatient, this is not easy, but it is necessary. DEI starts with building bridges, not burning them, and that work begins within each of us.

But introspection alone isn’t enough. To create meaningful change, we must pair self-reflection with action. The future of DEI requires boldness, creativity and a willingness to challenge the status quo (respectfully).

Listening To Learn, Not To Win

I often think of Irshad Manji, an educator and author. In her book Don’t Label Me, she shares a five-step formula for productive disagreements. It starts with something as simple as taking a deep breath—reminding us that empathy requires us to pause and listen, even when it’s hard.

One of her most profound insights is about listening. She recommends that after asking a question, you sit back and really listen.

Manji distinguishes between two types of listening: “listening to win” and “listening to learn.” Listening to win happens when we mentally poke holes in someone’s argument while they’re still speaking, searching for ways to discredit their perspective. It’s adversarial and ultimately unproductive.

In contrast, listening to learn means setting aside our judgments and genuinely seeking to understand someone else’s point of view. It’s about asking thoughtful follow-up questions—such as Manji’s simple but powerful suggestion: “Tell me more.” This opens the door to deeper conversations and shows that we value the humanity of the person we’re speaking with, even if we don’t agree with them. Her framework is a powerful tool for fostering understanding. I encourage you to bring this practice into your workplace, community and personal life.

Listening, in this way, is active support. It requires courage, humility and patience. Imagine the impact if we all brought this level of intentionality to our conversations—wherever we are. What could we achieve if we listened, not to win, but to understand?

The Path Forward

Times like these test the best among us, but they also provide us with opportunities to rise up as better leaders, better colleagues and simply better humans. Let us remember that not every issue will escalate into a big challenge or crisis. Be cautious not to climb mountains that don’t need to be climbed. Focus your energy on four key areas:

1. Understand the external and internal environment to help you know what’s top of mind for your talent.

2. Build capability and strength within your teams to be open, empathetic, vulnerable, patient and kind. Focus especially on those who are natural leaders during times like these, as they’ve likely developed capabilities in navigating complex situations through past experiences.

3. As mandates and directives come from a new administration, examine them carefully to assess whether they impact your organization. If they do, prepare to act, and ensure your cross-organizational team is ready to address them. If not, move on.

4. Anchor your culture to your overall mission, and celebrate both the small and big acts of generosity and kindness shown by your employees. This strengthens your team and uplifts your culture.

By talking about DEI—beyond narrow definitions and immediate challenges—we can create a future that is more inclusive, equitable and innovative. You won’t have a perfect blueprint for every situation, but you will build the agility and resilience to rise to any challenge.

Let us commit to this work with courage, humility and a forward-thinking mindset. Together, we can shape a DEI movement that’s bold, inclusive and ready for the future.

I challenge you to be bold in your commitments. Take risks. Have the hard conversations. Think bigger. And most importantly, lead with empathy. DEI is about more than policies or programs; it’s about people. It’s about building a world where everyone feels valued and included.

The post Let’s Talk About DEI In 2025 appeared first on Seramount.

If we want workplaces where talent can thrive, leaders must look beyond surface-level reporting and begin measuring the systems, leadership behaviors and workplace conditions that shape whether people can succeed. The question is not just who makes up our workforce, but whether they are supported, valued and given opportunities to grow.

Navigating Today’s Climate

Many companies are more cautious today about what they collect and report. Recent legal and political shifts have made some leaders uncertain about what can safely be measured. That caution is understandable. But even within today’s environment, organizations have clear, legal ways to gather meaningful insights about their workforce, and doing so responsibly is critical for progress.

What Companies Can—And Should—Measure

• Workforce Representation Gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, veteran status and other demographics remain legal and essential to monitor.

• Hiring, Promotion And Turnover: Understanding who is joining, advancing and leaving—particularly voluntary versus involuntary turnover—reveals whether opportunities and support are equitably distributed.

• Pay Practices: Compensation analysis by demographic group ensures fairness in one of the most visible measures of workplace equity.

These metrics are foundational. But to understand whether people truly thrive at work, companies must go further.

Going Deeper: Culture, Leadership And Benefits

An inclusive workplace isn’t built on demographics alone; it is shaped by culture and systems. Here are some additional areas to assess:

1. Leadership Accountability

Are managers trained on inclusive decision-making? Are they evaluated on whether their teams feel supported? Measuring leadership behaviors ensures inclusion isn’t just an HR priority but a management responsibility.

2. Employee Experience

Deeper listening through anonymous surveys and employee voice platforms can capture whether employees feel they belong, believe their contributions are valued and trust their leaders. When paired with demographic data, these insights show where gaps in experience persist.

3. Benefits And Policies

Measuring access to and utilization of benefits—including ERG participation, accessibility accommodations, healthcare coverage and leadership training—helps determine whether support systems are reaching the people who need them most.

Some organizations also use external benchmarks and annual applications to compare progress across industries and uncover blind spots (full disclosure: Seramount offers this application). This approach helps leaders avoid operating in a vacuum and often gives them ideas on ways to implement best practices.

Three Steps Leaders Can Take Now

1. Start with what’s legal and required. 

Build a strong foundation by measuring representation, pay equity and attrition. These are defensible and necessary and reveal important trends.

2. Add depth through culture metrics. 

Layer in employee listening, leadership accountability and benefit utilization data. This shows not just who is in the workforce, but how they are experiencing it.

3. Benchmark externally. 

Compare your data to peers, industries and published standards. External surveys and annual applications provide valuable context and help set realistic goals.

Measurement As A Tool For Accountability And Action

Some leaders hesitate to measure more fully, fearing that the results might highlight uncomfortable truths. But ignoring the data doesn’t change reality. It only makes it harder to address. Measurement provides clarity about where progress is happening, where barriers remain and how resources should be directed.

But savvy HR leaders know that measurement alone is not enough. Once insights are collected, organizations must act. That means aligning findings with institutional priorities, setting concrete goals and holding leaders accountable for change. Otherwise, data becomes just another report on a shelf.

When used strategically, measurement drives accountability. Data, shared thoughtfully, builds trust with employees who want to see that leadership commitments translate into real change. And when organizations take the next step and act on the data, they create stronger cultures that support higher productivity, greater innovation and better business outcomes.

Looking Ahead

The workforce of tomorrow is paying attention to how organizations act today. Employees, especially younger generations, expect fairness, opportunity and workplaces where they can bring their full selves to work. Measurement is how we bridge the gap between intentions and outcomes.

For companies committed to building workplaces where all talent can thrive, the work begins with asking the right questions, collecting the right data and having the courage to face what it reveals. But the real transformation happens when leaders use those insights to guide priorities, inform strategy and embed accountability into the business. That is the path to a culture where people don’t just show up; they succeed.

Measurement is not the end of the journey. It is the beginning of building stronger cultures and stronger companies.

The post Measuring What Matters: Building Inclusive Cultures Through Data appeared first on Seramount.

Seramount is proud to support inclusion leaders and their teams as they face these disruptions. To understand where inclusion leaders may need the most support, we analyzed the resources that our partners have returned to again and again.  In this blog, we examine lessons learned from 2025 and how these insights will shape inclusion in 2026.

Overview: 2025 Tested Inclusion like Never Before

For many inclusion, culture, and talent leaders, 2025 opened with uncertainty. The DEI landscape shifted quickly in response to political headwinds, prompting organizations to reevaluate how they communicated and structured their work.

Federal actions heightened compliance concerns, leading some companies to scale back public statements or revise external language. Others adapted terminology while preserving the substance of their efforts. Many organizations maintained their programs internally even as they reduced their visibility externally.

Despite this turbulence, inclusion didn’t diminish—it evolved. Chief Diversity Officers (or those formerly known as) reported strong organizational commitment throughout the year, reinforcing a central truth: Resilient organizations embed inclusion into core business systems, not merely into surface messaging.

Together, these shifts shaped how organizations navigated the year, and they revealed five lessons that will matter even more in 2026.

Five Lessons for Inclusion Leaders from 2025

Lesson 1: Technology Became a Bridge Between DEI and Business Value

Generative AI emerged as one of the year’s most unexpected allies. As detailed in “3 Ways to Leverage Generative AI to Diversify Talent,” leaders used AI to eliminate bias from job descriptions, widen candidate sourcing, and standardize screening. These tools made inclusion scalable and embedded fairness into hiring.

Generative AI was a key tool to take inclusion from being a values statement into being a talent acquisition operational capability by embedding fairness directly into hiring systems.

Leaders looking to experiment with a similar project can:

1. Pilot an AI-based audit of job postings to identify and remove biased language.
2. Maintain human oversight to ensure tools reflect inclusive intent and avoid automated bias.
3. Measure success by tracking growth in applicant diversity without increasing time-to-fill cycles.

Lesson 2: Language Matters; Intent Matters More

The words diversity and equity carried new weight in 2025. As public discourse intensified, many organizations experimented with terms such as belonging, inclusion, or culture. Seramount’s “What’s in a Name?” cautioned that rebranding alone cannot shield an organization from scrutiny or confusion. We found that leaders who succeeded in rebranding efforts were those who explained why these changes were being put into place, not just what was changing.

The most effective leaders focused on clarity and authenticity rather than cosmetic change. Leaders looking to emulate this can:

• Audit DEI communications to ensure every message reflects purpose behind language changes, not the pressures causing the change.
• Be transparent about language shifts, explaining how new terms align with enduring commitments.
• Connect words to action, showing employees how language reflects tangible programs they can trust.

Lesson 3: Political Uncertainty Demands Steady Leadership

There is no doubt that regulations and policy concerns were on every inclusion leader’s mind in 2025. However, there are some strategies moving forward that have proven effective at balancing these forces. In “3 Truths for DEI Leaders Navigating Trump’s Second Term,” Seramount found that many CDOs embraced an “Embassy” mindset: prioritizing internal progress while minimizing external advocacy. Leaders learned that protecting momentum required calm, clear, and coordinated communication.

To maintain momentum under pressure, leaders can:

• Align executive teams on shared messaging so every leader communicates confidence and consistency.
• Keep DEI programs active and visible internally, even when external advocacy pauses.
• Track continuity and morale metrics to ensure employees feel stability amid changing external conditions.

Lesson 4: Inclusion Requires Reimagining Workspaces

The conversation about return-to-office became a proxy for inclusion itself. For many employees, RTO policies determined not just where they worked but whether they felt seen, supported, and able to thrive. Seramount’s “Federal RTO Mandate Sparking Debate? Key Considerations for an Inclusive Return to Office” highlighted how equity is shaped not only by where people work but also by how work policies are designed. We explored how successful inclusion leaders recognized differences in caregiving responsibilities, commute burden, and disability accommodation and used that insight to design flexibility with intention.

Leaders looking to center inclusion in workplace design can:

• Conduct an inclusion audit of hybrid and RTO policies to identify barriers for caregivers, employees with disabilities, and historically excluded talent.
• Gather employee feedback early, using ERGs and pulse surveys to shape decisions.
• Frame flexibility as a performance enabler, not a privilege, to reinforce inclusion through trust and accountability.

Lesson 5: The Core Commitment Holds

The change we saw in 2025 truly tested organizations’ commitment to inclusion. Despite discourse and public backlash for those that broke away from their dedication to inclusion, we saw that most companies stood by their values—they just changed how their business processes met those values. Seramount’s “Charting the Future: DEI Strategies for the Next Four Years” revealed that 74% of CEOs remain highly supportive of this work, and nearly 68% of CDOs expect expanded private-sector action on gender and LGBTQ+ rights. One way many companies sustained their dedication to inclusion was by expanding support for Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). As a result, ERGs became a vital infrastructure in sustaining community and continuity through organizational change.

Inclusion leaders looking to leverage CEO sponsorship and ERG communities to keep culture and connection strong can:

• Reinvest in ERG leadership development to build capability and influence.
• Integrate ERG insights into business decisions, ensuring policies reflect diverse perspectives.
• Track ERG engagement and advancement outcomes as indicators of organizational health.

Looking Ahead to 2026: From Reflection to Renewal

The story of 2025 is one of redesign. Across industries, leaders turned turbulence into innovation, ensuring belonging remained both a value and a practice. As we move into 2026, the opportunity is clear: Embed inclusion at the heart of every strategy, not at its margins.

2025 showed that progress is not linear. Looking ahead, inclusion leaders should focus on resilience, measurement, and strategic partnership to ensure that the path forward can handle new challenges as they arise:

• Stay legally literate, monitoring evolving regulations to clarify which inclusion activities remain low-risk and business-essential.
• Tie outcomes to performance, demonstrating inclusion’s impact through metrics executives already value such as retention, engagement, and productivity.
• Rebuild employee trust through two-way communication efforts such as listening sessions and ERG engagement.
• Strengthen leadership capability, equipping managers at all levels to communicate with transparency and empathy.

When inclusion is woven into everyday practices, it withstands any external climate.

The post Looking Back on 2025: Five Lessons Inclusion Leaders Will Carry Forward appeared first on Seramount.

Numerous factors are contributing to this need for a focus on culture. These three factors stuck out to me: Energy demand is rising, AI is reshaping work, and the talent needed to meet these ambitions is in short supply. These interconnected shifts mean that retention now matters as much as recruitment. With the goal of future-proofing teams and organizations, culture is the mechanism that energy leaders can leverage to strengthen employee engagement, innovation, and collaboration.

This blog outlines reflections and insights from the conference and why Seramount stands ready to help energy organizations design resilient cultures that can successfully navigate the current and upcoming workforce challenges.

The Energy Industry’s Workforce Crisis

Across multiple conference sessions, including a panel of four CEOs, leaders emphasized that the sector is in a “workforce renaissance.” Investment in the sector is growing, and with it innovation is accelerating to meet the moment.

However, this renaissance is threatened by workforce instability. Leaders warned candidly, “We can’t afford to lose talent.”And the CEWD data shows us exactly that.

• Energy employers are expected to hire 32 million people between 2025 and 2035— 15 million replacement workers and 17 million new workers.
• Seventy-six percent of energy and utilities employers are experiencing talent and skill gaps in their current workforce due to the rapid evolution occurring within the sector in response to changing needs.
• Over 75% of organizations have difficulty recruiting for full-time positions, and nearly 50% have had difficulties retaining full-time employees in the past12 months.

Throughout the conference, we learned that energy’s challenges are being shaped by several forces:

1.     Aging Workforce

The energy sector is facing a demographic cliff. A significant portion of today’s workforce is expected to retire within the next 10 years, taking with them institutional knowledge that cannot be quickly replicated. At the same time, the population entering the workforce is smaller than the population exiting it, revealing more than ever the value of retention and knowledge transfer. Accordingly, organizations must recognize that retention, upskilling, and cross-generational knowledge capture are urgent strategic imperatives.

Leaders at the CEWD conference emphasized that workplace culture, especially one grounded in belonging, stability, and purpose, is what keeps experienced workers engaged long enough to support the next generation. By strengthening connections between veteran workers and early-career talent, organizations can protect critical knowledge and stabilize workforce transitions.

Actionable Steps to Combat the Demographic Cliff

• Build structured knowledge-transfer programs where experienced workers mentor newer employees through defined rotational experiences.
• Conduct a retention risk assessment to identify roles or teams most vulnerable to retirement-driven turnover.
• Create “encore career” pathways that allow late-career employees to shift into coaching, training, or advisory roles.

2.     Shifting Talent Pipelines and Growing Skill Gaps

Talent pipelines aren’t disappearing, but they are shifting. There are two major contributing factors: First, young workers are not rejecting energy careers; rather, they simply aren’t exposed to energy careers early enough to understand that energy offers more than just a job. Second, the existing workforce is lacking skills that have been introduced—or demanded—by new technology and evolving operational systems.

In response, organizations need to engage talent earlier and more creatively. At the CEWD conference, several leaders highlighted the importance of high school partnerships, hands-on learning, and compelling mobility stories. Effective pipelines also come from nontraditional sources such as military transition programs, second-chance hiring initiatives, and partnerships with community-based organizations. These novel approaches to inclusive talent development can unlock skilled workers who have historically been overlooked.

Actionable Steps to Prepare the Talent Pipeline

• Build early-career exposure programs with local high schools, dual-enrollment programs, and community colleges focused on energy pathways.
• Expand recruiting partnerships with military bases, workforce reentry programs, and community-based organizations to reach overlooked talent pools.
• Develop clear, visible skill pathways that show workers how to advance from entry-level roles into technical specialist or leadership positions.

3.     Digital Transformation and AI Readiness

Digital tools and AI are reshaping the nature of work across the industry. From predictive maintenance to connected field technologies, workers are being asked to adopt new systems at unprecedented speed. Without transparency and training, these shifts can create uncertainty, especially among frontline teams and supervisors who must explain the changes to their crews.

Organizations must build a workforce culture that is confident, digitally literate, and flexible. Leaders at the conference emphasized that frontline leaders play a critical role in demystifying AI and supporting skill-building. When employers offer transparency about  why technology is changing and how employees can grow with it, their employees can stay engaged rather than becoming fearful.

Actionable Steps to Address Digital Transformation and Readiness

• Map the roles most affected by AI and communicate upcoming technological developments early and clearly.
• Launch a “Digital Essentials” learning pathway that builds confidence in new tools, data systems, and AI-enabled workflows.
• Train frontline leaders to support skill development, and guide teams through digital change.

Looking Ahead: Culture Is Your Most Scalable Advantage

After spending time at CEWD, I have no doubt that we are seeing a renaissance moment for the energy sector, and most companies will likely find themselves at a strategic crossroad. Seramount’s research has found that organizations that invest in people, i.e., workplace culture, with the same zeal and commitment with which they invest in technology will be able to meet the moment much more competitively than those who see culture as an afterthought. 

Culture is not soft. Culture is not secondary. Particularly now, culture will be the foundation of retention and long-term competitiveness in the energy sector. As competition across the sector increases to meet new demands, the organizations that build strong, inclusive cultures today will be the ones that lead the future of energy.

Partner with Seramount to Build a Culture That Attracts and Retains Top Talent

Seramount supports energy organizations in building cultures that strengthen belonging, readiness, and performance. We help leaders:

• Diagnose cultural strengths and gaps for the organization.
• Support frontline leader development and engagement to shape and advocate for culture.
• Share best practices from peers within and outside of the industry.

If your organization is preparing for growth, digital transformation, or workforce transition, Seramount can help build the culture your strategy requires. Reach out to talk to one of our experts!

The post Supporting the Energy Sector’s Workforce Through Culture appeared first on Seramount.

Earlier this month, Seramount partnered with Soho House to bring inclusion leaders across industries into community with creatives and artists in LA. Together, they explored how inclusion drives culture and how culture drives innovation, community, and belonging. Their conversations revealed a clear truth: Culture isn’t an outcome; it’s an engine.

The Power of Representation in Storytelling

Stories were the heartbeat of the day. Speakers reflected on how authentic storytelling is both an act of representation and reclamation, emphasizing that when people share their stories, they humanize difference and turn diversity into understanding. Stories define who belongs, which ideas gain momentum, and which values shape collective imagination. Representation in storytelling is not about visibility alone; it’s about shaping connection and context for everyone involved. Many spoke of the courage it takes to move from being the subject of a story to the author of one and shared examples of how they accomplished just that, paving the way for others to do the same. Through it all ran a shared conviction: Stories do more than entertain; they build empathy, community, and trust.

Actionable steps:

• Create internal forums or creative showcases where employees can share lived experiences.
• Embed storytelling into leadership development as a discipline of empathy.
• Use stories to test whether culture statements reflect reality, not aspiration.

The State of Inclusion Today

As the conversation turned to inclusion strategy, two themes arose: exhaustion and renewal. The rapid pace of change around topics such as AI, politics, and demographics presents disruption and opportunity for the workforce and for communities. In response, leaders are calling not for more programs to address these areas but for more clear and focused messaging that provides transparency and connection to employees and peers.

Inclusion must evolve beyond jargon to speak a language that feels accessible and supportive to all throughout the constant state of change. The group agreed that it’s paramount to make inclusion an enterprise capability that empowers everyone. Plain language and integrated metrics will bring inclusion closer to business outcomes and create more sustainable change.

Actionable steps:

• Reframe inclusion messaging in accessible terms (e.g., replace “psychological safety” with “building trust for team success”).
• Integrate inclusion goals with business metrics, not as add-ons but as growth levers.
• Foster cross-functional learning communities where culture, HR, and operations align on shared outcomes.

The Blueprint of Belonging: Designing for Impact

Panelists explored how belonging must move from inspiration to infrastructure and shared how they’ve started this evolution themselves. They shared experiences of redesigning hiring systems, empowering employee resource groups, and reframing inclusion from a side effort into a strategic driver.

The most resonant idea: Belonging begins in community. Culture can’t be engineered through policies alone, particularly in the workplace; it grows through knowledge, engagement, and authentic participation in a shared vision and purpose.

A sustainable culture of belonging depends on systems that reward collaboration, accountability, and alignment to the business and to each other. The panelists reiterated the importance of embedding inclusion into decision-making structures, measuring what truly matters, and creating space for reflection and dialogue.

Actionable steps:

• Design your inclusion ecosystem: formal programs, informal networks, inclusion metrics, and leadership champions.
• Establish regular feedback rituals that surface barriers to belonging.
• Develop a balanced scorecard for culture: one part data, one part narrative.

The Stories We Inherit and the Stories We Create

The final session closed on a powerful note: imagination as a discipline.

Speakers reflected on how creativity can transform not just narratives but systems. One speaker described imagination as “a form of freedom”— a way to resist cynicism and keep possibility alive. Others spoke of the need to guard creative energy fiercely, refusing to let external forces or fatigue drain the capacity to dream.

That same spirit of imagination extends beyond individuals. Every organization lives inside a story. The most inclusive cultures rewrite their narrative through imagination and shared authorship. Storytelling becomes both legacy and action: honoring the past while opening space for new voices.

The conversation moved from theory to practice, with participants exchanging ideas for nurturing collective imagination in their teams. Leaders agreed that imagination is a strategic resource, as vital as capital or data, and that inclusion work is most powerful when it transforms not just policies but how people see themselves at work.

Actionable steps:

• Host cross-generational dialogues that connect origin stories to future aspirations.
• Encourage creative collaborations across departments to reimagine traditions and rituals.
• Recognize employees who embody inclusion through creativity and care.

Final Thoughts

Sustaining cultural momentum requires balance between urgency and patience, data and humanity, imagination and accountability. Culture leaders must prototype inclusion: Test, refine, and scale what resonates.

Culture fuels creativity when inclusion and belonging become a responsibility for and from everyone. The path forward isn’t about defending this work; it’s about expanding creativity, trust, and possibility through collaboration. Leaders who cultivate inclusive imagination will shape workplaces that endure change and inspire innovation.

The post Culture Fuels Creativity: Reimagining Inclusion for a New Era appeared first on Seramount.

Proactive Inclusion in a Complex World

Barry shared encouraging data, illustrating how inclusive hiring efforts are paying off. In a study of recruitment practices across the UK, Canada, and India, companies employing “tried-and-true” inclusion tactics – diverse candidate slates, diverse interview panels, mandatory bias training, and targeted sourcing – saw tangible results. In the UK, for example, 50% of new hires this year were women, up from 46% in 2023, with similar rises in Canada (55%, up from 51%) and modest results in India (37%, up from 36%). These upticks in women’s hiring underscore how inclusive talent strategies can drive measurable progress, reinforcing Barry’s point that inclusion can be a competitive advantage in every market. Barry also highlighted partnership as a catalyst for innovation: The StepStone Group, a global leader in digital recruitment and the summit’s host, exemplifies how embedding inclusion at a platform’s core helps connect talent to opportunity at scale. StepStone’s own Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Bianca Stringuini, echoed this vision of inclusion-fueled innovation in her welcome remarks, setting the stage for a day of learning and collaboration.

From Compliance to Influence: Aligning HR Leadership

The first session dug into a foundational question: how can Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) and Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) join forces to amplify impact? James Cowling-Vega, shared insights from a new Seramount study based on interviews with over 100 CHROs. The research revealed that while most HR leaders support Inclusion in principle, truly integrating inclusion into business strategy requires moving beyond compliance-driven approaches to ones centered on influence and collaboration. Cowling-Vega noted that effective CDO-CHRO partnerships hinge on speaking the language of business outcomes. This theme of “shifting from explaining inclusion to executing with influence” resonated throughout the day. In fact, Seramount’s latest pulse survey found that only 1 in 5 CDOs feel they can effectively influence their C-suite on Inclusion, even as 90% say securing senior leadership buy-in is their top priority. Closing that gap is critical – without the ability to clearly link inclusion to business value, Inclusion efforts risk being sidelined or defunded in today’s environment. Cowling-Vega’s session underscored a clear call to action: HR and Inclusion leaders must continue to evolve from box-checking to business-aligned strategies, using data and influence to embed inclusion into executive agendas.

Moving with Trust in AI

A lively fireside chat on emerging technology examined the cutting-edge of inclusion practice: AI in HR. Nicola Weatherhead, StepStone Group’s VP of Talent Acquisition & People Operations, joined Subha Barry for a candid discussion on the promise and perils of artificial intelligence in people management. Weatherhead, a veteran tech industry people leader, and Barry emphasized moving forward with trust in AI – harnessing AI’s efficiencies in recruiting and talent management while maintaining human oversight and fairness. Attendees openly shared their experiences via live poll: many organizations are still in early exploratory stages of integrating AI in HR, and the top concerns on everyone’s mind are bias, transparency, and compliance with rapidly evolving laws. Weatherhead addressed these head-on, citing the forthcoming EU AI Act as a prime example of why HR leaders must stay proactive. Her guidance: treat AI as a tool to augment, not replace, human judgment, and build diverse teams to vet AI-driven decisions for unintended bias. She described StepStone’s approach to ethical AI – from rigorous bias testing in algorithms to cross-functional governance – as a model of balancing innovation with responsibility. The takeaway was clear: trust and innovation can co-exist. With the right guardrails, AI can help streamline hiring and expand talent pools, but earning employee trust means prioritizing ethics and transparency at every step.

Navigating Legal Headwinds in Inclusion

Legal and regulatory shifts have rocked the Inclusion landscape worldwide, a reality brought to life by Chris Bracebridge, Partner at Covington & Burling LLP and a leader on the firm’s global Inclusion Council. Bracebridge led a session on inclusion under pressure – how recent legal changes demand agile strategies from Inclusion and HR teams. He noted that in just the past 18 months, dramatic changes have altered what’s permissible or practicable in corporate Inclusion programs. From high-profile court decisions on affirmative action in the U.S., to new European regulations like the AI Act and pay transparency directives, to evolving UK compliance requirements – the rules of engagement for Inclusion are being rewritten in real time. Bracebridge broke down these complexities with practical clarity, reassuring leaders that inclusion and compliance are not mutually exclusive. For instance, he pointed out that even amid political pushback, companies can focus on inclusive practices that are universally beneficial, such as mentorship programs or diversity in recruitment, which carry low legal risk but high cultural impact. The key is to stay informed and creative: adjusting language, reframing programs, and doubling down on business relevance can help inclusion initiatives survive external challenges. Bracebridge’s bottom line: Inclusion leaders must become deft navigators of change, influencing stakeholders with both vision and vigilance. His insights – coming from a firm that’s been advising global companies through these storms since 2021 – provided a roadmap for turning legal “disruption into opportunity”, sparking ideas on how to future-proof inclusion efforts.

Macro Trends and Inclusion: An Economist’s View

After lunch, the summit zoomed out to a macro-economic lens, examining how broad labor market trends influence workplace inclusion. Julius Probst, Appcast’s European Labor Economist, presented a data-rich look at the British economy and job market in 2025. Probst, shared sobering statistics: the UK’s unemployment rate has crept up to 4.6%, and job vacancies have declined to their lowest since before the pandemic. After a long post-pandemic boom, Britain’s labor market is edging closer to a downturn, with hiring freezes and lower turnover as economic uncertainty rises. Yet within this challenging climate, there are silver linings for inclusion. Probst noted that a cooling labor market can push employers to focus on quality ofhire over quantity, presenting an opening to double down on inclusive recruitment – reaching talent that may have been overlooked in hyper-competitive Probst added perspective from on-the-ground in the UK: even as overall hiring slows, skills shortages persist in sectors from technology to care services, meaning companies that cast wider nets and invest in upskilling diverse talent will weather the storm better. This economist’s view reinforced a theme from earlier in the day – inclusion as innovation under pressure. When macro headwinds blow, inclusive practices like reskilling, internal mobility, and flexible work can become engines of resilience. The session vividly connected the dots between global trends and daily inclusion work, reminding leaders that Inclusion strategy must flex with economic realities.

Collaborative Solutions: Evolving ERGs and Beyond

Caroline Waters, OBE – a veteran HR executive and Deputy Chair of the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission – led an eye-opening breakout session on global demographic shifts and what they mean for inclusion. Co-facilitated by Angela Lacerna, an Associate Director of Partner Development at Seramount, the session challenged participants to think bigger about where talent and consumers will come from in the future.

Waters highlighted several striking facts as signals of a massive demographic transformation unfolding worldwide:

• English speakers on the rise: China is poised to become the largest English-speaking nation in the world.
• Talent pool scale: The top 25% highest-IQ individuals in China outnumber the entire population of North America (and India’s top 28% does as well).
• Workforce surplus: Even if every current U.S. job were transferred to China or India, those countries would still have a huge surplus of workers to spare.
• Skyrocketing birth rates: In the time it takes to read this sentence, dozens of babies are born around the globe – about 38 in the United States, 92 in China, and 241 in India. As Waters put it, “the speed of global diversification is almost too fast to grasp.”
• Shifting majorities: In Birmingham, UK, the balance of demographics flipped within a decade. The city went from roughly 58% White and 42% Black in 2011 to about 49% White and 51% Black in 2021 – a complete reversal of majority and minority representation in just ten years.
• Youth resurgence: In the UK, church attendance among young adults has quadrupled, from only 4% in 2018 to 16% today. This unexpected surge in youth participation is another example of how quickly social trends can turn.

Each of these data points, Waters explained, is more than just a statistic – it’s a wake-up call. Together, they paint a picture of a world where diversity is the new normal on a global scale. Populations and workforces in Asia are booming, educational and linguistic advantages are no longer confined to Western nations, and even local communities are seeing dramatic shifts in composition and behavior. For inclusion strategists, the implication is clear: we must anticipate and embrace a far more diverse future. Inclusion efforts can’t rely on old assumptions about where talent comes from or what “majority” means in any given context. Instead, leaders should prepare for a reality in which the so-called ‘minority’ groups may become majorities (and vice versa), and cultural patterns may shift unexpectedly.

ERGs: From Passion to Strategic Impact

Katie Oertli Mooney, Managing Director at Seramount, shared that even as some organizations pull back on formal DEI programs, employee resource groups (ERGs) remain resilient and continue to evolve. She introduced a new ERG maturity model with two dimensions – operational and impact – urging companies to move beyond grassroots passion to a structured infrastructure with leadership alignment from the top down. On the impact side, Mooney challenged leaders to think past what ERGs do (hosting events or programs) and focus on what they enable for the business and culture. The message was clear: leading organizations treat ERGs not as extracurricular networks, but as strategic partners in driving inclusion and innovation.

Mooney illustrated how high-functioning ERGs serve as pipelines for relationship-building and talent development. ERG leaders and members gain vital experience – from cross-functional collaboration and strategic planning to mentoring others – that hones their business acumen and inclusive leadership skills. These experiences build executive presence and influence among diverse talent, empowering employees to drive cultural fluency across the organization. In short, ERGs can be incubators of future leaders, translating grassroots energy into tangible business capabilities.

Spotlight Stories of Resilience and Innovation

As the summit’s final segment, two industry leaders delivered inspiring spotlight stories illustrating how they are driving inclusion forward in challenging times. Sharlene John, Head of Inclusion, Recruitment and Onboarding at Selfridges, spoke about cultivating talent and culture in the luxury retail sector. John described how Selfridges partners with the King’s Trust to promote internal talent development, creating avenues for underrepresented employees to advance and lead with continued support at the close of the program.

Next, Annika Allen, Head of Inclusion at All3Media, offered a candid look at building inclusion in media and entertainment – an industry known for creative dynamism and, often, systemic inequities. At the summit, Allen spoke passionately about the link between employee well-being and inclusion. In an environment prone to burnout and high stress, All3Media has made employee mental health a pillar of its Inclusion strategy – from inclusive storytelling workshops that give employees a voice, to equitable parental leave and flexible work arrangements. Allen’s core message: creativity and inclusion thrive together when people feel safe, valued, and cared for as whole individuals.

Think Bigger, Act Smarter: What’s Next

After a full day of insights and exchange, the Think Bigger Summit concluded with a unifying call to action. In closing remarks, Subha Barry observed that through every panel, spotlight, and hallway conversation, one theme came up again and again: “This work lives or dies by our ability to influence.” Influence – built on trust, backed by data, and aligned to business priorities – is the linchpin for turning inclusive ideas into sustained action. Barry challenged every leader in attendance to carry the day’s learnings back to their organizations and “engineer influence” for the changes that matter. Some key messages emerged from the summit’s conversations:

• Moving with trust in AI: Leverage AI-driven tools in HR and recruiting, but do so ethically and transparently, addressing biases and ensuring human oversight at each step.
• Inclusion as innovation under pressure: Treat inclusion as a source of innovation and resilience, especially in turbulent times. When under pressure – whether from legal, economic, or social forces – doubling down on Inclusion can reveal new solutions and growth opportunities.
• Shifting from compliance to influence: Evolve from check-the-box diversity compliance toward true influence in the C-suite. Build the business case with data and storytelling, and speak to what drives your particular organization. Inclusion isn’t a “nice-to-have” – it’s a strategic imperative, and it demands the same rigor and buy-in as any core business initiative.
• Evolving ERG maturity and impact: Invest in the maturity of Employee Resource Groups so they become strategic partners in talent development and innovation. Provide ERGs with executive sponsorship, clear objectives, and metrics to showcase impact, moving them from affinity communities to engines of business insight and leadership development.

Looking ahead, Seramount is committed to keeping this momentum going. Seramount’s Global Inclusion Index remains open for organizations to benchmark not just what they say, but what they do, across 29 countries. And the upcoming Global Member Conference will reunite this community to continue the conversation, dive deeper into new research, and turn ideas into action. These efforts are part of Seramount’s broader 2026 thought leadership agenda,  all aimed at one goal: helping inclusion leaders think bigger and act smarter to meet the demands of this changing workplace.

Together, we are turning aspiration into action, and ensuring that inclusion not only keeps pace with change, but drives the innovative workplaces of tomorrow.

The post Strategic Inclusion Under Pressure: Think Bigger Global Summit Highlights appeared first on Seramount.

Many of the traditional indicators of progress are now under heightened scrutiny, and legal teams are advising against certain metrics once considered standard. In that uncertainty, some organizations have paused measurement altogether.

But that can’t be the answer. If we stop measuring inclusion, we stop making progress. And failing to get inclusion right comes with significant organizational costs. Research shows where inclusion is low, employees experience 1.2 to 2.6 times more burnout, productivity drops by 18%, absenteeism rises 37%, and employees are 4.6 times more likely to leave within a year.

To address this dilemma, Seramount researchers have been hard at work identifying the right metrics to truly measure inclusion in the workplace today. Our goal: to move beyond traditional diversity indicators and provide organizations with tools that make inclusion measurable, actionable, and low-risk.

What Is Inclusion, Really?

Historically, inclusion has taken a back seat to diversity and equity when it comes to measurement. Representation goals and pay-equity analyses offered clear, quantifiable targets; inclusion, by contrast, has always felt more nebulous: harder to define, harder to measure, and harder to link directly to business outcomes.

That lack of clarity is one of the biggest barriers to progress. You can’t measure what you don’t first define, and inclusion has been defined in countless, sometimes conflicting,  ways across organizations and industries. Without a shared understanding of what inclusion is, even the best-intentioned leaders struggle to identify which metrics truly matter.

That’s why Seramount set out to bring greater clarity to the concept of inclusion itself. Through extensive research, including a meta-analysis of more than 20 years’ worth of academic and practitioner studies, Seramount has identified the core drivers of inclusive cultures within an organization’s control.

At its foundation, an inclusive workplace is one where employees:

• Feel psychologically safe on their teams
• Believe their contributions are valued
• See their identities reflected across the organization
• Trust that inclusive behavior is a cultural norm expected of everyone

These four experiences define what inclusion is, and, in turn, reveal what organizations should be measuring. They transform inclusion from an abstract ideal into something observable, actionable, and ultimately measurable.

How Can We Measure Inclusion Now?

Now that we have a clear definition of what inclusion looks like, the next question is how to measure it. Building the next era of meaningful metrics requires focusing on two complementary methods: employee metrics and organizational metrics.

1. Employee Metrics: Understanding the Experience

Employee metrics measure the lived experience of inclusion, or how employees feel, contribute, and interact within their teams. These insights often come from engagement or inclusion surveys, but too often, the right questions aren’t being asked.

Many surveys rely on proxies for inclusion (“Do you have a best friend at work?”) rather than assessing the behaviors and experiences that truly create it.

To measure inclusion effectively, organizations need to assess specific, observable behaviors tied directly to the four drivers of inclusion. These behaviors become clear indicators of inclusion, such as whether managers actively invite input from their teams, respond transparently to feedback, or consistently recognize diverse contributions. Seramount’s research team explores this in depth through our Pathway to Inclusion framework, a research-driven process designed to help leaders diagnose, prioritize, and operationalize inclusion. Want to dig deeper? Reach out to connect with one of our experts.

2. Organizational Metrics: Measuring Systems and Structures

While employee metrics reflect the day-to-day experience of inclusion, organizational metrics assess how deeply inclusion is built into your systems, policies, and programs.

For more than 40 years, Seramount has helped organizations measure and benchmark inclusion through tools such as our Talent and Inclusion Index and the 100 Best Companies application. These low-risk, confidential assessments evaluate inclusive workplace practices and family-friendly benefits to help organizations:

• Identify opportunities for improvement
• Compare results against those of their peers
• Inform board and executive reporting
• Demonstrate the business impact of inclusion

Each participating organization receives a complimentary scorecard that provides a clear snapshot of overall performance, highlighting strengths to celebrate and identifying areas for further development. Participants can also request confidential peer comparisons, detailed reports, and expert consultations to refine strategies that strengthen inclusion, benefits, and employee well-being.

In today’s environment , where traditional inclusion data collection is under scrutiny, these metrics provide a credible, compliant way to demonstrate real progress and organizational accountability.

The Bottom Line

The fact is inclusion has never been more important or more at risk. Seramount research shows that one in three employees still does not feel included in their workplace. Yet, at the same time, the work of advancing inclusion is under increasing scrutiny. If organizations can’t demonstrate impact, it becomes harder to defend, resource, and sustain.

That’s why finding a new, credible way to measure inclusion is so critical. A strong measurement strategy doesn’t just prove progress; it protects it. Seramount’s frameworks are built to help organizations identify what drives inclusion, measure it meaningfully, and translate those insights into action.

To continue the conversation, join us on November 6 for Measuring What Matters for People and Performance, Seramount’s member conference showcasing new research and practical execution strategies, including the latest insights on employee metrics and using data to drive meaningful change. Contact us to learn more about the event.

The post How Should We Measure Inclusion Now? appeared first on Seramount.

But these shifts haven’t just changed the work of inclusion; they’ve reshaped the role itself. As organizational priorities are realigned and reporting structures are shifted, inclusion leaders are finding themselves navigating new boundaries, expectations, and definitions of success. With so much in flux, many are asking a simple but urgent question: What now?

The New Priorities for Inclusion Leaders

As the role of inclusion leader evolves, so too must the strategies behind it. The same playbook that worked five years ago no longer applies. To stay effective and ensure their work endures, here are three areas for inclusion leaders to focus on right now:

1. Redefine what success looks like

Representation goals and hiring benchmarks have long been the backbone of inclusion work, but in today’s environment, those metrics have become politically charged.

This moment presents an opportunity: to step back and ask what really drives inclusion inside an organization and how we measure it. When everyone agrees on a shared definition of inclusion, we can finally measure the right things and track progress in meaningful ways.

Seramount’s latest research identifies four core drivers of an inclusive organization, defined as one in which employees:

• feel psychologically safe on their teams,
• believe their personal and professional contributions are valued,
• see their identities reflected elsewhere in the organization, and
• trust that inclusive behavior is a cultural normexpected of everyone.

That’s just the starting point. The hard work lies in figuring out how to measure these experiences and behaviors, something Seramount’s research team is actively exploring. Get a sneak peek in our webinar, Measuring Inclusion in Today’s Legal Landscape.

2. Stay close to the business

For many inclusion leaders, the biggest risk right now isn’t backlash; it’s irrelevance.

As scrutiny around DEI has grown, many organizations have quietly rebranded their inclusion efforts, including retitling leadership roles. For example, a “Chief Diversity Officer” might now be a “VP of Culture and Belonging.” These shifts can seem like semantics, but they fundamentally change who gets access to decision-making and how close inclusion leaders remain to the center of power.

Similarly, Seramount research shows a small but noticeable trend of DEI functions moving under larger HR or Talent umbrellas. That structural change can also influence who’s in the room and who isn’t. In fact, 35% of inclusion leaders say being situated within HR has reduced their access to the CEO and C-suite.

The solution isn’t new, but it’s never been more important: Build relationships with intention. Stay close to peers across the business, understand their goals, and look for places where inclusion can accelerate them. Just as critically, keep a pulse on what senior leaders value most. Even hearing what’s top of mind for the C-suite can reshape how you frame your programs; leaders rarely cut what advances the priorities they care most about.

3. Make a new case for inclusion

This may be the most urgent shift of all. According to recent data, 53% of C-suite leaders expect their organization’s DEI commitments to decrease within the next year. To safeguard their programs, inclusion leaders must make the business case clear: Inclusion isn’t just a value; it’s a driver of shareholder value.

The challenge is that too few leaders feel equipped to make that case effectively. According to Seramount research, only one in five Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) strongly agrees that they can influence their C-suite to support inclusion, and on average, CDOs spend just 20% of their time engaging senior executives. When influence is limited, so is impact.

The fact is that the old way doesn’t work anymore. Framing inclusion as “the right thing to do” or even “good for the business” isn’t enough in today’s environment. Leaders must connect inclusion to what matters most to their executives: specific, bottom-line business metrics.

That’s exactly what Seramount’s Science of Influence framework is designed to do. The framework outlines four steps to align inclusion goals with executive priorities:

• Identify a current business priority
• Build your singular and precise ask
• Curate relevant and convincing evidence
• Show the impact on the business sheet

With this framework, inclusion work gains clear, measurable outcomes that demonstrate its impact on the organization. It helps executives see that inclusion isn’t a separate initiative but a business advantage they can’t afford to lose.

What’s Next?

If the past nine months have proven anything, it’s that the pace of change isn’t slowing down. Policy shifts, organizational restructuring, and evolving expectations have already reshaped the work of inclusion—and more change is coming.

Inclusion leaders are becoming, by necessity, change-management experts. Whether it’s adapting programs to meet new realities, redefining your role within the company, or helping your organization respond to broader workforce trends (see our State of the Workforce research for more on that), navigating change will be a defining skill in the year ahead.

As the landscape continues to shift, inclusion leaders will need new tools, strategies, and allies to stay ahead. Seramount can help you navigate the evolving role of inclusion leader in 2026 and beyond, connecting you with the research, frameworks, and expertise to adapt and sustain your impact. Connect with our experts to learn more.

The post How the Role of Inclusion Leader Is Changing appeared first on Seramount.

At the Think Bigger Summit in Chicago, Seramount brought together inclusion and talent leaders to confront today’s most pressing workplace challenges. Across sessions, one theme was clear: Inclusion leaders must rebalance defensive risk management with forward-looking, business-aligned strategies. Each session surfaced not just insights but concrete steps leaders can take to strengthen inclusion and culture strategies for 2025 and beyond.

The Summit also coincided with Hispanic Heritage Month, a reminder of the importance of celebrating cultural heritage as part of a year-round commitment to belonging.

The State of Workforce Today

The opening session highlighted the four mega-trends most reshaping the workplace: AI, hybrid work, mental health, and a shifting employer-employee compact. The good news is that research shows that trust in employers is growing. This is a great privilege and opportunity for businesses to build on the trust and create a thriving company culture.

Action:

• Reinforce trust through micro-acts of inclusion: regular, visible signals that every perspective matters.
• Create space in leadership agendas to focus on essential cultural foundations, not just urgent tasks.
• Become a “student of your craft.” Curate internal resources so leaders can learn quickly.

Inclusion at a Crossroads

Seramount’s research showed a retreat from bold inclusion commitments, leaving employees—particularly vulnerable groups—feeling less psychologically safe and less like they can be themselves. Only 13% (down from 24% in 2024) of employees say they feel psychologically safe in the workplace in 2025, and only 70% (down from 83% in 2024) said they can be themselves at work. This work is more critical than ever, and the importance of creating an agile, sustainable, and future-proof strategy is paramount.

Action:

• Double down on ERGs. They remain the lowest-risk, highest-value tool for belonging.
• Reframe programs as “open to all” while preserving equity goals.
• Communicate consistently that inclusion is a business imperative, not just a values statement.

Making the Case in a Challenging Climate

The conversation turned to how inclusion leaders can influence C-suite decision-makers. While many make the case for inclusion work through moral or even the business case arguments, few link inclusion initiatives to balance-sheet outcomes. Inclusion leaders must align with shareholder priorities—such as cost containment, retention, or business expansion efforts—and present specific, measurable asks backed by data. Without this financial alignment, C-suite support is difficult to sustain.

Action:

• Utilize Seramount’s Science of Influence four-step framework: Identify business priorities, define a measurable ask, defend with data, and tie to financial metrics.
• Pilot one initiative tied directly to a bottom-line goal (e.g., reducing turnover in a key unit).
• Track and share early wins in financial terms to strengthen the case for scaling.

What Do We Measure Now?

With legal and political scrutiny rising, traditional inclusion metrics may no longer be legally compliant. Yet data has never been more important; without it, it’s impossible to know where you are or where to go.

Seramount’s surveys and benchmarking offer early signs of what the next generation of inclusion metrics may look like; join our upcoming webinar, Measuring Inclusion in Today’s Legal Landscape, to get a taste of what’s to come.

Action:

• Connect your inclusion metrics back to what the definition of an inclusive organization is.
• Benchmark with peers to identify emerging practices and track your own progress.
• In your next employee survey, pilot one new inclusion measure, such as belonging or psychological safety.

Solving Today’s Inclusion Challenges

In peer breakout discussions, inclusion leaders tackled four of the most urgent challenges facing inclusive workforces today: political pushback, talent lifecycle disruption, redefining the role of inclusion leaders, and responsible AI integration.

One area of particularly fruitful conversation was “how much the inclusion role and how we show up in them has changed in the past nine months.” Participants emphasized that inclusion leaders must be recognized as business partners with access to data and decision-making. Without visibility into organizational priorities, inclusion leaders struggle to demonstrate impact or align initiatives with strategy.

Action:

• Secure monthly touchpoints with at least one C-suite leader.
• Use those moments to connect inclusion initiatives directly to organizational strategy.
• Build an internal coalition of business-unit allies to strengthen influence beyond HR or inclusion.

ERGs as a Strategic Lever

Employee Resource Groups are among the lowest-risk, highest-value inclusion programs available today. They can serve as trusted communities for employees while also providing insights into customer segments, emerging talent, and business opportunities.

Leaders discussed where their ERGs land on Seramount’s ERG maturity model to help them determine not only what their groups are currently capable of but also if they are ready to tie back to the business priorities, moving beyond community-building to offering measurable business value.

Action:

• Take Seramount’s Employee Resource Group Maturity Assessment (SEGMA) to evaluate the current state of your ERGs and chart a path to greater strategic impact.
• Position ERGs as business drivers by linking efforts to customer or market outcomes.
• Launch one ERG pilot tied directly to revenue, retention, or customer engagement.

Think Bigger: Stories of Innovation

The closing spotlights showcased how organizations are rethinking inclusion across industries. The lesson: Inclusion efforts that are embedded in the culture of the organization and/or connected to broader organizational goals are most likely to endure in today’s climate. The leaders shared a variety of their programs, from how they’ve pivoted supplier diversity efforts in the new legal landscape to using more accessible topics, such as multigenerational diversity, to open the movable middle’s eyes about the real work we are doing.

Action:

• Reach out to a peer or two to find a program they are still successfully driving today.
• Identify a program and a C-suite leader who sees the value and bring it “to market” together.
• In the next 90 days, launch a small-scale experiment that links inclusion directly to a core business outcome.
• Capture impact data from pilots and share results widely to demonstrate proof of concept.

Implementation Considerations

Taken together, the Summit’s sessions reinforced a central truth: Inclusion leaders must balance reactive adaptations to today’s environment with proactive innovations that build trust and belonging in the workplace while driving measurable business impact. Success requires discipline and consistency: clear priorities, precise asks, and visible alignment with organizational goals.

The path ahead for inclusion leaders is demanding, but the conversations in Chicago showed that peers are finding creative ways forward. Leaders who refine their strategies now and embed them across the business will be best positioned to navigate both risk and opportunity in 2026.

The Think Bigger Summit underscored that inclusion is not optional—it is a core driver of business success.

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The benefits of AI are striking, but they come with complex trade-offs. Bias persists in subtle forms, employees experience stress and disengagement, and organizations face heightened governance challenges.

To address these risks, this article offers a six-step accountability framework that equips leaders to balance innovation with inclusion, responsibility, and employee well-being. To understand why such a framework is necessary, it is helpful to first consider how quickly AI has spread and what early adoption is revealing.

AI Adoption Trends: Some Insights

The speed of adoption is staggering. Morgan Stanley reports that AI adoption in financial services climbed from 66% to 73% in 2025.

Companies that adopt AI early often gain competitive traction. In financial services, a Bain report finds that on average, productivity is improved by 20% as a result of generative AI deployments. Law firms report dramatic gains: up to 80% faster contract review and significant time savings in legal research. Pharmaceutical firms investing in AI for drug modeling are slashing development timelines and costs while complying with FDA initiatives to reduce animal testing. Among early adopters, 74% are already reporting ROI, with 86% seeing revenue growth of 6% or more.

But rapid adoption at the organizational level does not always translate into coordinated or secure use at the employee level. Surveys by Microsoft and LinkedIn Work Trend Index show that while 75% of employees already use AI at work, nearly 80% of that is “bring-your-own AI,” with 53% not informing their employers, thus posing high data security risks for companies. This cautionary note points to an urgent need for organizations to articulate clear AI strategies and guidelines for employees. Successful generative AI adoption hinges not only on the infrastructure and tools but also on how it is rolled out by organizations and the ways that people think, adapt, and collaborate with AI.

But There’s a Catch: Covert Bias and Employee Well‑Being Risks

As AI accelerates and offers new ways to work, so do the hidden pitfalls. A Stanford HAI study reveals a worrisome pattern: While language models may no longer generate overtly racist content, they continue to produce language that have negative associations with certain groups, especially against African American English (AAE) speakers. Models label these voices as “dirty,” “lazy,” or “stupid,” and when asked to make dialect-based decisions, they assign AAE speakers lower-status jobs or recommend harsher sentencing in criminal justice systems.

In addition to bias, AI at work can take a toll on workers’ mental health. A Harvard Business Review article finds that AI usage is linked to increased loneliness, insomnia, and unhealthy coping behaviors. Productivity may rise, but motivation and engagement can drop, especially when tasks without AI feel mundane or less meaningful.

Another study points to a “productivity paradox,” where employees might experience a temporary decline in performance after AI introduction, followed by stronger growth in output, revenue, and employment. The temporary instability in workflow and output for those employees facing a sharp learning curve has to be accounted for in performance reviews and feedback functions.

Finally, disparities in adoption cannot be overlooked. A study from the Haas School of Business, reported in The Wall Street Journal, found that women are 20–22% less likely than men to use generative AI tools, due largely to occupational distribution and workplace dynamics. Without intentional oversight, such gaps risk compounding existing disparities. Inclusive adoption strategies are therefore critical if AI is to benefit the full workforce rather than exacerbate divides.

Bridging Promise and Responsibility: The Six-Step Accountability Playbook, Roles, and Responsibilities

To harness AI’s exciting potential without amplifying harm, organizations must embed accountability at every layer while incorporating its tools into daily operations. Effective management of AI in the workplace requires a shared responsibility model. No single group can oversee all the ethical, technical, and organizational implications of AI. Stakeholders such as senior leaders, HR, tech teams, compliance officers, and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) must work together to ensure AI is implemented responsibly.

ERGs play a critical role in ensuring that AI adoption is inclusive, responsible, and reflective of diverse employee perspectives. While functional leaders bring strategic, technical, and operational expertise, ERGs provide the lived experiences and insights that help organizations identify risks, close representation gaps, and build trust. Integrating ERGs into AI accountability structures ensures that AI systems reflect the values and needs of the entire workforce.

Collaboration across these groups is essential to balance innovation with accountability, minimize bias, and protect employee well-being. Here’s a blueprint for organizations that apply these strategies in the real-world context:

Accountability Areas, Recommendations, and Stakeholders

Conclusion: Accelerate with Awareness

AI’s trajectory in workplaces across all industries is extraordinary. Early adoption brings tangible gains: time saved, efficiency unlocked, and innovation enabled. But studies reveal that beneath polished interfaces, deep-seated biases can persist and exacerbate roadblocks for some people who face barriers in actualizing their ambitions.

Senior leaders, technology experts, AI governing bodies, and policymakers must act not only with speed but also with vigilance. The six-step accountability framework outlined here provides a path forward: embed checks on bias, protect employee well-being, and ensure inclusive adoption. By aligning speed with vigilance, organizations can harness AI’s potential while safeguarding the people at the heart of work.

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