Diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives in corporates in Asia have been viewed in the past as a nice to have. However, things have changed in 2020. Spurred by the racial justice movement in the United States, increasing numbers of companies in Asia are starting to realise the importance and benefits of a diverse workforce to a sustainable business.

Despite this realisation, a diverse workforce is just one part of the equation; inclusivity is just as critical. Without inclusion, a diverse workforce could become multiple cliques that could potentially hurt team dynamics. To facilitate successful diverse and inclusive team dynamics, emotional intelligence is a key skill to build.

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Is it time for gender quotas on boards in Hong Kong? Sadly, this question is worth asking as progress in board diversity continues to stall on the Hang Seng Index. As of July 2020, women occupy only 13.7% of board seats – the same level as in 2018.

Contrast Hong Kong with other advanced economies in Asia, and we see a widening gap. In Singapore, 16.2% female participation was recorded on the largest 100 primary-listed companies on the Singapore Exchange by the end of last year, up by 1% in 2018. In India, 17% of board seats in Nifty 500 companies were filled by women as of March 2020, increasing by 3% compared to two years ago.

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Our world changed overnight with the coronavirus outbreak. The rising death toll, combined with the economic impact to businesses of all sizes has shaken people to their core. 

The outbreak has also upended traditional work practices, including the expectations of what role a company should play in wider society during the pandemic. In August 2019, the Business Roundtable released a statement endorsing the notion that businesses are responsible not only for shareholders but also for the benefits of stakeholders such as employees and customers. 

The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer Spring Update further highlighted statistics which showed that the general population put their trust in both the Government and businesses to act in solving the global health crisis. Amidst the crisis, workplaces and organisations are being seen as part of the collective effort to promote better health among their workforces.

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Beyond COVID-19: Building a Workplace for Caregivers in Asia The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenge of juggling work and caregiving. With school closures and lockdowns, many people are busy caring for loved ones while trying to get work done at home. While these disruptions from the pandemic may be temporary, the quest to balance family and professional commitments is here to stay. Even if we take the pandemic out of the equation, there are still many reasons why companies would be well advised to prioritise supporting caregivers in their corporate agenda. In our latest research, we examine the drivers and opportunities in the context of Asia.

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The negativity, worry and uncertainty sweeping the globe at the moment is undeniably impacting our interactions at work and at home. With workforces unsure of what their job security may look like in the long-term, it falls to the responsible leader to steer their organisation with integrity, mindfulness and intentional listening in order to defuse tension and ensure productivity, wellbeing and morale remain high. Often overlooked however, is the power of gratitude to bind these traits together. Showing appreciation for your team is the foundation of a positive outlook and building a productive team. Gratitude as an emotion blocks negativity: you cannot, for example feel grateful and envious at the same time. Therefore by removing a pessimistic outlook from your leadership style and instead focusing on the wins and appreciating your teams value, you will open the gateway to breeding kindness, and allow space for mindful and intentional leadership.

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Are Open-Plan Offices Ruining Your Inclusion Efforts?

Picture this – you are at your desk, filed alongside several others. You open your email to provide critical feedback on a time-sensitive project, as your colleagues behind choose this very moment to discuss their weekend plans. You plug in your headphones to tune them out but as you do, you spot your neighbour from the corner of your eye, waving, trying to get your attention. They need you for five minutes to sign off on something. 45 minutes later, you are left staring at the first line in the email you started, “I just thought of another way to approach this problem”. Unable to remember what this idea was, you are left feeling stuck and unproductive.

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We are all guilty of keeping one eye (or ear) on a colleague and the other on our phones when in a meeting or continuing to draft an email as a colleague steps over to our desk with a question. Even in researching around this topic I am ashamed to admit that I continued to peruse articles while a colleague asked me a question – which I then needed to return to 30 minutes later to clarify as I had not retained any of what she said. It turns out I am not alone: according to research from the University of Missouri, we are on the whole, poor and inefficient listeners. In fact, the average person retains between 25% and 50% of what they hear! Clearly, passive or distracted listening is bad for productivity but it is also bad for workplace morale – a team that feels unheard or undervalued will not work cohesively and it falls to the responsible leader to pave the way for creating an inclusive workplace where all employees feel they are (and actually are) heard.

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