ReThink Ready is a series of taped roundtable discussions about untapped pools of talented workers who might be overlooked in the hiring process, but have valuable skills and are ready to get to work if given the opportunity. Each discussion is a deep-dive into a single community of workers and job seekers, examining the unique skills they add to the workforce. We bring together leaders in nonprofits, business, education, and government to share initiatives and ideas that are making progress in bringing attention to these sometimes hidden or underestimated workers. We also examine training programs that can help those in these communities get any missing skills needed to make them even more ready for jobs now and in the future. ReThink Ready is produced by WorkingNation in collaboration with LinkedIn.
Over the past two years, there's been a raised awareness around inequity in the workplace and society as a whole. Questions continue to be raised as to how to improve diversity and inclusion in the hiring process to ensure that every person—regardless of race, color, gender, sexual preference, age, education level, or economic status—has an opportunity to share in a post-pandemic economic recovery. Additionally, the question remains, how do you ensure that the effort doesn’t stop at the entry level and that there is a clear path to retention and growth within a job and career for everyone?
WorkingNation and LinkedIn recently brought together nonprofit, business, and government leaders to discuss the importance of addressing this important issue head on. We examine longstanding barriers to entry and efforts and initiatives that are moving equal access for all forward.
Meet the Panelists and Our Moderator:
Lorraine Hariton, Catalyst, President & CEOGary A. Officer, Center for Workforce Inclusion, President & CEONeferteri Sickout, City of Philadelphia, Chief Diversity OfficerThomas Sexton, LinkedIn, Senior Director of Global Diversity and BelongingModerator: Ramona Schindelheim, WorkingNation, Editor-in-Chief
WATCH NOW: ReThink Ready: A Diverse and Inclusive Post-pandemic Workforce
Seizing an Opportunity
“There's a real opportunity coming out of this pandemic to really change things for the better. The pandemic has really laid bare the big inequities that we have in society,” says Lorraine Hariton, president and CEO of Catalyst.
She adds, “On the other hand, we're in a world where there's a war for talent going on now. There's a much better understanding of these inequities and companies are really trying to lean into that.”
Remote work has become widely accepted during the pandemic, but it doesn’t reach everyone in the workforce. “The debate in the workforce space is about technology, hybrid, virtual, you name it,” says Gary A. Officer, president and CEO at the Center for Workforce Inclusion (CWI).
“That doesn't apply to retail workers. It doesn't apply to restaurant workers. A monolithic band-aid approach to this issue may not be the solution. Adapting strategy to meet the needs of different segments of the workforce may just be the way to go. We've got to make sure that we advocate for a resource model that captures the needs of not just every community, every gender, every racial profile, but folks across the age spectrum.”
Regarding the older worker, Officer says, “By the year 2025, older Americans will represent the largest single segment of the U.S. workforce. Twenty-five percent of the U.S. workforce will be 50 and over. What are we doing to ensure that they will enjoy the opportunity to engage, survive, and thrive?”
Thomas Sexton, senior director of global diversity and belonging at LinkedIn says it’s important for companies to ask, “Why is diversity, inclusion, and belonging important for your organization, specifically? By tying the objective of diversity and inclusion to what you're trying to accomplish already as an organization gives that work much more staying power.