There's a major difference between saying you have "flexibility where you work" versus "I trust you to figure out how to best get your work done." (Photo: Shutterstock)
Among the unprecedented disruption businesses have faced over the past year, one positive light shone through: Their employees were able and ready to adapt and do what it took to keep lights on and businesses running. As a result, many employers have come to see their workforce in a new light, recognizing that the practices they'd relied on for years were in dire need of an update. And with businesses now in the midst of planning a return-to-office strategy, there's no better time to revisit those practices.
Amid all of this restructuring, incorporating diversity and inclusion has been a key focus, but one that many employers continue to come up short on.
Dr. Meisha-Ann Martin, director of people analytics at Workhuman Recommended For You
Recently, Dr. Meisha-Ann Martin, director of people analytics at Workhuman, a social recognition and continuous performance management platform pioneering the human workplace, shared some insights with BenefitsPRO to help employers and their HR teams bake inclusion and diversity best practices into their overall strategies.
You have a unique background, having a Phd in Industrial Organizational Psychology. How does your degree play a role in your current professional position?
My educational background gave me an opportunity to dive deep into the behavior and general patterns of employees and employers. After gaining a better understanding of how technology could help drive positive change in a professional setting, I decided to champion process changes with a focus on using data and analytics to highlight inequities in the workplace. Several years of study and research, as well as personal experiences, enabled me to find ways to create a more positive work environment by bringing more humanity into the workplace.
In what ways do you think companies can do a better job when it comes to diversity and inclusion both in the workplace and during the recruitment process?
Given our current climate, companies have begun mandating specific practices to meet DE&I goals. In hiring, we have seen companies ensure that at least one diverse candidate is included in every round of interviews for an open position. While it may seem like this is a standard good practice, it can actually do more harm than good. When companies have specific quotas to meet, they are often not paying enough attention to the outcomes of the interviews.
So while they may be bringing in more candidates to interview, they may also be rejecting these candidates at a higher rate. In order for companies to do a better job when it comes to recruitment, they need to make sure they are not only setting goals for bringing diverse candidates in, but are also measuring the process and the outcomes just the same.
When it comes to the workplace, we hear all the time why we need to have diversity in leadership, but one of the primary reasons for doing this is that it helps with recruitment. If you bring in a diverse candidate for an interview, your interview panel should be diverse as well.
It's important that companies are also transparent about this topic. If you are trying to diversify your leadership team but aren't there yet, it should be a conversation that is brought up with candidates. It can be much worse for a company if they fail to acknowledge that the leadership team lacks representation.
How do you think companies can plan for the future of work given the future is unplannable right now?
COVID-19 has taken a toll on everyone and as more of the world opens up, we are seeing conversations around going back to work and when we will be back to "normal." When it comes to the future of work, companies haven't been approaching this subject correctly. Even though there's no one-size-fits-all approach to what comes next, organizations have to stop outlining a return to work plan that they think will make everyone happy.
The truth is, individuals have to make decisions that work best for them and how they will feel the most comfortable. So instead of companies deciding on whether to create a hybrid plan or not, they need to ensure they establish an environmentme of trust. There's a major difference between saying you have "flexibility where you work" versus "I trust you to figure out how to best get your work done." When employees feel like their organizations trust them, it takes a weighted stress off their shoulders and instead rewards employees for their output and efficiency.
Do you believe that HR leaders need to have different training to suit the needs of a workforce that has been remote for over a year?
Managers need to be equipped with the tools that are necessary to know their employees on an individual level so that they can adjust their management style to best suit the needs of their staff. Sometimes, companies can get into the habit of grouping employees into categories based on demographics like age, i.e. millennials and Gen Z. While from the outside this might not seem so bad, it actually perpetuates stereotypes that don't serve individuals. When it comes to training, it's important that companies have a continuous model for performance management because it allows employees to let managers know how they are feeling and helps leaders pivot accordingly if things aren't working.
Ultimately, it is an integral part of creating a more human workplace, and one that values the individuals based on their skill and what they bring to the table. I also think that the quality and quantity of conversations between leaders and direct reports are foundational to the work experience and we have not appropriately equipped leaders, particularly new leaders for this. We need to be talking to our leaders about the different types of check ins they should be having (individual, team, developmental, informal check in) and equip them for each. We should also be providing some kind of guidance to managers around how often they should be having these types of conversations.
What can businesses learn from the pandemic to foster better working environments?
One of the biggest takeaways from this pandemic was recognizing that employees are humans. It seems simple, but up until recently it was standard practice to separate personal life from work life and vice versa. It took a worldwide crisis for people to recognize that it's okay to have feelings and to bring your whole self to work, the good and the bad. As we work through whatever comes next, one of the most important lessons businesses can learn is making sure employees are managing their mental and physical well-being. If the whole human is not functioning in the workplace, the whole human is not performing. So in order to create a more holistic workplace, relationships between employees and managers need to be handled with respect and care above all else.
Do you have any advice for HR teams as we move through the next phase of work?
I think the pandemic taught all of us to think broader about how work gets done. I would encourage HR to continue this rethinking. I would especially recommend a rethinking of all those HR processes we haven't innovated in a long time, like pay. I would examine all these HR policies that box people into specific ways of being and shift to an empowerment mindset. Think philosophy over policy. And then lastly, I would prioritize employee mental health. I don't think HR needs to go back to being the picnic planners, but we can certainly contribute to building a wellness infrastructure that supports physical, mental and emotional health in the workplace.
In addition to making sure mental health is handled on the leader/direct report side, organizations need to also be better about promoting mental health practices through established infrastructures. I think HR teams play a major role in this, and at Workhuman, we offer activities unrelated to work that help cultivate relationships and build human workplaces. One of the largest things people missed from the last year was being able to build and develop human connections. So, the more HR teams offer opportunities for employees to engage in activities not related to work, the more they will feel like they belong.
This can be especially important for new hires who started during the pandemic while everyone was virtual. It's going to be an adjustment no matter what happens, so teams who have a basis of trust and respect will ultimately thrive through the next phase of work.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Emily Payne
Emily Payne is director, content analytics for ALM's Business & Finance Markets and former managing editor for BenefitsPRO. A Wisconsin native, she has spent the past decade writing and editing for various athletic and fitness publications. She holds an English degree and Business certificate from the University of Wisconsin.
