Barbara Whye
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Corporate Vice President, Social Impact and Human Resources
U.K. publication PCR magazine has published “Is your workplace attractive to Generation Z?”, an op-ed from Barbara Whye, Intel chief officer of Diversity and Inclusion and corporate vice president of HR and social impact. Today, Intel also released the second installment of its global research report commissioned with Lenovo that considers what employees of different ages and genders expect when it comes to workplace diversity and inclusion (D&I).
In PCR, Whye writes about a U.K.-based study that Intel recently launched assessing expectations of Generation Z (people born from 1996 to 2002) concerning diversity and personal experiences of bias – and how these will contribute to shaping their future career paths. The findings were clear: For Gen Z, D&I is a deciding factor when considering future careers. Since the workforce now consists of multiple generations, it’s important to understand their viewpoints and experiences in order to be inclusive of all. Gen Z in particular expects companies to understand and respect its needs and will not conform to a culture that doesn’t align with its values.
She writes:
“From social equity to climate change, this is a generation that is determined to make a difference. When it comes to work, Intel’s research found that a majority of Gen Zs in the U.K. would be hesitant to take a job from a company that does not have diverse representation in senior leadership roles. Moreover, in choosing between competing job offers, a company’s stance on diversity and inclusivity is almost as important as the pay offered.”
» Read the full op-ed on the PCR magazine website.
As part of its joint research with Lenovo, Intel examined Gen Z’s global perspective on D&I with a focus on gender differences and the importance of leadership diversity. It surveyed over 5,000 people recruited by Lucid, a global survey platform, between Dec. 19, 2019, and Jan. 7, 2020. Key findings include:
- Gen Z employees across markets consistently lead other generations when it comes to finding importance in the diverse composition of company leadership. For example, Gen Z, by a 22-point margin, want to see more LGBTQ representation when compared with baby boomers born between 1947 and 1965 (66% vs. 44%).
- As it pertains to the importance for companies to provide specific benefits for groups with different needs, 77% of global Gen Z respondents ranked it extremely or very important compared with 58% of baby boomers. Additionally, by a 10-point margin, Gen Z believes implementing programs to ensure D&I at every level is extremely or very important for ensuring equal treatment of employees (83% of global Gen Z respondents vs. 73% of global baby boomer respondents).
- Employees of both genders in Brazil and China place a higher importance of ensuring team members’ voices are heard (Brazil: 98% of women and 92% of men; China: 90% of women and 88% of men). However, women across all markets consistently indexed higher than their male counterparts on this issue.
- Employees across all markets indicate seeing female representation in leadership positions as a top priority; however, the U.S. is the only country to place ethnic minority leadership as a top-two priority. In the U.K., Brazil and Germany, more weight is given to supporting leadership representation to those living with disabilities, while China wants more consideration and support for parents in the workplace.
» New Research from Intel and Lenovo (Installment 2) | Intel and Lenovo Research Finds Tech is Essential to Driving Global Diversity and Inclusion (Installment 1)
Tags: Barbara Whye, Data, diversity, inclusion, Lenovo, Research