Today I broadcast again from Ireland, where I discuss why I disagree with SHRM’s position on DEI, how DEI is undermined and why it remains important, the unfortunate decline in civility in the American workplace, and how we afford the $2 Trillion investments in #AI. (Read our research report Elevating Equity to understand the real-world business case for DEI and pay equity.)

Keywords DEI, equity, fairness, civility, values at work, political discourse, ROI of AI, SHRM

Takeaways

• Equity is a crucial aspect of DEI, representing fairness and justice in the workplace, and lives on for many business reasons.
• Civility is essential for effective communication and collaboration at work.
• The lack of civility in the United States is a concerning issue that needs to be addressed.
• The ROI of AI is still uncertain, and organizations need to carefully evaluate the value it brings.
• Already AI provides time-saving benefits, enables new capabilities, and enhance learning and problem-solving.

Additional Resources

SHRM’s Problematic DEI Pivot

Elevating Equity: Josh Bersin Academy Certificate Course on DEI

Civility in the Workplace (research)

Goldman Sachs MIT ROI of AI Analysis

In this podcast I discuss the recent layoffs at UKG and Intuit and how AI played a role quite different than we expected. In both cases the CEOs tell us that AI is the future and that they need large amounts of capital to invest in this new capability, thus they are “pre-replacing” human capital with technology.

In addition to this, as I discuss, both companies (Intuit in some detail) describe how “underperformers” were the first to go. So these are somewhat strategic moves to “re-hire” their teams and upgrade skills. And this also points out the very large cost of AI, which forces CEOs to redeploy financial resources from labor to capital.

Lots of subtle implications here, and I have to believe other CEOs will look at this and consider the same moves.

Additional Information

UKG and Intuit Reductions In Force: Both Growth Moves

AI in HR Professional Certificate Program, from The Josh Bersin Academy

This is the inaugural podcast in our new WhatWorks Series, focused on stories and case studies of the world’s most interesting and creative HR teams.

In this podcast, Kathi Enderes, SVP and Global Analyst, interviews Allan Calonge, CHRO, and Levi Loverkamp, Chief Workforce Planning Officer, describe how Bon Secours Mercy Health’s systemic HR integrates cross-functional collaboration, data-driven decisions, and career pathways through a partnership with Guild.

Led by CHRO Joe Gage, the HR team emphasizes trust, long tenures, and a robust people insights and analytics capability, transforming talent management and organizational culture. Listeners can learn about Systemic HR and how to transform HR in this podcast.

The WhatWorks Series will include interviews with pacesetter HR leaders, teams, and vendors. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact us.

Additional Information

The Systemic HR Initiative

Why Is It So Hard To Be A Chief HR Officer (CHRO)?

Learn about Galileo, the World’s AI Expert Assistant for HR

Special Josh Bersin Academy Course: AI in HR (highly acclaimed)