You’re Up-to-Bat Leveraging Equality During the Crisis by Yvette Gavin

The bases were loaded when Hank Aaron walked up to the plate on April 8,1974. Under the cloud of death threats and an economic recession, Aaron made his mark in history as the player to surpass Babe Ruth’s home run record and subsequently became the first black man in Major League Baseball upper-level management.  

As it was with Aaron, the bases are loaded for corporate leaders today. Under the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic and the heightened racial tension over police brutality, leaders have to ensure safety for employees and customers, stabilize the business, and reimagine plausible futures for long term profitability.

Leaders are in a unique batting position because they not only can see how unlevel the playing field is, but they are in a position to do something about it even in the midst of a crisis. In a May 2020 McKinsey survey, 37 percent of leaders said they are putting diversity and inclusion plans on hold. The report points out that inclusion and diversity are at risk in the COVID-19 crisis—but are critical for business recovery, resilience, and reimagination.

What we know is that when it comes to equality in the workplace, women make up nearly half the labor force, but they are underrepresented in senior leadership positions and their salaries lag behind men in all sectors and levels of employment. Nevertheless, “When companies invest in diversity and inclusion, they are in a better position to create more adaptive, effective teams and more likely to recognize diversity as a competitive advantage (McKinsey & Company). 

The Covid-19 crisis will intensify existing workplace-automation trends that are already expected to take a greater toll on women and minorities, according to data published by McKinsey Global Institute. In fact, there are some indicators of this playing out now in the Covid-19 crisis. McKinsey’s research found that 39 percent of all jobs held by black Americans are threatened by reductions in hours or pay temporary furloughs, or permanent layoffs.  

The challenge leaders face today is not if a curveball of change will disrupt business but having clear sight to anticipate the plausible futures of change. Diversity, inclusion, and equality are three components to creating a stronger future. 

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