Fighting bias with data and AI As employers make permanent changes to the workplace , measuring longitudinal outcomes will be paramount . Surveys should go beyond typical metrics like retention to track employee sentiment and caregiver status . “ Any talent decision — reviews , promotions , layoffs if those happen — should factor in longer-term performance and future potential ,” says Krentz . Employers also should monitor for biases against caregivers and track outcomes by gender .
Companies hiring workers can leverage AI that incorporates unconscious bias testing so that older women or those with résumé breaks aren ’ t screened out . Krentz points to the platform
PredictiveHire as an example of how data can promote equity . Candidates interview via text with PredictiveHire ’ s automation , and this blind assessment ( which uses natural language processing and machine learning ) is designed to filter out bias .
Other tools like
Textio help recruiters write inclusive job descriptions by monitoring tone and gender bias , while the platform
Eightfold masks specific personal information so hiring managers see only skills and qualifications .
“ Returnship programs ” from career reentry firms like
iRelaunch help mothers reenter the workforce . Its
STEM Re-Entry Task Force targeting women with engineering experience was designed to boost female representation in engineering while addressing the projected shortage of technical talent . Early partners of the task force included Booz Allen Hamilton , General Motors , and Intel .
Retraining and upskilling Given the estimated worldwide gap of 85 million skilled workers by 2030 , retraining could
prepare women for jobs of the future , and businesses taking the long view will reap benefits . Women can gain from efforts targeted toward fast-growing sectors like cybersecurity — projected to have 3.5 million open jobs globally this year — and educational programs could transition women into more durable roles .
In the past , networking events , certifications , and credentialing classes might have limited the number of attendees , but online programs and platforms like
LinkedIn Learning , the
Lambda School General Assembly have unprecedented reach . Of course , having time to pursue education over short-term income also remains a luxury , especially for women of color , who
disproportionately perform lowwage work for fewer basic benefits , let alone development opportunities . These education platforms will only broaden access by remaining affordable . The pandemic has also exacerbated how the
digital divide perpetuates inequality for those without internet access .
Meanwhile , reskilling initiatives in the United States have altered the trajectories of people like Christine Snow , who was a flight attendant for nearly a decade . Snow , 29 , realized the pandemic would have long-lasting effects on travel . After leaving her job in September 2020 , she began attending a coding immersion boot camp called
Zip Code Wilmington .
The Delaware-based program provides technical training for software development and data analytics and supports job placement . After completing 12 weeks of coursework , Snow is interviewing for software development jobs at financial and consulting companies . “ Zip Code Wilmington … empowered me to make a jump into the tech industry and made me confident that I will find fulfilling work even after this pandemic shook the world we live in .”
IWPR ’ s Mason hopes that employers see the business case for continuing new employee programs they established . The pandemic has both blurred physical boundaries and demanded more holistic approaches , without requiring employees to drop their personal lives at the office door . “ Now there is a realization that we come as our full selves ,” she says .
To Olson , the economic imperative to create more cohesive “ work-life integration ” has never been clearer . The ultimate goal is to find solutions that bring women back into the workforce , and incentivize them to remain .
After all , the pandemic forced companies to dramatically adapt the ways they plan and conduct business amid the changing landscape . Olson ’ s view is , this type of creativity should also apply to hiring , training , and caregiving responsibilities . She says , “ We are creative when we plan for business — why wouldn ’ t we be for people ?”
“ WHAT ’ S DIFFERENT THIS TIME IS THAT IT AFFECTS WOMEN ACROSS OCCUPATIONS , ACROSS SECTORS , ACROSS CLASS . WE ’ RE ALL STRUGGLING WITH THE SAME THING , AND IT ’ S NOT US . IT ’ S THE SYSTEM .”
— C . Nicole Mason , president and CEO , Institute for Women ’ s Policy Research
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