The culture of work is overdue for another revolution: are executives and HR teams prepared?

As we know and have experienced, the culture of work changed fundamentally in 2020.

We learned traditionally office-bound work can be done remotely — our employee base can be dispersed — we didn’t really need to be onsite to lead teams. We also learned that the work/life boundaries can easily be violated in this world. We learned we were forced to ‘show’ our lives in ways that weren’t always comfortable. We learned everyone’s home may not be ‘suitable’ for work in the ways employers may have demanded. Caretakers, for example, didn’t get the space they needed to navigate these new realities. We learned we could no longer simply ignore the widespread and deeply entrenched racist practices and systems built into the world of work and all the ways professionals of color have been harmed.

We’ve learned a lot and have a lot to improve when it comes to equity and inclusion — especially as some companies prepare to “return” to the office (whatever that may mean).

The next jolt, I think will be when older Gen Zs start entering the workforce en masse. I’m not sure if executives and HR teams are really prepared for what this may mean for work cultures and particularly diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as they (barely) exist today.

This upcoming generation of young adults in the US context has no direct memory of an analog world (thinking of myself at 37, remembering fax machines and landlines being office staples in my early career). They will be the least white (non-Latinx) generation in American history (Millenials are already 46% BIPOC). They may have completed their formal education largely remotely. They have come of age during a global pandemic, widespread political instability, turmoil, and uprisings. They’ve learned early on that challenging established norms is probably their best bet in finding survival and maybe even fulfillment in whatever the world ahead may throw at them next.

I hate to be one of those people talking about the next crop of emerging adults (yet here I am) but I have a purpose: when it comes to DEI, I don’t think they are going to be very impressed by your sanitized ‘unconscious bias’ training or chips and salsa zoom party for Hispanic Heritage Month. You’re going to actually have to do equity and inclusion and justice and be mission-driven and care about the planet and the people in to attract and retain top tier talent. Yes, millennials have been demanding this — but Gen Z will expect it already in place. You’ve had their whole lives so far to figure it out.

Now, of course, folks my age in office-bound work have demanded this too, but with the Great Recession as a significant early career memory — we know what it’s like to be too afraid to speak up and simply feel lucky to have a job which (barely) supports us. As the economy improved, and we had the ability to transition jobs to best suit our needs, lifestyles, and to escape toxic cultures. We also know this ability can be diminished as the economy contracts. But when the only world you know is already so unstable — what’s there to be afraid of? Gen Z has already started and participated in mass movements digitally, they already know the planet may not sustain their life until they reach old age. Do you really think they’ll allow fear of not getting a good reference to stop them from doing what they know and believe is right and just? They won’t need to go through formal channels to speak truth to power nor will they respect them.

As a leader, this is something I look forward to. If you are an empathetic, inclusive leader — your time is coming. These skills will become non-negotiables. If you’re not versed in inclusive leadership you should personally be investing in this education and practice.

I have a call-to-action for executives and HR team leads: you have about 3 years to figure out what this means to your organizations or the organizations you aspire to lead. This may have a few phases: you may have to first educate yourself on anti-racism, inclusion, and equity. You may have to really look at and think about how you will dismantle systems and practices you may have never given a second thought. The world of HR (often now re-branded People and Culture) is ripe for a real revolution beyond a re-naming. There is a new generation of People leaders coming — if you can’t comfortably engage in future thinking and DEI action (beyond awkward conversations) — your job may be dependant on it in the not-so-far future. Box-checkers and rule-followers are going to really struggle.

For executives — if your company posted a black square on Instagram the new workers will expect these values are already deeply reflected in everything you do: you’ve had more than enough time. You need to think about what this means for every aspect of your business and what needs to happen to make it so.

Starting today, create your 3-year plan. If not for your current organization, for the type of leadership and systems you will need to enact or create for wherever you hope to be in 3 years. Get it down on paper, break out the phases. You do not need to be born after 1980 to engage in this work and thinking. This is not about age. You just need to be observant, strategic, and a human-first thinker.

What’s more important: work cultures desperately need this change. It’s overdue. What 2020 has shown us is there are many things we were capable of that we didn’t undertake until we had no choice. It caught us off guard. The upcoming years, I believe, will continue to be unforgiving — and the new workers will (rightfully) be entering with even higher expectations.

You can’t say you weren’t warned.