Issue 2 2023 11 Dec22228 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion The FutureWork Institute Inc (FutureWork) is a global consulting firm that translates future trends to transform organisations. Operating on five continents, it is a certified women-owned business (WBE) that serves as an incubator of innovation and change in addressing current and future workplace and marketplace issues. Recognised by Corporate Vision as Most Outstanding Diversity & Inclusion Consulting Firm – 2022, we got in touch with President and CEO, Margaret Regan to learn more. The consulting team at The FutureWork Institute has been working with major global organisations for over 25 years in the areas of diversity, leadership and career development, future work, and work/ life assignments. They help clients to discover innovative new ways to transform their workspaces so all talent can make extraordinary contributions. This is done through services that achieve a ‘MindShift’, a ‘HeartShift’, and a ‘SkillShift’, creating a more inclusive, future-driven culture and environment for clients and their teams. MindShift helps clients to see diversity and inclusion as a business strategy. It focuses on strategy sessions for leadership; future workplace and marketplace trends; business cases; scenario planning; and best practice benchmarks. HeartShift concentrates on feeling the power of diversity and inclusion and the impact of exclusion. This is delivered through employee focus groups; executive interviews; organisation culture inventory; root cause analysis; virtual reality simulations; and interactive theatre. SkillShift leverages diversity and inclusion, thus achieving results. This is done through WorldPrisms Profiler; training and TTT; cultural competency training; manager’s toolkits; e- and v-learning: ON24; and FW Island in virtual reality. President and CEO of FutureWork, Margaret Regan states, “Our core values of respect, diversity, equity, inclusion, and global mindset have not changed since the founding of FutureWork in 2001. What has changed is our business model, which we re-evaluate every two years to match the changing client needs. “We are a firm that lives its values by operating as we envision the future workforce: a global virtual team of consultants committed to building an inclusive community of practice.” Indeed, FutureWork is a firm that focuses on the future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and it does this by integrating talent management, leadership, and diversity work. It links its clients’ DEI work to the business strategy, and invents new ways for clients to learn and collaborate, as well as ensures a change management approach to DEI that also focuses on the ROI of clients’ work. “Currently, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion industry is under attack by people who think what we are doing is Critical Race Theory (CRT),” states Margaret. “We also run a membership organisation of DEI consultants, The Inclusion Allies Coalition. It started with 60 members and has grown in a few years to 750 members. We are a coalition of organisations and practitioners committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organisations and society. We provide resources, advocacy, networking, and webinars for dialogues across differences to promote inclusion. We serve as allies for those who feel marginalised and advocates for inclusive policies and practices.” The vision is to be the leading voice of DEI practitioners globally, with Margaret going on to say, “We are currently educating our members how to address the attacks on our work and explain Critical Race Theory with its true meaning. This is especially difficult in states where the governors are seeking to forbid the mention of race in the workplace or universities.” None of what FutureWorks does could be possible without its staff. They are the frontline delivering the training, focus groups, assessments, and more all over the world. Margaret tells us, “Our internal culture has a unique three-pronged approach to work: ‘my job – my way’, ‘my business – our way’, and ‘my perks – my way’. This enables our consultants to have total flexibility and relate to us in many different ways as their life changes. This was set up 20 years ago, two decades before the current work from home or hybrid and flexible work arrangements were embraced by many organisations.” She continues, “This commitment to flexible work is done within a culture of respect for differences and inclusion in which we look for the “gold” in each person before we make a judgement about them. We also work hard to address our unconscious biases and encourage others to point them out when we do not see them.” FutureWork clearly isn’t scared of change or the future, and with the Metaverse having recently become so popular, it has spent the last six months training consultants and clients to facilitate and train with their avatars within the new virtual reality FWI training centre it built in 2022. As the company prepares its people for the future, Margaret states, “We try to stay at least 10 years ahead of our clients and develop our staff and affiliates to embrace that futurist mindset.” Company: The FutureWork Institute, Inc. Contact: Margaret Regan Email: [email protected] Website: www.futureworkinstitute.com
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