Companies like to say people are their most important asset. A new mandate from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) puts that old axiom into sharp focus. 

The human capital disclosure rule, which went into effect on Nov. 9, 2020, and is part of the SEC’s broader project to modernize Regulation S-K, requires publicly traded companies to disclose specific information about their human capital resources and any measures or objectives the company focuses on in managing the business — such as those that address the attraction, development, engagement and retention of employees.

Like so many events this year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade had to change things up a bit in 2020 to accommodate a COVID-19 world. But the floats ride on, and there’s one new participant in the line-up that caught our eye.

Highlighting the fact that only 24% of jobs in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields are held by women, Olay introduced the Her Future is STEM-sational float as a way to remind parade viewers about “the importance of maximizing women and their accomplishments.” It’s part of the company’s 10-year commitment to double the number of women in STEM and triple the number of multicultural women in STEM.

At our core, we are a diversity company. Our specific focus at Herrmann is on cognitive diversity, but ultimately, our technology and tools are about helping people value and leverage diversity and create more inclusive organizations. This is what we do for clients, and it’s something we’re continually working on internally as a fully remote team ourselves.

Over the last six months or so, we’ve had some candid and eye-opening discussions as a team about diversity in all its dimensions and what it means to be equitable and inclusive, both at an individual level and as an organization.

We’ve seen firsthand how powerful it is when you give people a safe space for these sometimes difficult but necessary conversations and the opportunity to expand their worldview.

This is a guest post from Tiffany R. Frasier, Co-Founder and Change Strategist of Peopabilities, LLC.

In March 2020 I joined Herrmann, a 100% remote company. It was exciting but also a little bit daunting as I have never worked for a remote company before. Taking into consideration that I am based in South Africa while the leadership team and most of my colleagues are based either in the US or the UK, it all felt very new to me, and I really did not know what to expect, especially when it came to what remote onboarding would be like.

Silicon Valley’s “diversity problem” has been getting a lot of attention for years, with articles digging into the lack of inclusive culture among of the technology industry and the growing pressure for change in the industry. There are even dynamic charts that track the diversity of the workforce and leadership in tech companies so you can stay up-to-date on where they are and how they compare. It's not just the technology industry that could stand for an overhaul of DEI policies, though.

[This post is an email that we sent to our clients on June 4, 2020.]

We felt it was important to reach out to you right now, as you are probably feeling a range of emotions in response to the horrific deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other people of color. We are, too. This grief is becoming all too familiar.

Over the past few years, more and more corporate leaders and consultants have been talking about a “new” kind of workplace diversity: cognitive diversity, which can also be referred to as diversity of thought.

All the attention it’s getting is something of a double-edged sword, though. On the one hand, it’s great that so many people are beginning to see that cognitive diversity plays an important role in a business’s success.

But on the other, the term itself is getting thrown around so much—often in very general or superficial ways—that it risks becoming just another piece of meaningless jargon.

Cognitive diversity isn’t just new packaging on an old idea about the dangers of surrounding yourself with “yes men.” It’s also not just another way of saying that if you let conflicting ideas and perspectives rub up against each other for a long enough time, eventually something positive will come from it.

As the CEO of Herrmann, I’m proud that one of my first actions in taking on the role was to become a signatory of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ pledge to take meaningful action towards creating more inclusive workplaces and to participate in the Day of Understanding. 

Innovation is non-negotiable in today’s global, fast-moving economy. To spark innovation, you need diverse perspectives and an inclusive culture that allows ideas to flourish. Today’s leaders understand why inclusive leadership is essential to innovation and how to unlock their team’s best thinking.