As employers integrate
It’s expected that 36 million Americans will be fully remote by 2025, according to freelancing platform Upwork, though that is expected to increase as COVID continues. For Lisa Croft, director of digital media at Adobe, this means DEI challenges will naturally become digital challenges, and they start the first time an employee signs digital paperwork.
“We call it the digital-first workplace — companies have adopted new technologies and working models to accommodate a variety of employee preferences,” says Croft. “Companies have an opportunity to address inclusivity and authenticity issues in their digital workplaces, starting with the creation and management of internal policies.”
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Digital agreements are contracts that are read and signed electronically, and have become commonplace in the digital-first workplace, Croft says. However, they can exclude women, minorities and those with disabilities or language barriers because of outdated or limited terms that describe employees of diverse backgrounds and non-binary genders.
For example,
“As for why, it comes down to job role. Men are also more likely to be the final signatory for a document,” Croft says. “In fact, more women are rarely or never personally involved in the signatory process than men.”
Digital agreements can be vital to a worker’s success — over 80% of employees feel that digital agreements contribute to not only meeting deadlines and goals but becoming focused, independent workers, according to Adobe. However, employers need to ensure the documentation they provide is accessible for all, Croft says.
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Making these agreements accessible to those with disabilities and providing options in different languages is one way to do so, Croft says. Additionally, these changes to digital agreements can pave the way for a deeper conversation around an employer’s DEI policy. Employers should implement a DEI policy that lays out expectations and action points. Currently, just half of employees have signed something like this, Adobe found.
Employers should also be aware of unintentionally using non-inclusive language within the digital workspace. Thirty-eight percent of employees observed limiting gender-binary terms in agreements, and 58% want more inclusive language to describe race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, disability and gender.
“Some workers, especially minorities in the U.S., have even seen inappropriate, outdated or incorrect language listed for recipients to describe themselves,” says Croft. “Some golden rules [for employers] include using gender neutral language or phrases and inclusive or preferred personal pronouns, especially in the Definitions area of a contract — or better yet, include fill-in-the-blank options that allow employees to describe themselves.”
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These changes will be necessary in supporting inclusivity in the digital workspace, especially as digital agreements become more and more standard. Croft says that Adobe Sign has witnessed the number of digitally signed agreements increase 17 times over the last two years. This means online language and accessibility has some catching up to do, but Croft is optimistic.
“The changing workplace is centered around employees, and as it continues to evolve, in-person and digital offices will become more accessible and inclusive,” Croft says. “Companies will continue to evolve processes, language and technology to ensure all employees feel represented and can deliver their best work.”
