As a native of St. Lucia in the Caribbean, I knew immediately when I moved to the United States that I was different. From an early age, seeking to understand others was the primary way in which I processed the world around me, and it’s an approach that has carried over to my professional career at Texas Mutual.

Understanding others and accepting our differences sits at the heart of the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts that are helping to attract and retain talent during a time of unprecedented disruption. That disruption comes in the form of breakneck technological innovation, a historic labor shortage, and a work world forever changed by the pandemic.

While we think about how insurers can become attractive to a diverse pool of employees and how that fits into the future of work, we need to consider how workforces are impacted by these four areas: adaptation, automation, continuous learning, and employee expectations.

The pandemic has prompted employees to reevaluate their priorities. People like “lifeing” while they work. They no longer have to box off their whole day and set aside their families. Segments of the labor force, like the technology sector, have realized for years how important flexible work has become to job seekers. The pandemic opened the door to flexibility for nearly every industry in professional services. So, it’s little surprise that study after study shows that people want the option to continue to work remotely when it makes sense for them, even as the Covid-era restrictions ease and offices open back up.