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Xan Daniels joined Alight more than 20 years ago, when it was the benefits outsourcing unit of Aon Hewitt, which was sold to Blackstone and launched as Alight in 2017. While she worked in the company’s product development and testing, she gradually took on more DE&I leadership responsibilities for the organization. She led Alight’s Black ERG for years and in 2017 was appointed co-leader of its executive inclusion council, before stepping into her current role as VP of inclusion and diversity in 2020.
Like many DE&I leaders, Daniels is contemplating this precarious time for diversity and inclusion work: Companies like Walmart and Ford have walked back DE&I programming amid conservative activist pressure, and the incoming Trump administration could create more legal headaches. For DE&I practitioners, now is the time to reevaluate the strategies they are using to achieve diversity and inclusion commitments, and ensure that they are fair and also not perceived negatively, she said.
“I think that when we have pendulum swings in any sort of practice…it’s an opportunity for that practice or that industry to evaluate whether or not they truly are making the impact that we intend to make,” Daniels told HR Brew.
One of her biggest priorities right now is creating DE&I structures that can persist through said pendulum swings—like, for example, implementing technologies and systems that broaden talent pipelines for certain roles and ensure consistency and equity with interview processes, without having to rely solely on training workers to do that.
“We’ve done a really good job relying on the goodwill of many, but we need to…ensure that, no matter what is happening, that we have those systems in place,” she said.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked?
I was proud to launch Alight’s RISE (Representation, Inclusion, Social Impact, and Equity) program, which ensured cultural awareness was maintained within the organization, but went a step further to transform how we showed up for our employees and clients in our products and policies.
What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job?
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People often misconceive that some groups are excluded from inclusion initiatives, which is not the case. When we talk about DE&I, we mean that every group—whether they fall within the minority or not—are considered and included in the decision-making for the initiative to ensure equity for all.
Consider the example of SMS texting. This capability was invented for deaf and low hearing people to communicate, but its ubiquity today demonstrates that all groups, including those with no hearing impairments, have significantly benefited from this technology. DE&I initiatives should be considered within the same vein.
What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?
I feel most fulfilled when I get to connect with people.
My focus has always been, and continues to be, on ensuring that I create a safe and trustworthy space where employees don’t have to “code switch” or be someone they aren’t, and instead come to work as their whole selves.
What trend in HR are you most optimistic about? Why?
[AI] has dramatically transformed the way we recruit talent from a diversity perspective.
DE&I does not exist in a vacuum—it must be present in every aspect of the recruiting and hiring process, and we have already seen how AI can help level the playing field for historically minoritized groups to have a fair shot at job opportunities. We have also seen how AI can provide more opportunities for recruiters to access diverse talent, and even encourage underrepresented groups to apply to more positions.
What trend in HR are you least optimistic about? Why?
While I am excited about the potential of AI revolutionizing the HR industry, it doesn’t come without concern. I am simultaneously worried about how AI can further the digital divide from an equity perspective, where lower-income individuals have less access to and knowledge of this fast-paced growing technology.
The widening of the technological skill gap could be imminent if we continue to progress too far with AI without taking this huge part of the population into consideration. Currently, I do not believe we are equipped to handle this yet—and we need to make sure diverse perspectives across race, gender, socioeconomic status, age, and other factors have equal access to this technology.