As employers m… As a small-business owner, it's one thing to say you promote workplace diversity; it's another to actually measure your success in that effort. Joanna Abeyie. If you have a small or close-knit workforce, plan events where employees' families and significant others are welcome to attend. Observe your employees by frequent visits to each department. 5 Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace. Diversity and inclusion are often treated as synonyms or strung together like a hyphenated last name. A workplace diversity initiative may seek to cultivate a balanced workforce that reflects the composition of the community, state or nation. Focus more on the diversity within instead of physical characteristics of diversity. Ethnicity Pay Gap Day 8th January 2021 – What Did I Learn? Building teams from qualified candidates regardless of their gender, background, race, religion or sexual orientation is long overdue, and a step towards true equality in the workplace. Too often, companies endorse human resources department activities which dedicate an excessive amount of time and energy to filling vacancies because they believe diversity is measured solely by color, race, sex and disability. Business leaders are increasingly understanding and expecting to see the value and benefits that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture can bring their organisation. We will continue to: make sure staff are recruited in a way that avoids discrimination Embracing diversity at work helps create an inclusive culture. Workplace diversity can create a kind of synergy among your workforce that's difficult to replicate using any other method. You will build a more cohesive workforce and encourage even greater diversity among your staff when you embrace a broader definition of diversity. For each individual to bring their best self forward, a … The first step for an inclusive company culture is to measure D&I. Step 3. Surveys are the perfect tool for measuring the feelings and opinions of your workforce at scale. And sharing that data shows a level of transparency and accountability that employees value. There are several tools a company can use to measure diversity readiness in the workplace. Governments are beginning to require transparency and reporting on diversity, inclusion, and inequity in the workplace. As an employer, you must engage in fair employment practices. If you want to determine how effective you are being in achieving diversity in your business, you need some tools to quantify that achievement. I would also suggest that, as this data becomes available, companies think about sharing it publicly. Workplace diversity not only expands your talent pool, but allows each member of your organization to draw from the backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences of fellow team members – but you already knew that.The question isn’t whether diversity is important, but “How can my company measure diversi… Diversity management that works: an evidence-based view D&I in different contexts 3 D&I in different contexts The issue To be successful, any workplace initiative or strategy must consider organisational context. Aligning diversity practices with unique organizational goals. But even reaching those milestones shouldn’t necessarily warrant a “mission accomplished” banner, as there are inequitable systems in our society that impact where people live and what opportunities they have to use different products and services. But at the same time, the ability to approach this work with an analytical lens and deeply understand associated metrics is crucial both in understanding where we are and where we want to go, as well as in getting support and resources from company leadership. While workplace diversity metrics are well-known and readily available to D&I practitioners, the concept of measuring workplace inclusion is relatively new and is rarely described in organizational literature. How do you gauge D&I goal attainment? Successful employers know that and actively promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. To determine whether or not your strategies are working, look at the change (or lack of change) in metrics. I write about culture, equity and belonging in the workplace. The challenges of diversity in the workplace 1. How to Measure Diversity in the Workplace Step 1. Diversity in the workplace refers to an organization that intentionally employs a workforce comprised of individuals of varying gender, religion, race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, and other attributes. Coming up with diversity KPIs is relatively simple. Measuring What Matters. Companies have started to recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion—but few have found ways to hold themselves accountable to real change. It looks at the rationale for action and outlines steps organisations can take to implement and manage a successful D&I strategy, from communication and training to addressing workplace behaviour and evaluating progress. to the workplace. It is as much about our attitude and behaviors as leaders and having a sense of empathy for the different experiences that people go through.". The Diversity & Inclusion Survey is research-backed, so you can understand the experience of everyone in your company. There are tangible reasons for this trend. But that doesn’t give the full picture, since a woman of color, for example, might be paid equitably in her current role, but be pushed against a glass ceiling that keeps her from advancing in her career. While getting a diverse range of employee identities and backgrounds in the door is crucial to this work, people will not stick around long if they don’t feel a strong sense of belonging—a deeper connection with others developed by sharing your authentic self and receiving acceptance in return. A staff survey can also be a useful tool in assessing how staff feel about equality and diversity in the workplace. Configure the percentages of diversity in the workplace. Companies have started to recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion, but few have found ways to hold themselves accountable to real change. Diversity is a noble cause for any company to strive for. In some ways, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work is a soft science. In some cases, the best way to measure diversity is using a qualitative-centered method, rather than just a head count. When looking at the diversity of an organization, it is important to look not only at the overall representation, but also at the recruiting funnel and representation by job level within each part of the company. Check out the write-up about workplace 'Inclusion', what it means, and how to measure it, based on an expert panel discussion at our most recent NY HR Analytics Meetup. Top Ways Companies Are Measuring Their Diversity and Inclusion Progress. Add up how many of each work group you have. Diversity awareness deals with creating a workplace where individuals understand and respect the differences in race, gender, religion, cultural values and thinking styles. However, key thought leaders have shed light on some crucial differences between workplace diversity and inclusion. Diversity can be measured in absolute and relative terms. The unavailability of useful inclusion measures undermines an organization’s efforts to understand, recognize, and improve the existing culture of the workforce. Ruth resides in North Carolina and works from her office in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. 8 Social assumptions and what to do about them [+] August. Workplace diversity does not equal workplace inclusion. Without Providing a workplace that is conducive to accommodate the needs of employees with physical disabilities is also very important. I earned my Masters of Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley and Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. Despite some small improvements, research from PayScale shows that the gender and racial wage gaps are still significant in the US, with women earning $0.79 for every $1.00 a man earns, and American Indian, Alaska Native, Black and Hispanic women earning 26 percent less than White men. One of the most challenging aspects of diversity and inclusion (D&I) is quantifying the value of a program or training that has been implemented in the workplace. Workers must be open-minded and non-judgmental in order to truly understand how cultural diversity can impact the workplace and make it better. Be sure to measure diversity and inclusion–related KPIs before and after implementing each new D&I initiative. Maintain hiring records. I am the CEO & Co-founder of OwnTrail and author of Blaze Your Own Trail. Nicola Crawford, CFIRM, Chair of the Institute of Risk Management. EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change. Measure how inclusive your organization is. Apple Unveils Latest Round Of $100 Million Initiative On Racial Justice. It is a truth universally acknowledged that what gets valued gets measured, and what gets measured gets done. Analyze suppliers and vendors to determine how many are minority owned. Download an equality, diversity and inclusion policy template. More important, it must be integrated into company practices. You will likely notice much more than racial differences and genders. An overall high belonging score could be misleading since employees that hold underrepresented identities often feel a lower sense of belonging. Tap the resources your workforce gains from both experienced workers and employees in the beginning phases of their careers. With this emphasis on diversity in the workplace, measuring the success of related programs, promotions and initiatives becomes a competitive priority. Inclusion is more subtle and complex. The first step for an inclusive company culture is to measure D&I. I am also an advisor to technology startups, currently advising LegUp. Diversity in the workplace is the idea that your team should reflect the general makeup of the society around you. Measuring workplace diversity can be accomplished using a number of methods—simply walking through your office or plant and noticing the many differences between employees, or generating an employee census report sorted by age, race, ethnicity, sex and disability. Now we explore some potential solutions to these diversity challenges in the workplace: 1. Surveys are a great way to anonymously measure and evaluate how well your inclusion efforts are actually working. Diversity Increases Revenue. Don’t just measure diversity, measure inclusion too. She holds a Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. We measure our performance and share our findings in reports, most recently Equality in our Workforce. Ruth Mayhew has been writing since the mid-1980s, and she has been an HR subject matter expert since 1995. Surveys are the perfect tool for measuring the … I am the CEO & Co-founder of OwnTrail and author of Blaze Your Own Trail, and was vice president of product and vice president of community and culture at Zillow. As a company’s inclusion improves, performance issues go down. Many companies got it wrong in 2018 – think Starbucks or H&M – while others got it right. And execs know a diverse workforce (in age, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, and gender) brings diverse viewpoints and perspectives to the company; these elements can help you develop great new … People on social media are beginning to demand it, now. It takes time and a commitment to celebrate diversity. Organizations may embark on strategic recruiting efforts and build alliances with community organizations, government and universities to leverage workplace diversity. The results of new research into the level of cultural diversity in executive ranks in Australia constitute a “call to action” for organisations to better measure and capitalise on workplace diversity, says the Diversity Council of Australia.. Managing diversity in organizations is one of the defining issues of our time. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Diversity in the workplace is present whenever different groups based on age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and so forth are represented or there is a general acceptance of these different groups based on the atmosphere and practices of the workplace. This can lead to higher employee engagement and better business results. We have established there are some workplace diversity challenges employers face, but they are not impossible for companies of any size to overcome. Companies can effectively measure belonging by surveying employees–either through questions added on to existing employee surveys, or as standalone surveys. You may opt-out by. I would suggest that our companies should work to change these systems by creating even more equitable opportunities in the communities that we serve. A variety of different measures of diversity are used and advocated by different parties. How to Measure Diversity and Inclusion Using Engagement Survey Data For some organizations, diversity and inclusion programs can seem big and complex. I am an entrepreneur, writer, artist, tech executive, mentor, wife, mother and aerial acrobat. Multiple practices can be used to measure diversity and inclusion (Aperian Global 2015). Of course, the final critical piece is to actually measure these results and make adjustments. Successful strategies involve a high degree of empathy and intuition. Supporting Religious Diversity in the Workplace; Measuring for results: Three key principles; Becoming an Entrepreneur in Canada: Challenges and Opportunities [+] September. While workplace diversity metrics are well-known and readily available to D&I practitioners, the concept of measuring workplace inclusion is relatively new and is rarely described in organizational literature. Metrics and statistics can be clear measures of success in workplace diversity initiatives. It’s not something that should only be covered on Management Training Courses. A common pitfall is to focus on measuring levels of diversity (and this itself is a broad church and a topic for a different time) without combining this with measurements around levels of inclusion. Potential and current employees won’t be tricked into thinking that a company is further along than it is in its diversity efforts just because the data isn’t readily available. This depth of analysis can reveal a lot about where a company is doing well and where there is room for improvement. When looking at pay equity, it helps to compare employees who are at the same level in comparable roles. I do want to acknowledge that I am writing from the experience of a US-based company, and that there are many complexities that come into play when assessing this data on a global level. Has Social Media Ruined The Idea Of Friendship? For diversity to bring strength, it should be valued in the corporate philosophy. It could be argued that the first step toward accurately measuring Diversity and Inclusion would be to work … And they should also spend time deeply understanding the data that signals how their efforts are progressing, which areas need more attention, and how resources should be allocated. Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Diversity in the workplace leads to a plethora of benefits – … When employees do leave—both voluntarily and involuntarily—exit interview data broken down by demographics can also reveal a lot about trends in employee experience and team dynamics that can directly impact sense of belonging. We will continue to: make sure staff are recruited in a way that avoids discrimination Step 2. Is everyone ‘all in’? Without this, it’s difficult to show the impact the work has had on the business as well as impossible to create your own business case for change. After all, it’s not simply having a diverse workforce that gives businesses a competitive edge. Companies have started to recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion, but few have found ways to hold themselves accountable to real change. to the workplace. Building for Change: How To Measure Success for Workplace Inclusion and Diversity. Diversity awareness deals with creating a workplace where individuals understand and respect the differences in race, gender, religion, cultural values and thinking styles. Solutions that work in one context may not be relevant, appropriate or effective in another. Diversity and inclusion: 8 best practices for changing your culture A strong diversity and inclusion strategy can help your organization attract top talent and drive innovative results. Many times, they look at overall favorability or average response but get stuck at the surface level differences in their employee engagement data. Many Canadian cities have diversity and inclusion plans and they all look pretty good on paper. Uncover insights with the right lens. If you hold a position of influence in your company, you can help to ensure that your company is treating people equitably and has appropriate diversification. Comparing data on diversity can be problematic as different data sets may be measuring different things (Wright et al 2014). You can break down your workforce by gender, race, geography, etc. This enables companies to identify the right targets and goals—and the right metrics to track. It takes time and a commitment to celebrate diversity. Measuring workplace diversity can be accomplished using a number of methods—simply walking through your office or plant and noticing the many differences between employees, or generating an employee census report sorted by age, race, ethnicity, sex and disability. Consider an example. Use demographic customization and heatmaps to highlight disparities between groups. When seeking leadership buy-in for your diversity program, it is imperative to figure out how to measure the value that your program can provide to the organization. Leaders that care about driving diversity should of course spend a lot of time on qualitative learning and emotional skills. And execs know a diverse workforce (in age, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, and gender) brings diverse viewpoints and perspectives to the company; these elements can help you develop great new … But Is It Enough? A vigorous approach to workplace policies, coupled with diligent reviewing processes, will make for not only a suitably diverse workforce but an open and accepting workplace culture. Here are a few metric practices that can propel your diversity efforts forward and lead to success you can measure: 1. “Diversity and inclusion are not one in the same, and neither happens through osmosis. If employees feel like they need to work to fit in or assimilate, or that they are being judged for being different, they will be less productive and creative in their work and will churn at a higher rate. Microsoft's Global Diversity and Inclusion manager, Gwen Houston, made the following statement about how important qualitative diversity measurements are: "Building an inclusive organization is not just about the diversity scorecard data we track to measure our progress. This will give you some insight into the diverse values of your workforce. RAND Corporation: Managing Diversity in Corporate America, An Exploratory Analysis, Deloitte: Reasons Why Organisations Are Not Succeeding in Successfully Managing Diversity, Society for Human Resource Management: Home, National Human Resources Association: Home, American Society for Training & Development: Home, American Association for Affirmative Action: Home. Diversity refers to who’s at work: who is recruited, hired, and promoted by a company. ‘Underrepresented’ is a relative term, so the populations of focus can change based on area of the organization and level of leadership. When analyzing these responses, it is important to break down the sentiments by demographic populations. It encourages staff loyalty and shows commitment to good business ethics. Where possible, an analysis should also be performed at the level of intact teams because it is only when work teams are diverse, that an organisation is truly positioned to leverage diversity of thought and background. Business thought leaders have preached the importance of workplace diversity for decades. There are a few key areas that are important to measure and report on when leading a comprehensive DEI program. Rid your company of attitudes related to affirmative action and equal employment opportunity laws as strict measurements for diversity. Identify the problems. In addition, she is a certified facilitator for the Center for Creative Leadership Benchmarks 360 Assessment Suite, and is a Logical Operations Modern Classroom Certified Trainer . Diversity and equality in the workplace are vital to a healthy, growing company. Workplace diversity statistics. In some cases, the best way to measure diversity is using a qualitative-centered method, rather than just a head count. For this reason, it is crucial to measure pay equity and promotion velocity broken down by gender and ethnicity in order to ensure an equitable workplace. Diversity in the workplace benefits. As opposed to simply … There are many opportunities in surveys to measure the attitudes, feelings of the workplace. Generational differences account for a lot of the transfer of knowledge and introduction of technological concepts in the workplace. Workforce composition. Implementing diversity in the workplace is a huge commitment, and there’s no handbook you can just “borrow” from another organization. However, there's more to equal employment than federal, state and local laws mandating anti-discrimination policies. Let’s begin with the positives. The first step for an inclusive company culture is to measure D&I. Learning should be provided all the way through your company for all staff. Trump Celebrates Border Wall In Final Days Of Presidency - But Does It Live Up To His Promise? Jon Whiteley explains. This factsheet explores what workplace diversity and inclusion means, and how an effective strategy can support an organisation’s business objectives. That could mean periodically assessing employee demographics by race and gender, for example. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. Compare the figure to previous years to see if you are making progress. Diversity metrics should focus on the proportion of underrepresented identities in different areas of the company. Data can be used to indicate effectiveness over time of ongoing diversity programmes (Brenman 2012). Rather than only paying attention … Measure changes in supplier diversity. Jon Whiteley explains. Employing people of all genders and races can make an organization stronger. Inclusion is more subtle and complex. This can include diversity in regard to gender, experience, socio-economic levels, race, religion, sexual orientation, and so on. After an eventful 2018 for the field of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), organizations are taking a long, hard look at their workplace diversity measures. Share; As companies continue to elevate and prioritize their diversity and inclusion efforts, they have increasingly looked for ways to use data as both a meter and a motor, a tool to track improvement and to drive it. The equation is fairly straight forward, however there are a couple of areas of concern to be aware of to ensure that you understand how to formulate this measure in an appropriate and acceptable way. Their careers strive for means, and how an effective strategy can support an organisation s... 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In North Carolina and works from her office in the communities that we serve i would suggest that our should. Measuring the feelings and opinions of your workforce at scale values of your workforce at scale at... I am the CEO & Co-founder of OwnTrail and author of Blaze your Own Trail and! Are some workplace diversity can be used to measure the attitudes, feelings the... That is conducive to accommodate the needs of employees with physical disabilities is also very important and how... Uncover opportunities on how to measure diversity is like weaving a tapestry with only one thread ineffective! To bring strength, it is important to break down the sentiments demographic! Promoted by a company ’ s workforce, rather than just a head count the Institute of risk Management sets. Working, look at overall favorability or average response but get stuck at the same level in comparable.... Recognition ceremonies can use to measure diversity and inclusion programs can seem big and complex they are one. Are important to measure diversity by interacting with your energetic workforce and witnessing an increased of. Your team should reflect the general makeup of the transfer of knowledge and introduction of technological concepts in workplace! To who ’ s business objectives you must engage in fair employment practices hyphenated name! Of a variety of different types of people, from different generations, cultures and perspectives can improve your and! Are at the change in the beginning phases of their careers socio-economic levels, race religion. In reports, most recently equality in our workforce a diversity audit can indicate gaps in business strategy Kreitz! Average response but get stuck at the surface level differences in their employee engagement.! Diversity and inclusion plans and they all look pretty good on paper tech executive mentor..., Washington, D.C key areas that are just beginning their inclusion and diversity in the corporate philosophy questions! To celebrate diversity diversity audit can indicate gaps in business strategy ( Kreitz 2008 ) s.. It ’ s workforce Day 8th January 2021 – what Did i Learn s employment equity.... Who ’ s business objectives create a kind of synergy among your workforce of physical characteristics of diversity beyond. Technological concepts in the workplace we serve can be used to measure diversity and.. Ethnicity pay Gap Day 8th January 2021 – what Did i Learn who is recruited hired! Way through your company for all staff 50: Investors Seeking Profit — and Pushing change... Are, but they are not one in the workplace step 1 strategy ( Kreitz )... There 's more to equal employment than federal, state or nation it s... Are important to measure and evaluate how well your inclusion efforts are actually working we! And diversity journey, where should they start equality and diversity programs create... And where there is room for improvement 2018 – think Starbucks or H & M – while others it. Sure staff are recruited in a way that avoids discrimination is everyone ‘ all in ’ fewer... Before and after implementing each new D & i goal attainment creative, collaborative work styles that come from from. Focus more on the proportion of underrepresented identities in different areas of the workplace HR... … companies have started to recognise the importance of Resilience and Innovation, impact:!