- Blogs & Articles
Performance Measurement of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategies
- March 26, 2021
This week we shared 10 Ways to incorporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into your Talent Acquisition Strategy. Whether you have recently had your ‘Just Start’ moment or are already advanced in your DE&I journey, measuring your progress is an essential part of any strategy.
DE&I measurements can provide a place to start, a baseline to keep track of progress or pinpoint areas in your organisational strategy that need improvement. Measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion can be difficult and should always include input from your employees. This blog discusses how data and metrics can provide important learnings and the common pitfalls to avoid in DE&I measurements.
Data & Insights
Data collection can be done in various ways and, depending on the way you collect your data, will provide different insights. Collecting data should typically be the starting point of a DE&I strategy, as it can provide a baseline for you to track your progress and highlight unexpected areas for improvement in your approach.
Quantitative data can include demographics, such as sexual and religious orientations, ethnicity, or family status. However, it is not always permissible to ask for or use this information, and employees may feel uncomfortable with sharing this kind of information.
An example of another form of quantitative data that could provide useful insights is employees’ participation rate in targeted inclusion initiatives such as training, committees, or employee resource groups.
Quantitative data is helpful for data collection and insights on diversity, but the numbers alone will not tell you the full story. It is important to not only focus on diversity but also on equity and inclusion. This is where qualitative data can help you answer questions like: How are employees feeling about their workplace, do they feel part of their team, and how do their values align to those of the organisation? Engagement surveys are a widely used tool to identify potential management issues, but a network analysis can also highlight how knowledge sharing, collaboration, and networks in your organisation support DE&I goals.
Analysis & Correlational Metrics
Once you have collected your relevant data, analysis and correlational metrics are the next step to understanding how you should address your DE&I goals or where improvement is needed. When seeking leadership buy-in for your objectives, it can be helpful to use correlational metrics to support the value that your program can bring to the organisation.
Correlational metrics can be storytellers when measured against your organisational, hiring or recruitment data. How are different groups making it through your hiring process? Are screening and selection tools applied evenly? Are staff overturns higher in one job family or seniority level? Examples of other correlational metrics include promotion rates, pay rates, and employment status (full time or contract).
Diversity KPIs
Nicki McCulloch, Client Services Director APAC, shares how diversity KPIs can help deliver diversity outcomes. Diversity KPIs need to be considered carefully to make sure they drive the right behaviour in your organisation. To be successful in DE&I, an organisation needs a leadership team that is fully invested in a programme and a joint understanding of what objectives should be met across the business.
Pitfalls to avoid in DE&I Measurements
Measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion can be challenging. However, input from a company’s employees is critical to its success. While there are some best-practice examples, copying what other organisations are doing without tailoring your approach to your organisation and goals will not be effective long-term. Other common pitfalls are:
- Authenticity
Focus your research on what is relevant for your organisation and how your data can contribute to insights for your DE&I strategy. A one-time survey is not enough to improve your DE&I.
- Accessibility
Make sure the results of your research are accessible to all, as well as the research method itself. For example, make sure the participants of your survey understand what their time and contributions will be used for, how their data will be used and anonymised, and take the necessary steps to ensure everyone who wants to is able to participate.
- Transparency
Even if the survey answers are anonymised and confidential, the conclusions of your research and the follow up of the outcomes can still be shared. This will also help assure employees that their time and contributions are valued, taken seriously and that your interest in improving DE&I is genuine. - Equity & Inclusion
As previously mentioned, it is not about diversity alone. It is important to measure equity and inclusion too. DE&I is about more than having a diverse workforce; it is about creating a workplace where everyone feels included and empowered to contribute to your organisation’s goals.
Hudson RPO can help you finetune your DE&I goals and advise on the appropriate metrics and technology for your organisation. Contact us to find out how we can help. If you would like to learn more about DE&I, download 10 Ways to incorporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into your Talent Acquisition Strategy or listen to our podcast.
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