There is also a lack of clarity regarding how to measure DEI efforts and what effective DEI programs ... [+]
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) progress seems to be a moving target. The murder of George Floyd caused a reinvigoration of corporate DEI efforts but it seems that many of the implementations and interventions that were introduced are not producing the desired results. There is also a lack of clarity regarding how to measure DEI efforts and what effective DEI programs look like. This article outlines five specific metrics that should be evaluated to assess the effectiveness of your DEI efforts.
1. Exit Interview Data. When employees are leaving an organization, that is often when they are most outspoken and candid about their experiences. Most organizations have some sort of formalized process that employees must go through when they are exiting. This can include a formal exit interview or an exit survey. But how often do you actually assess resignation letters and perform a qualitative analysis to analyze any reoccurring themes? Resignation letters are rife with data about the employee experience and organizational culture. This data can provide you with unique insights about the workplace environment. Make it a frequent practice to evaluate exit interview data, perhaps once or twice a year, to see if there are specific trends and patterns emerging.
2. Post-workshop Feedback. Although DEI trainings experienced heightened popularity in 2020, many researchers claim they are ineffective. What is often missing from the conversations about the utility of DEI trainings is their impact on employees from marginalized communities. Much of the focus of these types of trainings is to change the hearts and minds of white people. When the trainings inevitably “fail” to change a person after one session, they’re deemed as useless. Perhaps we have been thinking about it in the wrong way. The popular saying that a rising tide lifts all boats holds true when it comes to workplace DEI efforts. By lifting the most minoritized and marginalized employees, every employee will rise. It is important to a) be assessing feedback after each DEI workshop and b) parse out the data to understand how employees from varying backgrounds feel about DEI training.
Much of the focus of DEI trainings is to change the hearts and minds of white people.
3. Retention rates. Most organizations and institutions have some sort of understanding about retention rates for the employee population but are you also examining retention rates for different populations? This is particularly significant within corporations where there is a larger employee population so it’s easier to recognize trends. Assessing retention trends can point you in the right direction to better understand the specific DEI-related issues your workplace is facing. The raw data will allow you to probe deeper to figure out the cause for any discrepancies. Are your policies and practices inhibiting certain populations from advancing? Is an exclusionary and toxic environment preventing underrepresented populations from staying? Disaggregate the data to gauge whether there are differences in retention rates across various populations.
4. Feedback about Leaders. One of the best DEI metrics you should be evaluating is employee feedback regarding leadership. More organizations should allow employees that aren’t in managerial or senior roles to evaluate their leaders. Workplaces usually have a top-down evaluation system where employees are being appraised by those they report to. While that feedback is important, it is also vital for employees to be given an opportunity to provide honest, candid and anonymous feedback about their leadership. This will allow leaders to be more accountable to the environments of inclusion (or lack thereof) that they are cultivating. It is not enough to say you care about DEI if you are not embodying the values that align with those words. Provide employees with different avenues to share leadership feedback. Ensure that feedback can be provided through anonymous channels so that employees are more encouraged to share without fear of repercussions.
5. Discrimination claims. A simple yet often overlooked method to measure your workplace’s commitment to DEI is via the number of incidents related to discrimination, injustice and exclusion that occur. To ascertain which interventions could advance your workplace, a few questions to ponder include: Are employees filing claims against the same employees or organizational leaders? Have the number of claims or negative incidents changed over the past few years or the past few months? Look into any reports that have been filed regarding misconduct or bad behavior. Are there patterns in the types of behaviors being reported? Uncover what is being shared with your human resource department as well as leadership and managers. Partner with an equity consultant or an ombudsman to resolve employee conflicts and interpersonal issues and to ensure that there are different channels to share feedback and report any bad behaviors that they experience.
