There’s a yawning gap between companies’ aspirations when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and how their employees expect they will actually perform.  That’s the takeaway from a survey of more than 2,000 HR professionals conducted in late 2021 by Momentive, the maker of SurveyMonkey.

Nearly nine in 10 respondents said their organizations had made DEI commitments over the prior 18 months, but only 20% expressed confidence that their companies would achieve those DEI goals. The gulf suggests that at many companies, employees doubt either the sincerity or capacity of their organizations to meet their commitments.

That suggests a culture problem.

Antoine Andrews, chief diversity and social-impact officer at Momentive, calls it a “confidence gap.” At From Day One’s March conference in Chicago, Andrews said the disparity could speak to a serious issue in the way employees at those organizations think about their jobs, and about how serious their employers are about the values they espouse.

“What does it look like for your employees to have that [skeptical] lived experience around the commitments you’ve made?” Andrews asked. When combined with another Momentive statistic—that nearly 80% of workers say it’s important that their companies prioritize DEI—Andrews said companies have a powerful incentive both to ensure that they follow through on their DEI commitments, and that they work with their employees to bring them to life.

That last piece is especially important, said Andrews, but can prove elusive. DEI conversations can be delicate, which means its especially important to keep close tabs on employee sentiment and experience, to ensure that the organization’s efforts are on-track and having the intended effect.

Given the sensitivity of the subject, as well as the value of frequent communication with a broad range of staff members, companies can benefit from working with an external partner such as Momentive, said Andrews. “You have to make sure you ask the questions in a way that provides some sensitivity and some nuance.”

Even more important than asking the right questions, said Andrews, is that leaders show that they’re taking the feedback seriously. “Make sure you listen,” he said. “Once you get that information, you’ve got to learn about what you've been doing, and how you've been showing up for your employees.”

The final step for companies is to translate that employee insight into action by refining their DEI efforts based on the feedback they’ve gathered. That’s the trickiest part, according to Andrews, and its success depends on how well companies have handled the asking and listening phases.

“That feedback is a gift,” Andrews said. “But your employees say, ‘If I’m giving you that information, I need you to do something with it.’”

Editor's note: From Day One thanks the sponsor of this thought-leadership spotlight, Momentive, an AI-powered, experience-management platform.