DEI has been making the headlines, which can be largely be attributed to the Supreme Court decision on higher education, which ruled that race can no longer be used as a component of how selections are made for college admissions.

How does this apply in the context of employers’ DEI programs?  What should organizations do to try and solidify their programs?  Cheryl Boyer, director of diversity and inclusion services at Berkshire Associates, spoke about the ways to do this at From Day One’s February virtual conference.

First, your DEI program should be aligned with your business priorities and objectives. Also, inclusion should be a priority. Programs and initiatives should be driven by (or at least assessed) by the data, she says. And those programs, including the data, should be reviewed annually to ensure they're meeting the organization's goals.

So, what does it mean to really look at your data? First, look at your current representation and demographics from an intersectional lens. Other items that you would have in your employee database that you could look at are age, levels within the organization, geography, and individuals with disabilities. You can also collect information on your LGBTQ+ community.  All of these help assess where you are.

You should also look at the entire employee lifecycle, such as recruitment strategies, hiring, performance and talent management, mentoring programs, development opportunities, promotion, and even engagement. All of these factors can help you find gaps and areas for improvement.

Thomas Carnahan, manager of compensation services at Berkshire Associates, says that it’s important to consider the interrelationships of data. “Make sure that you're not treating every one of these data gathering processes as standalone,” said Carnahan.

This is because a lot of the engagement information you can get from employees and customers is really telling when you look at the differences by race, gender, different demographic groups, organizational level, and more.

If you’re not doing this, you’re missing an opportunity to draw characteristics and lines between aspects of your data. Performance ratings, for example, are associated with your engagement and your promotions. It’s essential to ask questions like “Do you feel comfortable raising your hand and pointing out mistakes?” and “Do you feel comfortable bringing concerns to your team to your supervisor?”

“We know, from broad research on engagement surveys, that there are groups of people that feel marginalized in businesses and that they feel that they are not heard,” Carnahan said. “People tend to feel that way when they don’t match in some way, demographically with their manager.” When you look at the data and the connections in the data, you see a drastic drop off of highly qualified people not applying for promotions or providing important input or impact — because they don't feel comfortable.

Building a strong, sensible DEI program hinges on data, as data can speak volumes about interrelationships between race, gender, and economics, and how the interplay of these factors impacts the workplace.

Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, Berkshire Associates, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.

Keren's love for words saw her transition from a corporate employee into a freelance writer during the pandemic. When she is not at her desk whipping up compelling narratives and sipping on endless cups of coffee, you can find her curled up with a book, playing with her dog, or pottering about in the garden.