Are people on your team feeling that they really belong?
Many organizations are paying extra attention to their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging efforts. However, recent research from Gallup shows that many Employees are not satisfied with the results.
Following are some examples based on surveys of Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) and Employees of the same companies. The theme is that even though most CHROs think they are making progress, Employees do not feel the same way:
- While 97% of CHROs say they have made changes to improve DEI, just 37% of Employees strongly agree that any changes are meaningful.
- Only 33% of Employees feel they have fair, equitable opportunities for advancement within their organizations.
- Just 30% of Employees report they are being treat fairly in their organizations.
- While CHROs say they want to build on an individual’s strengths, only 29% of Employees agree.
- A vast majority of CHROs (86%) say that they believe their organization will do the right thing when faced with an issue of ethics and integrity; only 35% of Employees feel the same way.
- A total of 65% of CHROs say that the organization cares about the well being of people; only 24% of Employees agree.
What can organizations do about this chasm between intentions and reality? Here are some ideas to get started:
- Re-double your efforts. The bad news is that most CHROs thought they were hitting the mark. The good news is that you now know you probably are not – so step up your efforts. Reach out and ask your Employees what more needs to be done.
- Improve Hiring and Promotion Processes. Adopt best practices such as anonymizing applications and creating diverse interview panels. Broadly advertise for positions and do not rely on referrals.
- Leverage Strengths. Adopt an organization-wide “strengths-based” approach to management and consider training on the Gallup Q-12 Employee Engagement
- Constructive Dialogue. Train managers on how to have difficult conversations about DEIB. Many managers avoid this; White Fragility is a real thing.
While the job market is not as competitive as it was a year ago, people are still interested in leaving if they do not like an organization’s culture. Show your Employees that you take matters of DEIB seriously. If you want to attract and retain the best talent, then you need to address this important issue.
*Ideas for this blog taken from: Brecheisen, J. “Research: Where Employees Think Companies DEIB Efforts Are Failing,” Harvard Business Review online, March 9, 2023.
