Diversity & inclusion (D&I) question library and theory references

Our Diversity and Inclusion framework is made up of drivers and sub-drivers, similar to our Engage question set. This measures employee perceptions of an organization's efforts to maintain a diverse workforce and create an environment where every individual feels included. If you want to measure D&I and activate this feature, reach out to our Support team.

Overview

Peakon’s standard diversity and inclusion question library includes:

• 1 main diversity and inclusion question
• 3 driver questions
• 6 sub-driver questions

To learn more about using the diversity and inclusion dashboard, see Overview of the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Dashboard. To learn about configuration, see Configuring the diversity and inclusion questions.

Background

A growing body of evidence shows that diversity contributes to a range of important outcomes for individuals, teams and organisations. Employees in diverse organisations experience greater engagement and trust (Downey et al 2015), report greater job satisfaction (Hofhuis et al, 2016) and fewer incidences of harassment (Kabat-Farr and Cortina, 2014) and they’re less likely to leave (Ali et al, 2015; Buttner and Lowe, 2017).

Diverse teams demonstrate greater performance (Shoreibah et al, 2019), creativity and innovation (Lorenzo et al, 2017) and diversity enhances knowledge-sharing (Hofhuis et al, 2016) and decision-making within teams (Galinsky et al 2015).

In addition to benefits to their reputation, diverse organizations perform better in a range of financial measures: returns, cash flow, EPS, EBIT, margins, investment performance, market value, ROA, ROE, revenue and sales growth (see: Catalyst, Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter: Financial Performance, 2018).

Diversity and inclusion main question

Diversity and Inclusion measures employee perceptions of an organization's efforts to maintain a diverse workforce and create an environment where every individual feels included.

• Core question: I'm satisfied with [company]'s efforts to support diversity and inclusion.

Inclusiveness driver

As individuals, we want to feel accepted within a group, but we also want to feel that we can be ourselves. This is what Brewer (1991) proposes in Optimal Distinctiveness Theory: we seek to balance a need for belongingness with a need to feel that our individual characteristics—our uniqueness—are valued.
According to Shore et al. (2011), when an individual is actively encouraged to express their individuality, they form a social identity that encompasses both a sense of belonging and a sense of uniqueness. This helps make individuals feel included.

• Core question: At [company], people of all backgrounds are accepted for who they are.

Central to employees’ perceptions of an organization’s inclusiveness is a sense of belonging within the organization and their team. This means that employees feel that they can be themselves and that they are valued for their unique talents or characteristics.

• 'Belonging' sub-driver question: I feel a sense of belonging at [company].

Relates to employees' sense that they are an accepted member of a group or team.

• 'Feeling valued' sub-driver question: I feel like I'm valued as a person at [company].

Concerns the employee's belief that their unique characteristics or talents are important and beneficial to the team or organization.

Diversity driver

An employee's sense of inclusion is strongly influenced by whether they feel that the organization values employees as individuals. Some measures that employees use to judge this are the organization's attitudes and behaviors when it comes to creating and keeping a diverse workforce.
 
Where are these attitudes and behaviors reflected? In intergroup interactions, and organizational culture and structure (Cox, 1990). It's most visible in the policies and processes used to recruit new employees and to award promotions or development opportunities. The way that managers and leaders behave and communicate also greatly affect employees' perceptions of organizational diversity.

• Core question: A diverse workforce is a clear priority at [company].

Refers to how employees perceive the organization’s views on diversity and the efforts it makes to attract and retain a diverse workforce. This perception is typically based on the organization's recruitment strategies, the process used to select employees for training and advancement, and the behavior that is considered acceptable within the organization.

• 'Diversity recruitment' sub-driver question: Recruitment processes at [company] attract and select a diverse workforce.

Measures perceptions of the organization’s efforts to recruit a diverse workforce.

• 'Workforce diversity' sub-driver question: I believe [company] is a diverse workplace.

Relates to whether the employee feels that the organization’s workforce is diverse.

Non-discrimination driver

Unsurprisingly, experiencing discrimination, both as a victim and witnessing its impact on others, has a profound impact on employees’ perceptions of how inclusive their organization is.
 
Ensher et al. (2001) found that employees’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and willingness to go above what is expected of them, are all negatively affected by employee perceptions that they have experienced discrimination from a co-worker, supervisor, or the organization.

• Core driver question: I'm confident I won't be discriminated against at [company].

An inclusive environment is one in which employees feel that they can be themselves without fear of discrimination. The ways in which an organization responds to instances of discrimination, harassment or inappropriate behavior have a strong impact on employees' sense of safety and their willingness to present their true selves. Without this sense of safety, employees often refrain from making best use of their unique strengths.

• 'Responsiveness' sub-driver question: I believe [company] would respond appropriately to instances of discrimination.

Refers to employees' belief that the organization responds appropriately to incidences of discrimination.

• 'Fair opportunities' sub-driver question: People of all backgrounds have the same opportunities at [company].

Concerns employees' sense that everyone within the organization is given the same opportunities, regardless of background.

Best practice

Peakon's recommendation is to add the Diversity and Inclusion question set alongside Engage and measure this on a continuous basis.

Editable attributes can be used to collect sensitive attributes to segment Diversity and Inclusion scores by different employee groups to act on the groups that may feel less included, and therefore, have a higher probability of leaving the organization.