For each individual to bring their best self forward, a … Build on employee experience and baseline demographic information with data on workplace behavior to see where people are getting the same opportunities to thrive, and where they are not. Find out more about specific initiatives you should implement in your workplace to focus on measuring D&I. Technology has really opened the door to measuring behavior and employee interactions that can detect whether patterns of behavior are inclusive. Companies must first spend substantial time in advance answering employee questions and allaying their fears. Inclusion is more subtle and complex. ONA can also help organizations become more inclusive. Women’s networks, on the other hand, included more people at their own or lower levels. Employees who opt-in (and, again, that is an essential pre-condition before an employer uses these tools) can receive a confidential report on their interactions over the past week, based on their e-mail headers and online calendar. The bad news is that lack of inclusion is a real problem in the workplace. Employees want to know things: how leadership plans to measure and prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion, how they compare to other companies in their sector or industry, and what tools they can be … Measuring inclusion can also provide new insights about the role of work design in fostering inclusiveness. The good news is that the future looks promising. First developed at MIT and since commercialized by a company called Humanyze, these matchbox-sized devices record information about people’s movements and interactions: who they speak to, where, and for how long; who speaks first, who speaks longest, and whether they interrupt each other. It is continuously created and reinforced—or undermined— through everyday conversations, meetings, leadership behaviors, managerial practices, and corporate policies. Trump to leave office with the worst jobs record since Herbert Hoover Here’s another business case for inclusion: Teams and companies that are inclusive also innovate better, according to research. A national conversation about inclusion is happening. In the longer term, that could put the company at a competitive disadvantage. Caveat: The more sophisticated the technology becomes for collecting and analyzing employee data, the greater the imperative for companies to be completely transparent about their practices: what data they are collecting, along with how and why they are collecting it, how it will be managed, how it will protect individuals, and so on. From a financial point of view, inclusion is important because it can help organizations recoup their investments in building a more diverse workforce. This enables companies to identify the right targets and goals—and the right metrics to track. On the upside, many companies have developed a clear understanding of what inclusiveness means in their culture. Digital technology is transforming how companies can use data and analytics to optimize environmental factors such as light and temperature levels, traffic flow, and floorplans. breakthroughs. These insights can then shape future priorities for further research, training, and intervention. Humanzye protects the identity of individual employees; client companies receive reports based on anonymized, aggregated data. The answer: There are a variety of measures across three broad categories of data that reflect dimensions of inclusion: These dimensions can be measured using a variety of approaches, ranging from the old-fashioned methods to cutting-edge tech tools. A company could also compare the networks of their most successful teams with those of average ones, to tease out the connection patterns that are most strongly associated with high performance. Let’s say an organization’s 2015 headcount shows that the percentage of women shrinks significantly as they progress up the ranks. Measuring the success of diversity and inclusion training is not a straight-forward as other training topics; it takes long-term tracking, benchmarking, and qualitative measurement. Diversity is absolute; you can measure the percent of diverse employees in your organization and set target goals for improvement. Are patterns of behavior consistent with the perceptions of inclusion, or is there hidden bias? *Editor’s note: Download our full Diversity and Inclusion Handbook for more than 70 pages of tangible strategies to help you cultivate diversity and inclusion on your team, including diversity goals and objectives. However, it is not as easy to tell if your organization is inclusive. Is everyone ‘all in’? People need to feel safe and trust that they can express themselves without fear of negative consequences to their status or career. ONA produces a visual map, like the one in Figure 2, showing not only the number of connections in a network but also their strength. How to Harness Technology’s Effect on the Workplace, Why You Should Apply Zen Principles to Workplace Design, How to Establish Better Guidelines for Remote Workers, Six Ways the Pandemic is Changing Flexible Workspace, Industry News: The Death Of The Office Desk Is Upon Us, Creating Hybrid Communities Post-COVID-19, Work Better: Expanded Expectations for Wellbeing at Work, Supporting Physical and Mental Health Through Design. In an inclusive workplace, people can do their best work and organizations can gain the full benefit of a diverse workforce. … Don’t just measure diversity, measure inclusion too. What the company is actually measuring, however, is diversity―in this case, the increase in gender representation. How can we measure if inclusion strategies are working, and when we reach an optimal level of full inclusion? A common pitfall is to focus on measuring levels of diversity (and this itself is a broad church and a topic for a different time) without combining this with measurements around levels of inclusion. But what about inclusion? To me, if a single school was like a toybox, then a consortium of schools was Toys “R” Us—and we would have to innovate as a group in order to survive. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” – Verna Myers ®. But before companies can leverage these capabilities, they must first define what inclusion means. Diversity is about numerical representation―the percentage of people with one attribute versus another. Once they take corrective measures, they can analyze subsequent messages to gauge whether they are having any impact. Measuring What Matters. Using a combination of approaches seems to work best. If, indeed, inclusion is a root-level need, why are organizations not measuring it, or at least not measuring it well? Typically, these surveys include questions that indirectly address inclusiveness, making them an easy and convenient proxy measure. Measuring Inclusion. For example, tools can now measure how opportunities differ by gender or ethnic background by examining the pattern of interactions among employees, such as collaborations on project documents, electronic communications, and scheduled calendar meeting. The technology for analyzing workplace behavior is getting more powerful all the time. “Diversity is being invited to the party. Here are some examples of tools that can help companies track inclusion and direct their efforts in a more targeted way: Organizational network analysis (ONA) enables companies to understand the web of connections between one or more individuals, between one or more groups, or between the organization and its external environment. We must become conscious of the unconscious in order to help make an environment which is inclusive for all employees. What is Digital Transformation and What Does it Mean for Workplace Design? Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a04b9e38cd45ac220a07c7a70dd5fc60" );document.getElementById("j0f7bc6ff7").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Using BCG’s Diversity and Inclusion Assessment for Leadership tool, we are able to benchmark data against industry and geography, leveraging our existing database of more than 25,000 responses from across the globe. Are their voices heard when they come up with a new idea? Analyzing internal networks can help a company to identify hidden talent so they can leverage it more effectively. Our panel offered a broad consensus that there is a typical hierarchy of analyses: The best analyses tie the results to financial and business outcomes to underscore the value of devoting time and resources to creating a more inclusive workplace. One of the most promising applications is in measuring inclusion and tracking its progress over time. It includes the many elements of the workplace that serve to acknowledge and value individual differences and encourage people to express their unique views. Inclusion, belonging and being held in significance are longings that all human beings have. People on social media are beginning to demand it, now. Does repositioning the conveniences help groups bridge differences? Quantitative measurements are aligned with basic principles of affirmative action. In fact, the analysis reveals a spike in women who leave between Levels 5 and 6. In other cases, leaders say that inclusion’s simply too soft, or subjective, to be measured—let alone to be held accountable for. It also means engaging with, for example, individuals who work in offshore locations, or in support or back-office functions, or who are contingent workers rather than employees. Armed with these kinds of insights, companies can provide coaching and create projects that better level the playing field for men and women. These surveys dive deeper into employee opinions which can help you with your D&I efforts. So, how do we know if a company is succeeding? This book considers both the issues associated with measuring inclusion and provides examples of evidence-based good practices and models of effective measures. But that is not inclusion. Required fields are marked *. A Common Sense Guide for Returning to the Post…, Navigating Your Future Workplace Post COVID-19: A Roadmap, The COVID-19 World And Its Impact On The Future Of Work, A New Normal: Touchless Offices in the Post-Pandemic World, 5 Ways To Achieve A Healthier Work Space Now And…, Enriching the Workplace with Biophilic Design, A Look into The Workplace Post-COVID-19: The “Anti-Office”. Stricter data-privacy regulations should not deter companies from incorporating digital data to understand inclusion and other workplace factors. The Future of Measuring Inclusion. Digital technologies can provide more robust ways to understand and measure inclusion. They tell you that you either have a problem or you don't. One company, for example, found that the networks of men and women looked quite different: Men built more connections with senior leaders than did their female peers. You are invited to participate in a 3-minute survey that we are conducting about screens in the workplace. Psychological safety is critical. More nuanced descriptions often include elements such as a sense of belonging; trust in the company’s commitment to diversity; and the feeling of being seen, listened to, heard, respected, and valued. The idea of “belonging” and metrics to measure the success of any people initiative are becoming increasingly important to a strong diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategy. The actual diversity of employee statistics will inform you if there is a high or low level of women in your company. Figure 1 (below) shows a more comprehensive picture of where inclusion “lives” in the workplace. A company’s demographic makeup has never been more relevant. Prioritize data that truly drives diversity and inclusion You might be thinking, “I have no idea where to start measuring diversity.” Just as with any data in business, start with what you have. There are few more vocal advocates for data protection than the CEO of Humanyze, Ben Waber. Clearly, it has become more inclusive! What the badges don’t capture is anything people say. Your email address will not be published. Companies can also develop original survey questions based on the qualitative data they glean from focus groups. Better workplace data and analytics, they believe, will eventually provide keener insights. monitor and measure policy impact; Country-level data and diagnostic assessments inform the design and help sequence reforms. By comparing the responses of specific groups of employees—men versus women, managers versus non-managers, newcomers versus veteran employees—companies can identify highly inclusive teams or business units as well as trouble spots. While there is broad consensus that diversity and inclusion are good for business, accurately measuring inclusion in conjunction with diversity is a common obstacle for business leaders. Which groups are under-represented in th… A company culture that doesn't value and reinforce empathy is at high risk of bias - intentional or not - against groups of its employees. One way to measure and adjust your D&I initiatives is to ask employees about their experience directly. Do they feel safe speaking up to disagree? That would tell us which network factors were most strongly related to inclusion (although it still would not show causality–that is, which factor drove the other). Companies see diversity and inclusion as a priority, and take pains to improve their brand by showcasing the steps they take. An organization may establish quantitative measures based on: Representation: What is the workforce profileof the organization? At another company, ONA revealed that women who had a strong relationship with a senior-level leader were the most likely to be promoted. Are the percentages and numbers of the workforce aligned with the general workforce of the local area, state, or nation? Many of these analytics, including ONA, sociometric badges, and even e-mail headers, can also provide real-time feedback to individuals. How can one know when social inclusion is achieved? One study examined over 10,000 companies and found that eight out of 10 - some 8,000 companies - have a gender pay gap. If inclusion is an outcome, employee feeling, bias and sentiment are all inputs that we must measure to assess the level and depth of inclusion within organisations. Inclusion means having an environment where all employees have equal access to resources and opportunities. The paper also highlights that diversity management, a common practice to quantify or measure (employee perception of) inclusion, is not an appropriate method to capture organizational inclusion. In fact, cognitive research suggests that our brains are hard-wired to belong. The main types of indicators to consider when measuring financial inclusion are: Based on our research with companies and inclusion experts in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, here is a comprehensive definition that goes farther than being asked to dance: In an inclusive workplace, everyone feels respected and valued for being who they are; people trust that they can speak up and be fairly treated; and they share a sense of belonging. More than three-quarters of the innovation leaders and D&I leaders who participated in a recent survey by The Conference Board agreed that an organization’s level of inclusion is related to its ability to innovate. Measurement is important to establish the extent and depth of exclusion and to monitor progress toward inclusion. By 2019, the company employs twice as many female executives. Inclusion, on the other hand, is relative to how everyone else is treated. But inclusion is not just a feeling, nor a static state. To meet these growing demands, creative and sophisticated new solutions are being developed to measure how included employees feel, and measure actual behavior to assess levels of inclusion throughout the workplace, and train employees to be more empathetic and inclusive. With all the talk about diversity and inclusion, we decided to devote our recent New York Strategic HR Analytics Meetup to explore the topic and focus especially on inclusion because of all the apparent confusion over what, exactly, 'inclusion' means. Can you remember a time without a headline about inequality in our world today? Combining traditional HR data and performance metrics with these newer data sources reveals workplace dynamics that were invisible to them even just a few years ago. Inclusiveness spawns diversity of thought. #peopleanalytics #hranalytics #diversity #inclusion. But organizations are not the only potential beneficiaries. Do introverts contribute more when their desks are located at the fringes of the agile-team’s space? You should be able to easily tell if your organization is diverse, and this is more than an eye test. To gather more information about a topic, like diversity and inclusion, you can use a pulse survey. Starbucks is not alone. Because it is driven by an endless series of actions, “it’s more of a verb than a noun,” says one corporate D&I leader. Measuring Inclusion Business leaders often ask us for specific suggestions on what they can do to increase diversity. Here, too, tools are available to train employees, ranging from traditional training sessions to virtual reality-based empathy training. Do they have to suppress or “cover” certain aspects of their identities to fit in, or do they feel seen, heard, and valued for bringing a unique perspective? The UK now requires any company with more than 250 employees to report data on their gender pay gaps. The answer: There are a variety of … Launch a pulse survey about diversity and inclusion. The best results come from creating a diversity and inclusion initiative and continually making … Copyright Workspace Design Magazine, LLC DBA Work Design Magazine (2010-2021), 2020 Next Work Environment Competition Winners. They might then choose to experiment doing things differently—say, reaching across organizational levels more often or starting up at least one conversation a week with people they do not know. But the best business advantages of diversity cannot be realized without inclusion. That is just one example of the way design can bolster inclusiveness. Rather than relying on an off-the-shelf or top-down explanation of what makes for an inclusive workplace, companies can ask representative groups within their workforce to speak from their personal experience. As a result, they designed one with wheels and moved it around strategically, based on which teams had the greatest need for collaboration. In what ways does his/her behavior make you feel the opposite? If inclusiveness has such a positive business impact, why aren’t companies doing more or doing better at it? You might correlate, for example, the number, composition, and strength of people’s network ties with their feelings of inclusion, as measured by selective survey questions. As employers get better at using technology, data, and analytics to understand the workplace, designers may play an increasingly important role in helping it become more inclusive. Take Starbucks for example: they recently closed all of their 8,000 company-owned stores nationwide to give 175,000 employees racial-bias education in response to a shocking incident at a Philadelphia store in April. We must become conscious of the unconscious in order to help make an environment which is inclusive for all employees. For example: What does your direct manager say or do that makes you feel valued and respected? And diversity of thought sparks new ideas, creative thinking, and why-didn’t-I-think-of-that? Inclusion, diversity, and belonging are essentially about organizational change. They can do the same with survey data about inclusion. Caveat: Because diversity is much easier to measure than inclusion, companies sometimes think they are doing the latter when, in fact, they are not. It will show them how their own patterns compare to those of top performers. Your Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) likely has gender identification and racial identification data from the hiring process. It quantifies and visually depicts the representation of easily measured aspects of diversity within a network. Establish a sense of belonging for everyone. Where does it fall short? Some call it psychological safety. Without a way to measure inclusion, executives and HR teams have to rely on their own subjective perceptions of the culture at their organization—with varied level of accuracy. Similar technologies can help them optimize another critical resource: the people who work there―both how they feel and perform. We believe that measuring inclusion should be the next big area of focus for D&I teams. Engagement and Measurable Results: One of the things that we're finding in the research is when you do employee engagement surveys, or employee satisfaction surveys, they’re actually measuring inclusion after the fact. Measuring inclusion and diversity Decisions about inclusion interventions should be based on evidence. These themes might seem obvious - but if they were obvious to everyone, inclusion would not be such a widespread problem, would it? If you want to know whether your employees’ experience aligns with your company’s ideals—at scale—you can just ask. Check out the write-up about workplace 'Inclusion', what it means, and how to measure it, based on an expert panel discussion at our most recent NY HR Analytics Meetup. Caveat: In its most limited form, ONA can be just another way to measure diversity. When ONA is combined with other kinds of data, however, it can be extremely powerful. Diversity and inclusion is a challenging subject to tackle and even tougher to measure and report on. Digital platforms will enable employers to mine real-time data from Slack, TeamRoom, Yammer, and other communication and collaboration platforms to identify strengths and diagnose issues before they manifest into bigger problems. It is continuously created through the ways people and the organization operate. Arguably not, because while you can measure career progress over time, that doesn’t tell you what those women experience in their workplace. Many of the inclusion experts we interviewed are optimistic. The same data also helps the private sector improve the design and delivery of financial services. Conventional Measurements Conventional measurements rely on counting the number of people within an organization who belong to each of several ethnic and racial categories; … Not unlike the sensors that capture real-time data about a physical space such as an office, sociometric badges, for example, collect data about people (with their full knowledge and consent). But because Humanyze can match each person’s badge data with his or her demographics, it can look at subpopulations within the workforce. What actions to take to create a more inclusive workplace depend on the issues that are uncovered. They are unlikely to retain that talent or maximize its contributions if the workplace is not one that values differences. That did not hold true for men, however; their career advancement was tied to having a broad network at all levels. While diversity is relatively easy to measure, inclusion is often described in subjective terms and anecdotes. Companies have access to an increasingly sophisticated tool kit. “It’s like a Fitbit for your career,” says Waber. To combat this trend, leaders decide to increase their efforts to hire and promote female leaders. It seems like examples of inequality pop up in every corner of our society, and businesses are trying to get ahead of the problem. Defining diversity broadly will likely necessitate the establishment of new data … Return to Work: A Leader’s Guide To Avoiding The Mental Health Crisis. As companies continue to work on better their diversity and inclusion efforts, they're often turning to data as a means to drive improvement. Better workplace data and analytics, they believe, will eventually provide keener insights. Over the past decade, many organizations have developed expertise in human capital analytics, enabling them to correlate different variables related to their workforce, leadership, human resource practices, organizational structure, and business outcomes. While this pop definition is memorable, it falls short in telling us what inclusion looks and feels like, or where it comes from. No single set of numbers is best for everyone, but here are some examples of metrics that companies are using to increase diversity and create a more inclusive workforce culture. Sometimes it is because they have a simplistic definition, so it remains a fluffy aspiration on the company’s website. But is that inclusion? How can we measure if inclusion strategies are working, and when we reach an optimal level of full inclusion? Your email address will not be published. But this tells us nothing about inclusion in any of its manifestations: inside people (their perceptions and feelings); between them (their behavior and relationships); or outside them (the organization or team’s culture, policies, and practices). How does your organization foster an environment where people who come from different backgrounds know that their ideas are valued? If it turns out that male employees have different communication patterns than females, for example, then the company may need to consider whether those differences play a role in the unequal advancement rates of men and women. This webinar discusses data and approaches that can be used for measuring social inclusion. Humanyze, the sociometric badge company, used its own data to learn that innovation and relationship-building flourished around the company’s coffee pot. Building a company without workplace diversity is like weaving a tapestry with only one thread: ineffective and probably a little boring. Inclusion is not a steady state. Review data policies. The paper is aimed at D&I professionals, however, anyone interested about workplace inclusion may find it handy. Inclusion, not so much. By taking their own emotional pulse on a regular basis—there are apps for that, too—they can see if these changes affect their sense of belonging, trust, or psychological safety. Sometimes the answer surprises them: increasing diversity should not be your goal.