Overview
Diverse teams and inclusive cultures drive innovation. Strong diversity and inclusion (D&I) policy ensures that industries are committed to building a better world for the workforce, partners, suppliers, and communities.
The goal of the Diversity & Inclusion Index is to learn about current D&I practices and identify opportunities to potentially improve D&I outcomes across industries.
Why an Index?
A public index increases transparency, which builds trust, drives collective action, and scales impact.
Why now?
Companies are enabling the "next normal" for all industries, and now is the moment to build a future of business that is more diverse, inclusive, and just.
How to use the index
The index allows you to explore:
- Characteristics of participating companies
- Data on practices that companies are using to promote diversity and inclusion
- Representation of gender, race, and ethnicity from participating companies
- Messaging from a convening of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers across industries
Executive Summary
Most frequently delivered practices
Thirteen companies participated in the Diversity & Inclusion Index survey. The most frequently performed D&I practices across participants are related to public reporting of gender pay equity metrics and hiring bias mitigation training.
| D&I Practice | Number of companies that implemented practice |
|---|---|
| Public reporting of racial pay equity metrics as part of annual D&I reporting within the past five years | 8 |
| Training on bias mitigation for hiring managers, recruiters, and other points of contact before interviewing candidates for open roles | 8 |
| Training for people managers on how to have effective conversations with employees on inclusion-related topics | 7 |
| Consideration of contributions to inclusion councils, ERGs, or other employee advocacy organizations during performance evaluations and promotion decisions | 7 |
| Formal initiative to encourage non-URM employees to embody inclusive behavior | 7 |
| Formal program for youth educational outreach and/or technology access to benefit diverse student populations | 7 |
Most Successful Practices
Thirteen companies participated in the Diversity & Inclusion Index survey. More than 66% or more of companies that implement the following practices consider the practice to be highly successful or somewhat successful.
| D&I Practice | % Successful | Number of companies that implemented practice |
|---|---|---|
| Formal process to ensure product design is inclusive of differing cultural backgrounds and abilities | 100% | 1 |
| Formal mechanism to track inclusion sentiment across different functional workforces | 83% | 6 |
| Formal initiative to encourage non-URM employees to embody inclusive behavior | 71% | 7 |
| Formal program for youth educational outreach and/or technology access to benefit diverse student populations | 71% | 7 |
| Public reporting of racial pay equity metrics as part of annual D&I reporting within the past five years | 66% | 3 |
| Formal feedback mechanism to voice inclusion-related concerns | 66% | 6 |
Percent successful refers to the percent of companies who have implemented the practice who state that the practice has been highly successful or somewhat successful.
Least Successful Practices
On the other hand, fewer than 29% or fewer of companies who implement the following practices found them to be highly or somewhat successful.
| D&I Practice | % Successful | Number of companies that implemented practice |
|---|---|---|
| Formal program to incentivize managers and leaders to maintain a diverse network of mentorship or sponsorship relationships | 0% | 3 |
| Reward system for individuals demonstrating inclusive behavior | 20% | 5 |
| Training for people managers on how to have effective conversations with employees on inclusion-related topics | 29% | 7 |
Percent successful refers to the percent of companies who have implemented the practice who state that the practice has been highly successful or somewhat successful.
Participant Characteristics
- 13 companies participated
- 11 technology companies
- 1 energy company
- 1 industrials company
Workforce Representation
Distribution of employees by gender and race/ethnicity across all respondents who provided sufficient data.
Representation of Women in the U.S. Workforce
Representation by Race/Ethnicity in the U.S. Workforce
Global representation of women
Percent of companies that collect self-reported demographic data
Practices
Company Practices
D&I practices companies perform
Global differences in D&I practices
Regions in which companies perform D&I practices
Note: Only companies that indicated that they have or perform the practice received this question.
Tracking and measurement practices
How companies track and measure their D&I practices
Note: Only companies that indicated that they have or perform the practice received this question.
Success of practices
Whether companies consider their D&I practices to be successful
Note: Only companies that indicated that they have or perform the practice received this question.
Reasons for discontinuation
One company reported ending the practice of "Rewards for inclusive behavior" but they responded that they were "Unsure why my company ended this practice."
Study Design FAQs
How was the study conducted?
An email was distributed to 38 companies asking them to participate in the study. Each company had a representative, such as their Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer (CDIO) or equivalent, complete the survey. Thirteen responses were received.
When was the survey administered?
The survey was open from June 25, 2020 to April 8, 2021.
What information did the survey ask for?
The survey requested demographic information (e.g., gender and race/ethnicity). In addition, the survey asked companies to provide information regarding company practices on diversity and inclusion practices.
Are there gaps in the data collected?
Data in this index is limited to the responses received and by the completeness of those responses.