Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, “It’s not only that diversity and inclusion are good for our business. It’s more fundamental than that — it’s simply right.” DEI programs may be right, but it’s no secret that they are controversial in the workforce. Employees are often skeptical when a workplace diversity survey is introduced, which makes it difficult for DEI programs to flourish.

To solve this, here’s our guide to implementing a workplace diversity survey that will give you actionable results and lay the foundation for a successful DEI program.

Why? Because it takes empirical data to ensure your managers are truly on board with upcoming initiatives. Moreover, it takes sound data to craft DEI programs that meet employees’ preferences and needs.

DEI: Definitions

Definitions matter. DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, three connected goals that many companies value. These goals focus on upholding individuals of different races, sexual orientations, and backgrounds.

Diversity refers to who your employees are. Are men and women equally represented? Are nonbinary individuals represented? Are your employees mostly from one generation, or is there an even spread across generations? Do they come from homogenous ethnic and religious backgrounds, or is there a variety?

Equity considers employees’ diverse backgrounds and provides different levels of support so that their outcomes are equal.

Inclusion refers to how your employees experience their jobs and company culture. Do employees feel their voice is heard? Do they think their contributions matter? Do they feel like they are a part of meetings and events?

DEI: A Mixed, Complicated Bag

When DEI programs are first introduced at organizations, many employees express concerns about reverse discrimination, retaliation, tokenism, lowered standards, and political agendas.

In fact, Dobbin and Kalev pointed out in their excellent Harvard Business Review article that many diversity programs fail to increase diversity in the workforce. They write that “Laboratory studies show that this kind of force-feeding can activate bias rather than stamp it out. As social scientists have found, people often rebel against rules to assert their autonomy. Try to coerce me to do X, Y, or Z, and I’ll do the opposite just to prove that I’m my own person.”

And yet while Dobbin and Kalev’s article finds grave downsides to diversity programs, other research finds that DEI efforts are quite popular. For instance, according to Pew Research Center, fully 56 percent of U.S. workers say that efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace are good. But the same study finds that only 32 percent of workers say it’s very important to work for a company with a diverse workforce.

Meanwhile there is often company-wide confusion regarding the basics of DEI values and how to roll out DEI initiatives. Forrester Research finds, “Whether it’s fear of alienating a portion of their customer base by taking a stand on the issues of the day or a lack of clarity around how to operationalize inclusion, we’ve seen many organizations make things worse, not better, in their initial attempts.”

Data-Driven DEI

Given the skepticism of, resistance to, and bad execution of DEI programs, establishing a foundation of objective facts is essential.

Implementing an impartial workplace diversity survey builds your foundation because employees are less likely to view DEI programs as part of management’s political agenda if they are invited to share their voices first. Plus, a baseline of employees’ opinions on DEI allows companies to gauge changes in employees’ perceptions over time.

First Things First: Your Survey Email Invite

Achieving scientific (not subjective) data is a multi-faceted project that starts by setting the right tone in the email that asks employees to take your workplace diversity survey. Let staff know that their answers will improve the workplace for everyone. And be sure to:

• Use disarming language, such as: “All opinions count, and your perspective matters.” Showing the importance of your survey in a neutral way encourages employees to respond and share their feelings.
• Reassure employees upfront that their answers cannot and will not be used against them. And if you are using a third party to implement your survey, emphasize that to employees.
• Use engaging, strong words in the links to your survey.
• Offer an incentive like an Amazon gift card or raffle ticket giveaway. Employees are already burdened with the responsibilities of their jobs. Make the survey a fun and celebratory event for them, not another chore. (And as soon as the survey window closes, be sure to send out the gift cards, select a winner, etc.)
• Underscore the survey’s anonymity, objectivity, or the fact that it’s administered by a third party in the email signature.
• Always use a postscript under the signature – it’s a classic direct marketing method proven to boost response rates. Yielding a high response rate is essential because this helps ensure your data is statistically valid.

Workplace Diversity Survey: 11 Best Practices

Here are eleven tips on how to design your workplace diversity survey that will ensure objective data and that all employees’ voices are heard.

Tip 1: Guarantee anonymity, always. This one is non-negotiable.

Tip 2: Hire a third party to implement your survey. When it comes to a sensitive topic like DEI, employees are more likely to trust an impartial third party with no stakes in their company’s workplace culture and that can’t be accused of bias.

Tip 3: Only ask for the essentials, especially when it comes to demographics. Don’t unnecessarily drill down into the minutiae unless you plan to use that information.

Tip 4: Order your questions thoughtfully. Put open-ended questions in the middle of your survey instead of at the end to ensure employees have time to answer them. When mined properly, open-ended text offers a gold mine of insights.

Tip 5: Tell employees what to expect because they are less likely to start a task if they have no idea how long it will take or what they’ll be required to do.

You might even describe the content and flow of your survey in its opening screen. For example, if there are 11 rating questions, followed by two open-ended questions, and five yes/no questions at the end, let employees know.

Tip 6: Use a balanced rating scale that reflects how employees actually express themselves. For example, instead of asking employees if they “strongly disagree” or “neither agree nor disagree” with a statement, provide answer options that sound familiar.

Rating scales such as “Bad”, “Poor,” “OK,” “Good,” and “Great” tend to collect accurate data because they reflect the way your staff thinks.

Tip 7: Say thank you! Be sure to thank respondents for their feedback in the email invite and at the end of the survey.

Tip 8: Connect your survey to specific DEI goals. For instance, if your organization’s goal is to increase the number of women in the workforce, ask questions about how many women have applied for positions and how receptive your working environment is for women.

Tip 9: Test your workplace diversity survey for bias. Bias is the scourge of any survey, but it’s especially easy for it to sneak into a workplace diversity survey that touches on sensitive topics.

Tip 10: When possible, make sure that your survey is accessible to employees with disabilities. Offer different visual, auditory, and text-based formats.

Tip 11: Include questions that let you benchmark your company’s diversity data against your standards and subsequent survey data. You want to be able to track and show your progress over time!

Your Workplace Diversity Survey: Six Areas to Consider

DEI goals will vary from company to company, and template surveys never deliver the precise insights your company needs to grow. But while your approach needs to be customized to your core mission, here are six question prompts to consider on your path toward scientific data.

How many times have you witnessed harassment in the workplace?

Why this question works: Having employees think critically about what they’ve witnessed is a great way to measure aggravations in the workplace objectively and prepares them to share more in the open-ended survey questions.

Do you feel comfortable talking about issues related to racial equity, harassment, and diversity with your manager?

Why this question works: The relationship between employees and supervisors is critical. This question can help you determine whether leadership needs training.

Have you felt discriminated against for the following: gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or another reason?

Why this question works: Discrimination may be ongoing in the workplace, and employees may not feel safe enough to report it. An anonymous, impartial survey may be the only place they can honestly report discrimination they’ve experienced.

Do you hide things about yourself to fit in at work?

Why this question works: Inclusion means employees should feel comfortable being authentic in the workplace. If they aren’t, then it’s clear where to focus your DEI efforts.

Does your job inspire you to be your best self?

Why this question works: Companies thrive when their employees thrive. This question helps you gauge how connected employees feel to your company’s mission.

Would you recommend this company as an inclusive workplace?

Why this question works: Akin to the Net Promoter Question, this question asks whether your employees would encourage their peers to join your company.

Your Survey is Just the Start

Too often, companies launch DEI programs without first conducting a workplace diversity survey and establishing how employees feel. The result is a misalignment between executives and the workforce.

This data-driven approach produces benefits, including:

• Ease in getting executives’ buy-in
• Clear, targeted next steps
• Ability to test and measure the impact of DEI programs

When employees are skeptical of a new program, that’s an opportunity to grow — but only when leaders address skepticism head-on.

While it’s comforting when everyone agrees with a new initiative, addressing criticism immediately ensures that programs remain realistic. Realism based on employees’ thoughts and opinions is the key ingredient to building positive values around DEI that last.

Interested in conducting a workplace diversity survey at your company? Get in touch.

The post Workplace Diversity Survey: For DEI Program Success appeared first on Interaction Metrics.

Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said, “Diversity and inclusion are not policies and programs. They have been integral to our habits, practices and purpose for more than 100 years.”

True enough, DEI is so much more than a policy, it’s an approach, and a set of priorities. It’s the way an organization conducts itself. But it’s no secret that DEI programs can be controversial.

In fact, despite national awareness around issues of racial equity, employees often respond skeptically to DEI survey questions, making it difficult to succeed from the start.

Employees may be even more hesitant when their jobs require them to put their lives on the line to save others. When the stakes are this high, it’s understandable that some employees would view DEI programs as a distraction from the core mission.

This was the case at OCFA (Orange County Fire Authority), which serves 23 cities and nearly two million residents in Orange County, California. When OCFA first proposed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative in 2021, some staff responded skeptically.

Common Reservations to DEI Initiatives

Fears of reverse discrimination, tokenism, retaliation, or lowered standards are common among employees when DEI programs are first introduced.

In fact, Harvard Business Review says many DEI programs fail, and tactics like diversity training, hiring tests, performance ratings, and grievance systems can exacerbate bias instead of reducing it.

Start with Facts

Coming from a scholarly background, Julián knew that without a data-driven approach to gathering employees’ thoughts and opinions, the chances of a DEI program successfully taking hold would be limited.

So before launching any DEI classes, consulting, or initiatives, Julián reached out to market research firm Interaction Metrics. He enlisted Interaction Metrics to write a DEI survey, implement it, and conduct its analysis. The objective? To foster a more inclusive, respectful, professional, and equitable workplace culture based on science.

To achieve that goal, I/M developed a fully double-blind anonymous survey to collect OCFA employees’ honest opinions and feedback.

DEI Survey Questions: Nuance and Detail

Off to the races! In March 2022, Interaction Metrics conducted OCFA’s first DEI survey. A whopping 42 percent of OCFA employees responded to the DEI survey questions. They answered both rating questions and, just as importantly, wrote copious answers to the open-ended text questions.

The findings? Interaction Metrics’ analysis showed many employees were skeptical of the need for DEI programs. For example:

• Some were concerned that hiring standards would be lowered to meet diversity quotas – this in an industry where first responders’ lives are at risk.
• Others felt that DEI programs played into a political agenda.
• And still others argued that any kind of DEI program would waste money and resources, believing that OCFA doesn’t have bias or inclusion problems.

For example, OCFA learned from their employees:

• How they rated the inclusivity of OCFA
• Whether they would recommend OCFA as a place to work
• How to introduce DEI to maximize its appeal
• And much, much more!

• First, having a third party issue the survey indicated how seriously OCFA takes DEI issues.
• Second, as mentioned above, the survey was strictly anonymous. Since respondents’ answers could not be traced back to them, employees were free to share their heartfelt opinions. Incentives to boost employees’ response rate were also offered anonymously.
• Third, working with an outside expert ensured that the DEI survey questions were phrased objectively.
• Last, meticulous text analysis tagging of employees’ verbatim responses ensured employees’ voices were heard.

Next Steps!

A year after issuing the survey and receiving Interaction Metrics’ analysis, Julián and the OCFA board have launched several DEI programs.

First, OCFA responded to employees’ skepticism by being transparent about its DEI process. For example, it now publishes a Quarterly Progress Report on the HR page of OCFA’s website showing “our staff the many aspects of our DEI program, well beyond simply identity and culture,” Julián said.

Second, the agency has shed light on one of its greatest assets: its generational diversity. Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers comprise OCFA’s staff, and each generation offers unique answers to DEI survey questions.

In addition, OCFA has launched three key DEI initiatives:

• Recruitment Team:
  More than 60 OCFA staffers reach out to high school and college athletes, members of the military, and paramedics. They explain what a career with OCFA offers and the benefits of joining a fire service organization. The team’s goal is to reach individuals from demographics historically underrepresented in the fire service.
• CARE Committee:
  This new committee (still under process of formation) will advise OCFA’s management on how to foster a thriving workplace that reflects the diversity of Orange County. Also, this committee will ensure that OCFA’s language reflects equity and inclusiveness, and they will ensure there is adequate cultural competency training. Plus, they will review hiring data for diversity.
• Courageous Conversations Training:
  Since 1992, Courageous Conversations has facilitated healthy interracial dialogue in the workplace; their longevity gives them a depth of approach that goes beyond trends. That’s why in Q2 2023, OCFA Chiefs participated in a Courageous Conversations training, where everything was on the table, including sensitive topics like gender, sexual orientation, and politics in the workplace. Over time, more training will be added.

Embrace the Skepticism

Too many DEI programs launch without establishing objective DEI survey questions and a foundation based on understanding how employees feel. This results in misalignments between leadership and staff.

Starting with objective data means OCFA knows where employees stand and can track changes over time.

A few of the benefits of this data-backed approach are:

• With evidence in hand, it’s easier to achieve staff buy-in.
• Precise, nuanced next steps are clear.
• OCFA leadership can measure its DE&I programs’ impact with testing and data collection.

Employees’ skepticism of new programs is an opportunity for growth — when leaders address it directly.

To accelerate profitable and productive change, you need to address the heart of the matter and understand how all your employees think — not just the ones nodding in agreement.

Advice for Other Organizations

Most of the reluctance around DEI is from a misunderstanding of what it is, Julián said. A data-driven approach to analyzing employees’ sentiments has helped establish the program and clarify its goals.

Julián is part of a national committee developing a DEI toolkit for the fire service. He noted that his colleagues across the country face similar sentiments from staff. “If this were easy to do, there would be nothing to talk about,” he laughed.

• Want to hear more about OCFA’s DEI efforts? Contact Julián Velarde at Juliánvelarde@ocfa.org.
• Interested in collecting employee engagement and DEI data at your organization? Contact Martha Brooke at marthab@interactionmetrics.com.

And to discuss actionable DEI programs, get in touch!

This article was written in collaboration with OCFA and approved by its Human Resources & Communications Teams.

The post DEI Skepticism Can Be an Opportunity, Says Orange County Fire Authority appeared first on Interaction Metrics.

For years, Gallup Research has reported on the impact of employee engagement on profits.
Meanwhile, they’ve also reported on the dismal state of employee engagement; employees simply don’t care about their work as much as employers would hope.

For instance, in 2013, Gallup Research found that more engaged employees have 21% higher productivity, 37% less absenteeism, and 41% fewer quality defects. With these numbers, it’s clear that engagement matters and that employers should want to find out how their employees are feeling about their jobs. In fact, they seem to want to find out because we’ve seen a surge in employee surveys over the past few years.

But, according to a 2018 Gallup article, employee engagement is rising and yet, 53% of employees remain “not engaged”. Author Jim Harter explains that these employees “…may be generally satisfied but are not cognitively and emotionally connected to their work and workplace…” (Harter, 2018).

So even if employers are surveying their employees, perhaps they are not listening to their employees as well, or as often as they could. After all, something seems amiss when more than half of employees are still apathetic.

Beyond employee engagement, customer experience remains a high priority for many companies, and employee feedback is a crucial part of that equation. Employees have an inside perspective on the experience you provide. They know your revenue goals, your brand promise, and mission statement.

Getting Their Side of the Story

Last week we were analyzing data from a customer survey. As we ran our verbatim analysis on the survey’s open-ended comments, a theme emerged related to employee expertise. Customers felt that employees were not clear in their technical explanations of the company’s products. This is a great example of where an employee survey could be implemented.

If you want your employees to become better communicators, you need to know how employees see themselves and where they see room for improvement. Without employee input, it’s hard to know the specifics of what they might be open to learning and how deep training initiatives need to go.

How to Make Your Employee Surveys Better

Generally, most companies benefit from at least two or three kinds of employee surveys: a brief daily pulse survey, a quarterly check-in survey, and an annual check up survey. Topics include anything from what they’ve accomplished that day to perceptions of customers, peers, and bosses.

The daily pulse survey is an automated, once-a-day email that asks employees a single question (drawn from a rotating bank of 5-15 question options). Examples include:

• What’s challenged you so far today?
• What was the first thing you did today?

The quarterly check-in survey is a short survey, combining 3-4 close-ended questions with 2-3 open-ended questions. Ideally it should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. With the quarterly check-in, it’s great to ask questions like:

• Do you feel like the work you do is important? Y/N
• What is one thing you wish had happened this quarter that didn’t?
• How do you feel about your performance? Where would you like to improve?

With the annual check-up survey, consider an inversion survey where you ask employees to answer customer survey questions as if they were a customer. By comparing customer and employee answers you’re able to uncover customer-employee perception gaps.

In addition to the inversion approach, great questions to ask on the annual check-up include:

• In what areas could we better serve our clientele?
• In what areas could you use more coaching?

Watch Out for Bias and Ensure Anonymity!

Be careful to avoid bias when implementing employee surveys. Simply calling your survey an “Engagement Survey” implies that you are expecting there to be at least some engagement. Instead, give your survey a neutral name.

It’s also important to ensure that your survey allows for both anonymous and non-anonymous answers. If your employees want to share identifying information it’s important to give them that option, but be sure to also give them the option to answer anonymously—the feedback you get will always be more honest this way.

When done well, employee surveys are a great investment. Listening to those who know the inner workings of your company will improve not only your employee engagement but also your customer experience and business as a whole. It’s obvious employee feedback matters. So measure it, measure it often, and measure it well!

The post Gallup Says Engagement Matters, What Are You Doing About It? appeared first on Interaction Metrics.