While the majority (89 per cent) of U.S. employees say their employer has a diversity, equity and inclusion program, 62 per cent say these programs aren’t working as they were intended, according to a new survey from WebMD.com.
The survey, which polled more than 2,000 employees, found 72 per cent of respondents said they want to work for a company that values DEI and 54 per cent said they’d leave their current role if another employer gave them a competitive offer.
Around two-thirds (64 per cent) said they’d benefit if their employer was truly committed to DEI. And almost half (46 per cent) of respondents said they’ve personally experienced situations inconsistent with DEI principles.
Read: Communication of DEI initiatives important in remote, hybrid working arrangements: expert
In addition, 57 per cent of respondents said their employer has to do more to foster a sense of belonging in the workplace, followed by improvements in equity (53 per cent), inclusion (48 per cent) and diversity (43 per cent). A third (33 per cent) of employees said they don’t always feel valued in the workplace and 21 per cent said they feel unfairly excluded from tasks and advancement. A fifth (18 per cent) said they’ve been treated differently because of their appearance.
More than two-fifths (44 per cent) said managers or directors who directly oversee employees should be responsible for DEI, while 29 per cent said the responsibility should lie with department heads. Just 16 per cent said human resources leaders should be in charge of DEI.
And while nearly all respondents said their employer’s chief executive officer would publicly support DEI, 46 per cent said meaningful change requires accountability and their employer isn’t holding corporate leaders responsible.
Read: Expert panel: Employers embracing DEI to overcome labour shortages in 2023