More than two-thirds (70 per cent) of human resources professionals say their employer lacks a diversity, equity and inclusion governance framework or has a DEI framework with unclear accountabilities, according to a survey by McLean & Co.
The survey, which polled about 1,000 HR professionals across the globe, found more than half (57 per cent) said they don’t have a DEI team or dedicated resource. Around a third of respondents said their organization has a formal (37 per cent) or informal (35 per cent) DEI strategy.
Read: Survey finds 68% of North American employers have a formal DEI program
The survey found organizations with a DEI strategy were nearly twice as likely to report high overall organizational performance and high social and environmental sustainability. Some 39 per cent of respondents noted their organizations are offering DEI-specific training for leaders on foundational DEI concepts and unconscious bias, while others are offering training around inclusive leadership (29 per cent), anti-racism (20 per cent) and allyship (19 per cent).
It also found organizations that leverage competency-based training, including inclusive leadership, anti-racism and allyship were 40 per cent more likely to be high performing in DEI compared to those leveraging awareness-based training.
Respondents also noted DEI functions are helping their organization foster a culture of belonging (84 per cent), increase diversity (81 per cent), embed inclusion into workplace practices and behaviours (78 per cent), ensure equity (71 per cent), maintain employee well-being (41 per cent), support corporate social responsibility (38 per cent), help employees find purpose in their work (34 per cent), design the employee experience (34 per cent) and manage organizational culture (29 per cent).
Read: Survey finds 68% of global employers with high employee engagement have well defined DEI plans