The ongoing uncertainties as well as socioeconomic factors have increased the demand for a more diverse, egalitarian, and inclusive workplace. Businesses are investing substantial resources into implementing DEI programmes and tracking ROI in order to ensure that workers are heard and seen. So, what does the future hold for DEI? 

“While 63% of companies reported hosting events and DEI-related discussions, only 50% of surveyed companies reported having a DEI mission statement – a crucial part of creating the organisational alignment necessary to create change – and only 49% have a strategic diversity plan in place. This suggests that while company leaders may be responding to employee interest in DEI, they largely aren’t yet prioritizing this work at the highest levels,” revealed a CultureAmp’s Workplace DEI Report.

As organisations near the end of the financial year and take a call on the where, what and how of budgets and investments for the new fiscal year, People Matters invites leaders from across the globe and industries to take out ten minutes for a reality check on the state of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

With an aim to unlock closed-door conversations and shed light on the reality of where global industries stand in their commitment and journey of building diverse, equitable and inclusive ecosystems, People Matters has launched its very first DEI Index 2022, a survey that aims to map the state of diversity in organisations and its various components. 

Talent experience - Two words that have grown to encompass a lot more than occasional touchpoints in an employee lifecycle. Today, organisations have a lot of ground to cover as they endeavor to engage their existing talent and position themselves as an employer of choice to the broader labor market. A key non-negotiable element of this talent experience is organisational commitment towards DEI: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

With a socially aware, socially responsible talent pool, and an ever-evolving business climate, employers have a responsibility as well opportunity to rethink and adapt talent and business outlook such that it caters to the increasingly diverse landscape around. 

While every organisation in every industry is at a different stage in terms of their DEI maturity level and journey, it is essential to understand what the bare minimum and essentials are as they gear up to elevate experience in this rather competitive and disruptive new reality.  

In an effort to understand where the global sphere of people and work stand in their journey to building a diverse, inclusive and equitable ecosystem, People Matters has launched DEI Index 2022. 

The index focuses on the various segments of DEI strategy, spanning budgets, teams, hiring as well as L&D, and strives to plot the progress and deterrents to sustainable DEI across the globe. 

DEI Index 2022 aims to uncover:

• How are DEI budgets allocated across industries
• Measures organisations are undertaking to build diverse talent pipelines
• How are organisations leveraging L&D to shape an inclusive and equitable culture
• The biggest roadblocks to sustainable DEI
• The what, where and how of technology in accelerating the DEI agenda

“We have moved way past the time when one would say focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion is the need of the hour. Organisations that have failed to prioritise DEI are facing repercussions, while those who kick-started their DEI journeys have come to learn that there is no one end-point. It is a continuous journey of educating, understanding, improvising and building a community at the workplace that upholds these values,” said Ester Martinez, Editor-in-chief and CEO, People Matters.

“DEI is not one person’s responsibility, it’s the responsibility of each and everyone. Organisations must equip their leaders, managers and the broader workforce with the needed tools and understanding to transition the intent into action on-the-ground. While having DEI teams to have functional expertise in place and build programs to drive the agenda is a beginning, the accountability lies with each and everyone. DEI is not a deliverable, it is a basic norm that the organisation and its people must live by, at the workplace and beyond,” Martinez added.

Participate in the DEI Index 2022 survey now. Click here to share your inputs.