Survey: Employees Want US Companies To Beef Up Diversity Initiatives

In an astonishing new development, workers are now speaking up on what actions they would like to see companies take to improve their diversity initiatives.

On diversity initiatives they would like to see workplaces adopt, employees polled want more racial and ethnic minorities in leadership (25%), employee diversity training (24%), women in leadership (21%), and recruiting underrepresented groups (20%), a fresh Clutch survey reveals.

A ratings and review firm, Clutch surveyed 400 full-time U.S. employees to learn whether they think their company is committed to diversity.

What was most surprising about the survey findings for some businesses is how outspoken their employees have become, says Clutch Content Writer and Marketer Seamus Roddy, the report’s author. “Employees expect their company to reflect their own personal values about diversity and will voice their concerns. That hasn’t always been the case.”

So what message are employees sending to their employers with those demands?

Roddy says employees are putting companies on notice that if they don’t take meaningful action to diversify, they won’t be able to hire and retain top talent. Employees also feel that businesses would do a better job with diversity at their firms if they applied some of the requested new initiatives.

Workers now expect their companies to have diversity and inclusion plans, Roddy says. He added they are optimistic that when companies feel obligated to demonstrate a commitment to diversity, they will hire and mentor so that the workplace becomes more diverse.

Simultaneously, 54% of employees do not believe their company has successfully improved diversity in 2020. However, a similar percentage of workers swear their company is committed to establishing a diverse workforce in the next year.

And businesses are listening to worker concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Companies are responding by acknowledging the importance of diversity to employees. Clutch added businesses are offering employees specific diversity initiatives and increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in leadership positions. In general, companies are using diversity to attract and keep the best employees.

Some 53% of workers believe their company is committed to creating a more diverse workplace. Employees care about diversity, and businesses are directly responding, giving workers the ability to make changes at their organizations.

When it comes to people of color, they are twice as likely as white people (61% vs. 32%) to say their company’s diversity affects their ability to succeed. Diverse companies effectively mentor and nurture a range of employees, Clutch claims.

Some firms are managing diversity differently for recruitment, retention, and employee advancement. Clutch reports they are doing that by applying several methods, including:

• Acknowledging employee concerns about diversity.
• Demonstrating to employees that diversity is a company value.
• Using diverse leadership teams to attract top talent.
• Leveraging pre-existing diversity to help employees of color succeed.