Talent management—and its operationalization through diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)—has always been data-focused. Long before dedicated DEI practitioners, old hands in human resources have collected headcount data along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender and other diverse identities. Many organizations in industries like manufacturing, health care and hospitality have mechanisms in place to collect, track and report on self-identified demographic data among employees, contractors and other business partners. Federal contracting and compliance requirements with prevailing anti-discrimination laws have created the need for robust data collection and storytelling in these industries.    

In recent years, technology companies have been under increased pressure to be more transparent about diversity metrics. Big Tech organizations like Google and Microsoft publish annual diversity reports that illustrate current employee representation numbers that encompass race, ethnicity and gender. Google does an excellent job of showing the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender and highlights the disparities of hiring and retention among Black, Latinx and Native American women. The intersectional analysis also extends to leadership ranks, making the case for the heavy lift that still needs to be done to ensure equity and inclusion in leadership development and succession planning.       

Investors and job seekers alike expect companies to be actively working toward enhancing diversity. If you work for a privately held company that is still developing its internal infrastructures to prepare for growth, it’s not too early to begin your data-driven DEI journey. Whether you’re hiring your 10th employee or making your 75th promotion, being mindful of your team’s diverse makeup is critical to your success. Data about your employees’ demographics can help you build the storyline about your organization’s inclusive culture.

If not already a practice within your organization, insist on the following:

1. Ensure that leadership is accountable for DEI data. It’s important for C-Suite leaders to speak comfortably and eloquently about diversity goals, and what the organization is working to accomplish. More importantly, leaders must be willing to act decisively about DEI strategies to support talent management efforts. 
2. Leverage your existing data, and be prepared to ask tough questions. Any DEI function must anchor its work in data. Reactionary diversity statements that are produced during times of social unrest mean nothing to an organization’s DEI journey, if intentions and sentiments are not tied to data. 
3. It’s important to have a strategic approach to using data to tell a compelling story about how DEI is integrated into your business. Correlate your success with data insights, ensuring that DEI program effectiveness is reflected in the data. Examples include quantitative and qualitative data about employee engagement in DEI committee participation, mandatory training, elective community service activities, hiring and recruitment referrals, among other measures.    
4. Remove bias from the process of data collection by relying on self-reported data from prospective and current employees. This process should never involve a “guessing game” or making inferences based on observable characteristics.   
5. Strengthen your company’s DEI narrative by drawing upon external data on tech industry trends. Great sources of extant data on diversity in the workplace include the Kapor Center, The Plug  Coqual, and McKinsey & Company. 

Expanding further upon collecting self-reported demographic data from current and prospective employees, here are a few tips on what to look for in a data metrics partner:

• Make sure the team understands your company’s DEI objectives, and be as equally committed to the process of change.
• Evaluate the strength of the team. If their main business is data, this requires the active involvement of people skilled in statistics, research methodologies and psychometrics. Check their track record in complex data collection and analysis projects. A reputable organization must be able to provide you with a sample de-identified report or dashboard.   
• Researchers must be well-versed in the nuances of employee survey implementation and can be a trusted advisor when it comes to deploying best practices in launching demographic, sentiment or pulse surveys. 
• The data team should be able to help you navigate through concerns about transparency, data integrity, privacy and other issues pertaining to collecting, storing and interpreting data.

The WTIA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Center of Excellence offers a comprehensive suite of services to support your DEI goals, including data benchmarking, micro-learning, training resources, leadership development and executive coaching. Learn more about our offerings here.