Data-driven DEIB is changing the way organizations think about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in their HR technology.
Diversity efforts often began with broad goals and a hope to enact change, but usually lacked insight into the actual progress and real change that had occurred.
With the rise of people analytics and advanced HR technology platforms between 2012 and 2021, in many ways, organizations now have the technology and capabilities to track and identify progress in DEIB, discover possible inequities, and determine evidence-based action.
The ability to embed DEIB metrics into core systems of HR systems allows leaders to understand and assess their hiring and promotion patterns, pay equity, and employee engagement and employee experience levels.
This transparency creates accountability from all employees and stops leaders from using positive language to indicate that the work the organization is doing to show inclusion is more than symbolic.
Data-driven DEIB allows us to link DEIB to business impact and enables organizations to build unstoppable teams.
As the workforce becomes increasingly diverse and expectations of fairness increase, data-driven DEIB has become essential in developing our desire for diversity into a measurable business strategy that enables equity, trust, and long-term growth.
Data-driven DEIB in HR technology is a defined process. It refers to the process of defining, monitoring of and improving the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) strategy using data, analytics, and digital platforms.
Relying on high-level aspirations or self-reported progress would be erroneous. Organizations can use quantifiable insights to determine what is working, what is not, areas where work is still required, and ultimately to promote accountability across the workforce.
Ultimately, this approach fused HR data with strategic decision-making. It helps leaders receive evidence that can encourage them to move beyond intentions to effect the change required. Through modern HR technology platforms like ours that are integrated systems and leverage people analytics, AI solution capacity, and real-time dashboards, we can do that.
Tracking representation in the workforce across gender, ethnicity, age, or any other intersection where needed tokenism can be monitored.
This relates to measuring compensation and opportunity issues through compensation, promotion. It even tracks turnover data to help you determine, understand, and begin to deal with pay, advancement, or other gaps or inequities.
Analyzes engagement survey data, retention statistics, and development opportunity access to assess the level of inclusivity within the workplace.
Monitoring feelings of value, support, and connectedness across diverse demographics and groups.
DEIB uses AI and machine learning to predict risks. Risks such as increased turnover among underrepresented groups can be highlighted in time.
HR tech platforms assist organizations in moving from DEIB data to action by:
Aggregating data from numerous systems to provide leaders with a holistic view of workforce equity.
Providing automated reporting in real-time on DEIB goal progress.
Providing AI-based talent assessment capabilities for unbiased hiring and promotion processes.
Providing employees and managers with transparency in career structure, pay structure, and growth opportunities.
DEIB data in HR Technology plays a much larger role than merely compliance. It is a strategy/framework for ensuring fairness while determining business outcomes.
Platforms will help organizations embed DEIB into HR systems, enabling organizations to strengthen a culture, make better decisions.
It develops a workforce that will be reflective of the organization's values and future needs.
Merck KGaA is committed to voluntary gender representation targets to conduct an aspirational increase in female representation in upper management by 2024.
The company applied people analytics and HR technology to understand how they believed this would occur in real time and implement intentional actions.
48.1% female representation at first level of management (target = 35.5%)
36.0% female representation at the second level of management (target = 31.8%)
Using data-driven insights, the group that conducted the analysis recommended a more intentional recruitment, promotion, and retention strategy.
This case illustrates how data-driven DEIB creates & tracks abstract diversity goals, making a clear link to HR Technology and shared pathways to equity and inclusion.
"We continue to learn that the most effective way to improve diversity in the workforce, and particularly in leadership and technical roles, is to use data and analytics."
Women of all nationalities represent 31.6% of the global workforce.
Women in technical roles have increased to 27.2%.
Black and African American representation at the Partner and Executive levels was 4.3%.
Hispanic and Latinx representation at the executive level was 4.6%.
This example illustrates how dashboards and analytics in HR technology create visibility and accountability and lay the foundation for the ability to implement data-driven DEIB strategies.
Accenture scaled the DEI commitments. It is focused on developing a 50/50 gender-balanced workforce by 2025 and will leverage structured programs and HR technology to track and fast-track its progress.
Women hold 47% of the global workforce as of 2022.
The Women in Technology program quickly offers the highest-performing women leadership opportunities, like Technical Architect.
Data-driven support of tracking hiring, retention, and career decisions.
Accenture is a case of demonstrating how HR technology and structured DEIB initiatives deploy an evidence-based approach to encourage, onboard, engage, and seek to eliminate representation gaps and increase workforce equity.
These cases demonstrate how top organizations leverage a data-driven DEIB to represent strategic measures with observable results. Organizations will be able to measure their progress on DEIB initiatives with the appropriate HR technology and analytics in place. They would be able to outline the data they are aligning to make decisions and ensure accountability at all levels.
Data can be used to track DEIB - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - in real-time.
HR technology can show whether the progression into the promotion, compensation equity, and leadership pipeline is equitable and transparent.
Clear programming models, paired with analytics, expedite development for underrepresented talent.
Predictive analytics are capable of analyzing attrition efforts. This helps in reducing potential candidates who could engage with your company's talent acquisition and hiring processes.
These takeaways further affirm that data-driven DEIB should not be a compliance event but should be viewed as a strategic change to develop, implement, and sustain a more inclusive workplace.
Data-driven equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is a key agenda item for organizations today. Organizations can use their HR systems of record and analytics, in concert with key stakeholders, to begin to transform diversity principles into measurable and actionable results.
Analytical measurement of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging exists to support information-laden decision making, to create trust for organizational stakeholders, and to enhance performance by providing ways to include or accommodate diversity dimensions in decisions.
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