24 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey Questions to Ask Your Employees

Are you looking to measure the impact of your diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and identify areas for improvement? Conducting an employee DEI survey is a great place to start, especially when you ask questions focused specifically on equity in the workplace.

Why Equity Matters Most

While diversity and inclusion often get the most attention, equity is arguably the most important element for creating a workplace where people of all backgrounds can thrive. A company can be diverse and inclusive on the surface, but still have deep-rooted systemic inequities that hold certain groups back.

Equity means that everyone has fair and impartial access to opportunities, support, and resources at work. Compensation, promotions, high-profile assignments, development, and more are based solely on a person‘s qualifications, performance and potential – not factors like their race, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, or other personal characteristics.

When companies commit to equity, it has a profound ripple effect across all aspects of the employee experience and business success. Consider these eye-opening statistics:

  • Companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity on executive teams outperform those in the bottom quartile by 36% in profitability. (McKinsey, 2019)

  • Organizations with equitable talent practices see 11% higher revenue growth than their less equitable peers. (Gartner, 2021)

  • Employees who feel their organizations are fair and equitable show 26% higher performance and are 27% less likely to leave. (Gartner, 2020)

  • Nearly 80% of workers say they want to work for a company that values diversity, equity and inclusion. (CNBC, 2021)

Companies with Equitable Cultures Companies without Equitable Cultures
2.3x more cash flow per employee Higher turnover and absenteeism
1.4x more revenue Lower productivity and collaboration
120% higher customer satisfaction Increased risk of discrimination claims
50% higher productivity Difficulty attracting top talent

Sources: Accenture, Gallup

The business case is clear: Company cultures built on a foundation of equity see higher performance across nearly every metric. And it starts with regularly soliciting employee feedback to understand the current state and perception of equity in your organization.

Tips for Crafting an Effective DEI Survey

Diversity and inclusion employee surveys have been around for years. But to make sustainable progress, it‘s critical that a sizable portion of your DEI survey questions focus acutely on equity. Here are some tips to help you ask the right questions in the right way:

1. Tie questions directly to your company‘s equity goals

The most impactful surveys are intentionally designed to measure the specific equity-related objectives your organization has committed to address.

For example, if increasing equity in promotion rates across gender and race is a key priority, you might ask scaled questions like:

  • Opportunities for advancement are distributed fairly and evenly at [Company] regardless of gender identity.
  • I believe people of color have the same chances of being promoted as their white colleagues at [Company].

As a general guideline, aim to have at least 2-3 questions that correspond with each of your major equity goals. This will give you clearer data to gauge progress over time.

2. Focus questions on actual employee experiences

To identify the root causes of inequities, you have to go beyond measuring diversity representation alone. The most revealing insights come from understanding people‘s day-to-day lived experiences, interactions, and observations related to equity.

Some experience-based questions to consider:

  • I have personally witnessed favoritism or unfair treatment at [Company] based on someone‘s race, gender, age or other identity.
  • My manager ensures everyone on our team has equal access to "stretch assignments" and exposure to senior leaders.
  • I have had to work harder than colleagues from other demographic groups to earn a promotion at [Company].

Be sure to include several open text questions that invite people to share specific examples. Qualitative feedback adds critical context to the quantitative data.

3. Use neutral, judgment-free language

With DEI being such an emotionally and politically charged topic, carefully consider the words and phrases you use in survey questions. You want people to feel psychologically safe giving candid feedback without fear of negative consequences.

Avoid polarizing, leading or accusatory language such as:

  • "Do you agree [Company] has a problem with systemic racism?"
  • "[Company] claims to value equity, but doesn‘t put its money where its mouth is."

Instead, use more neutral, objective phrasing:

  • "I believe [Company] is making a sincere effort to address racial inequities."
  • "[Company‘s] internal practices and policies reflect its stated commitment to equity."

Have a diverse group pressure-test questions and provide feedback on clarity and tone before sending the final survey.

4. Reassure confidentiality and encourage vulnerability

Getting employees to open up about sensitive DEI topics requires building trust through transparent communication. Be crystal clear about how survey responses will be collected, analyzed, and used to make decisions.

Emphasize that participation is optional and all submissions are completely anonymous. Many people, especially those from marginalized or underrepresented groups, may be hesitant to share challenges out of concern for how they‘ll be perceived by peers and leaders.

In your survey invitation and reminders, plainly state that the company needs honest, unfiltered feedback to inform meaningful change. The more psychologically safe people feel, the more credible and actionable the insights you‘ll receive.

24 Equity-Focused DEI Survey Questions

Keeping those tips in mind, here is a list of 24 questions focused specifically on equity to consider including in your next DEI survey:

Fairness & Respect

  1. People of all backgrounds and identities are treated fairly and with respect at [Company].
  2. If I raised a concern about discrimination or unfair treatment to my manager/HR, I am confident it would be addressed quickly and appropriately.
  3. Favoritism and politics do not seem to play a major role in determining who gets ahead at [Company].
  4. Employees are held to consistent standards of professionalism and conduct regardless of their demographics, role or level.
  5. I feel respected and valued as my authentic self at [Company].
  6. I believe personnel decisions (e.g. compensation, promotion, termination) are based on objective, equitable criteria at [Company].

Growth & Development

  1. People from all backgrounds have equal opportunities for learning, growth and advancement at [Company].
  2. My manager supports my professional development goals and helps me create a plan to achieve them.
  3. [Company] does a good job of providing high-quality training and resources to help all employees build new skills.
  4. Processes for determining promotions and advancement are fair, transparent and consistent across the organization.
  5. My demographic identity has not negatively impacted my ability to grow my career at [Company].
  6. Regardless of level or role, everyone at [Company] is encouraged to continually learn and develop.

Belonging & Voice

  1. My unique perspective and ideas are heard and valued by my colleagues.
  2. People in power notice and actively discourage words/actions that exclude or disadvantage certain groups.
  3. I feel empowered to speak up when I witness potential bias or inequities.
  4. Even when I‘m in the minority, I feel welcomed and included on my team.
  5. [Company] encourages open and respectful conversations about identity and equity.
  6. If I experienced unfair treatment, I know I have colleagues who would readily advocate on my behalf.

Leadership & Accountability

  1. Senior leaders at [Company] have a track record of practicing what they preach about equity.
  2. My direct manager proactively ensures all team members are treated and evaluated equitably.
  3. There are clear systems in place to report inequitable behaviors and hold people accountable.
  4. Managers are rewarded and recognized for contributing to [Company‘s] DEI goals.
  5. I trust that if I escalate an equity concern, my manager/skip level will take it seriously and take appropriate action.
  6. What specific actions should [Company] prioritize to create a more equitable workplace?

Transforming Insight Into Real Change

Soliciting candid equity feedback from employees is a major step in the right direction – but it‘s only the beginning. The true test is how you analyze the results and most importantly, the actions you commit to take to close gaps.

Some tips for making sense of survey responses and catalyzing meaningful change:

  • Cut the data by demographics to pinpoint differences in perceptions and experiences across gender identity, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+ status, disability, age, and so on. Where are the biggest disparities?

  • Look for themes in open-ended comments that shed light on the "why" behind the quantitative scores. What real-life examples, stories and suggestions did people share?

  • Compare responses from managers vs. individual contributors. Are leaders overestimating progress relative to junior staff? Improving manager DEI capabilities may need to be an area of focus.

  • Conduct focus groups with employees from marginalized backgrounds to dive deeper into pain points and co-create solutions. Give "positive troublemakers" an active role in developing the path forward.

  • Based on the findings, select 2-3 clear goals and initiatives to advance equity over the next year. Less is more – it‘s better to do a few things with excellence than spread yourself thin across a dozen half-baked efforts.

  • Keep communications focused on transparency and accountability. Share a high-level summary of results (including unfavorable ones), your action plan, and regular updates on the impact of new programs and policies.

  • Make it an ongoing conversation, not a one-time event. Regularly pulse employees to monitor if and how their equity experiences are changing. Celebrate progress and pivot quickly when something‘s not working.

Most importantly, remember that equity is a never-ending pursuit. No matter how much progress you make, there will always be room to uncover and eradicate additional barriers and biases. Regularly surveying employees to get their unfiltered perspective will help you stay responsive, proactive and accountable for creating a genuinely level playing field for all.

The Ultimate Competitive Advantage

Building an equitable, anti-racist organization takes concerted effort and unwavering commitment. There will undoubtedly be setbacks and skepticism along the way.

But if you stay the course and keep employee feedback at the center of your DEI strategy, you‘ll reap extraordinary benefits in the long run:

  • Higher innovation & performance: Companies with equitable, inclusive cultures have been shown to outpace their peers in revenue growth, cash flow and productivity. Unleashing every employee‘s full potential triggers a flywheel of creativity, resilience and growth.

  • Talent attraction & retention: Research shows that 86% of women and ethnic minority employees look for DEI policies when deciding where to work. Likewise, employees who see unfair treatment are twice as likely to quit. Building a consistently equitable culture will become a bigger differentiator as talent scarcity intensifies.

  • Brand reputation & trust: As expectations for corporations to lead on social justice issues increase, DEI is rapidly becoming a central element of brand identity and loyalty. Stories of employee discrimination and inequity quickly go viral online, leading to costly consumer boycotts and reputational damage. Proactively building equity into your DNA will strengthen trust with employees, customers and communities alike.

Cultivating a culture of equity is not only the right thing to do – it‘s vital for competitiveness. Companies that fail to actively stamp out inequity will lose their relevance and license to operate.

By using DEI surveys to continuously monitor and mitigate bias, you can stay ahead of the curve in building an organization where people of all identities have a fair chance to contribute, grow and thrive. And that will ultimately be your greatest strength.

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