19 March, 2019
When assessing diversity and inclusion (D&I) programs, you have to figure out where you are before you can decide where you want to go. This means measuring the progress of D&I policies in all facets of an organization: employee recruitment, hiring, retention, promotions, leadership involvement and even exits. Only when you have the numbers can you determine whether your current policies are successful, and what goals you’ll need to set for the future.
But how do you go about doing this? One way to learn is to look at industry leaders who have already created and tracked such programs. PwC and The Manufacturing Institute carried out a series of interviews with D&I officers at several leading companies—as well as public-sector D&I experts and advocates—as part of a recently published report titled All in: Shaping tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce through diversity and inclusion.
The insights we gleaned were illuminating and we hope you’ll take some time to view the report. One thing we learned is that manufacturers have developed all sorts of innovative ways to boost and measure their D&I programs. Below, for instance, are a few examples from our report of how some companies track their progress:
We also saw how different companies use metrics when setting new, more ambitious goals.
Last, we saw how companies are tying D&I effectiveness to overall compensation. For example, an employee’s D&I scorecard may be used as part of an overall performance score, influencing decisions relating to promotion, salary increase or bonuses. At Ingersoll Rand, for instance, every manager has a D&I goal in their leadership description and at the end of the year needs to show how they have been an inclusive leader.
The needs and demographics of the American workforce are changing, and manufacturers are striving to lead the way in making their organizations better places for everyone to work. Indeed, diversity and inclusion programs are not just viewed as a “nice to have” but rather a top priority for manufacturers of all sizes. Part of making these programs a top priority means setting appropriate metrics to determine what works and improve what doesn’t. As our study shows, that’s just what manufacturers are doing—and what we know they will continue to do moving forward.
