How to Set KPIs for Your DEI Council
DEI initiatives that find the most success have a goal in mind, a way to track progress and clear metrics to define the optimal outcome.
Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People summed it up best with “Start with the end in mind.”
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What are KPIs for DEI Councils?
KPIs provide a way to track progress towards specific objectives, which can help organizations to stay on track and ensure that they are meeting their DEI goals.
They can be quantitative or qualitative and can be used to track a wide range of metrics.
KPIs provide a way to measure and evaluate progress towards specific DEI goals to help companies stay on track and ensure accountability.
They can include a variety of metrics, such as diversity in hiring and promotions, employee engagement, and retention rates.
Learn more about: DEI Councils and Employee Resource Groups and their importance in the workplace.
Why DEI Metrics are Important
Having KPIs for DEI councils can provide a number of benefits for organizations, including:
Help ensure that DEI initiatives are effective, impactful, and aligned with the organization's overall goals and values.
By setting clear and measurable goals, DEI councils can track their progress toward achieving specific outcomes and make adjustments as needed to ensure that they are making progress toward their goals.
Create transparency and accountability around DEI initiatives.
Help build trust and engagement among employees and create a more positive and supportive work environment.
Check out CultureAlly’s 3 Step Strategy to Setting up a DEI Strategy
List of Potential KPIs for DEI Councils
Here are five KPIs that you could set for your organization to get started on today:
Recruitment and hiring metrics
Tracking recruitment and hiring metrics ensures that the company mirrors the communities they serve and represent. Metrics that can be tracked include the percentage of diverse candidates in the hiring process, the number of diverse hires, and the percentage of job postings targeting underrepresented groups.
Employee retention and engagement metrics
This can include employee satisfaction surveys, turnover rates, and feedback forms on if employees feel like they are working in a diverse and inclusive atmosphere.
Diversity and inclusion metrics
This helps the HR and the management team see different workplace demographics and help assess the level of inclusive practices that the company carries out.
Training and development metrics
DEI councils must assess their training and development metrics to guarantee that their employees have the necessary resources and tools to thrive in their roles.
These metrics can determine factors like the efficiency of a training program, the percentage of how many employees participated in DEI training, or finer details such as the success rates of employees who pass the training assessments.
Community engagement and outreach metrics
These metrics can include the number of partnerships with community organizations, the number of events held to promote diversity and inclusion, and the percentage of employees who participate in community service activities.
Examples of DEI Metrics as Organizational Goals
Percentage of Diverse Candidate Applications
For Example: Popeyes has made a dedicated commitment to guaranteeing that a minimum of 50% of candidates considered for corporate positions come from diverse backgrounds.
Percentage of Employees from Marginalized Groups
For Example: Google has pledged to increase the representation of individuals from diverse racial backgrounds in non-leadership positions in the United States, with the goal of doubling their numbers by 2025.
Percentage of Diverse Representation in Leadership
For Example: Meta set a challenge for itself, aiming to elevate the percentage of individuals from diverse racial backgrounds occupying leadership roles in the United States to 30% within a span of five years.
Six Steps to Setting KPIs
Identify your organization's DEI goals
Before selecting appropriate metrics, organizations must first identify their DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) goals. These goals may include:
Increasing the representation of underrepresented groups in the workforce
Creating a more inclusive workplace culture for everyone
Reducing bias in hiring and promotion practices.
By setting up clear goals, companies can have a mutual understanding of what specific goals they are working towards and why.
Once goals are established, companies can then select appropriate metrics and targets to measure progress toward them.
Determine what data to collect and analyze
This may include:
Demographic data on employees
Surveys on employee experiences
Focus groups or interviews
By determining what data is needed, organizations can ensure that they are measuring the right things and can track progress toward their goals effectively.
Identify metrics and targets
Choose specific metrics and targets that align with the organization's DEI goals.
For example, if the goal is to increase the representation of women in leadership positions, a metric could be the percentage of women in leadership roles, and a target could be to increase this percentage by a certain amount within a specific timeframe.
Identify tools needed to collect and analyze the data
This may include:
Different technology required, beyond an Excel spreadsheet
More funding to hire external professionals to help collect
Management approval to assist in collecting and analyzing
By identifying the necessary tools, companies can ensure that they have what they need to successfully collect and analyze the data.
Determine responsibility for tracking progress and reporting
This could be any member in your DEI council who is willing to take on this responsibility or could be determined by assigning specific individuals to oversee the tracking and reporting process.
By setting clear roles and responsibilities, companies can ensure that progress toward DEI goals is being appropriately tracked and that results are being reported to the appropriate stakeholders.
Anticipate factors that may impact the ability to meet targets
Consider possibilities such as employee retention, other deadlines that could change the target timeline, or other changes to the workplace that may impact the ability to meet targets.
When all factors are noted and prepared for, this can help ensure that the organization is ready to adjust its approach as needed to meet its DEI goals.
Get Started Today: Use our DEI Metrics Checklist
Challenges in Setting KPIs for DEI Councils
Acknowledge potential limitations of KPIs
KPIs are often quantitative and may not capture the full complexity of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. For example, KPIs may not capture the experiences of intersectional individuals or may not account for differences in cultural context.
Consider intersectionality and other diversity factors
DEI councils should consider intersectionality and other diversity factors when setting KPIs to promote that they are capturing the full range of DEI issues and experiences within their company.
Avoid using KPIs to punish or incentivize individuals
Punishing or incentivizing individuals based on KPIs can create a culture of fear or competition that can be counterproductive to DEI efforts. DEI councils should communicate the purpose of KPIs clearly and ensure that they are being used in a constructive and supportive way.
Be prepared to adjust KPIs as needed
The context or environment in what is being measured is always changing. KPIs should be reviewed regularly to ensure that they are still relevant and up-to-date. DEI councils should be open to feedback from both fellow colleagues and customers and be willing to adjust KPIs if they are not achieving the desired results.
Ongoing monitoring and evaluation is critical to make certain that DEI efforts are aligned with organizational goals and that they are having a positive impact on the company culture and performance.
By setting KPIs and regularly evaluating progress, organizations can create a more inclusive workplace that values diversity, promotes equity, and fosters a sense of belonging for all employees.
