“I want to discourage you from choosing anything or making any decision simply because it is safe. Things of value seldom are.”
-Toni Morrison
Last summer, companies around the world made big promises and bold statements about improving their diversity, inclusion, and equity programs. These statements and efforts were safe for various reasons (most companies were making commitments at the same time, the moment dictated it was necessary, the public was demanding it, etc.). I would opine that these were all safe choices. However, although these efforts were generally undertaken in good faith, many have been doomed to underperform because of one consistent problem: Companies are failing to understand the entire problem.
This is because many companies are merely tracking the overall representation of diverse groups. This usually leads to recruiting, interviewing, and hiring for diversity, and while those are important steps, they are not enough. We need to go further.
I've had the opportunity to lead DEI efforts for a variety of global brands, like Gap Inc., Symantec, and Nike, and I have seen first-hand the many challenges that stand in the way of getting to the truth. The reality of inequity is often centered around specific and nuanced behaviors, language, culture, and experiences that range from macroaggressions to microaggressions, and everything in between.
Organizations that are serious about improving DEI need new ways to measure it that integrate intersectional identities and promote deeper understandings of what truly drives open and welcoming cultures.
With this notion as the backdrop, the Social Impact team at Momentive carefully monitored progress from companies across the country, seeking to understand how we could better help our customers build truly beneficial programs and achieve their goals.
In our desire to help customers achieve real progress toward DEI goals, we are proud to introduce Workplace Equity IQ. This next-generation solution combines AI-driven data collection with specialized, expert consulting to help companies measure DEI like it matters—and take meaningful action on the insights.
To accomplish this, Workplace Equity IQ harnesses Momentive's AI-powered employee engagement solution to measure a broad range of employee beliefs and feelings. It helps companies circulate employee engagement studies that navigate sensitive DEI topics to gain a deeper, more realistic understanding of inclusion, psychological safety, trust, and experiences of bias among employees, all while being mindful of employee sensitivity and anonymity.
These insights are then coupled with professional services from Momentive DEI experts that layer these findings with HR information system (HRIS) data to build a clear, visual understanding of employees’ nuanced experiences. The experts then work with you to build a customized strategy for closing gaps based on decades of DEI expertise.
The data is clear: A lot of C-level executives are worried about how to fulfill the commitments their companies made this past year around improving DEI—48% in fact, according to our research. We believe Workplace Equity IQ can have a uniquely important impact right now, because addressing issues relating to diversity and inclusion has never been more urgently needed.
It's not easy to build a program that addresses these realities in an intersectional way, and people are anxious about getting it wrong. But, it’s also important to remember that building open, accepting, and equitable workplaces will require everyone’s efforts—I can’t imagine a more necessary and vital work.
We designed Workplace Equity IQ to support customers in getting the right data analyzed in the right way, with expert guidance to help refine their roadmap and build thoughtful strategy for the future. As we were creating Workplace Equity IQ, Momentive also became the first company to adopt it, and we promise to openly share our findings in the coming months. Learn more about the new solution on our website.
