Mind the Gap Series

As inclusion & diversity (I&D) has risen to the forefront of global corporate agendas, pressure to accelerate progress has been further intensified by recent social movements, rising stakeholder pressure and the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has had on communities of color and women.

Amid this imperative for change, disconnect between organizational functions and unclear roles in corporate I&D strategies threaten to hinder progress. Our Mind the Gap series explores the role that each function has in creating a culture of inclusion and how collaboration across leadership, HR, compliance and others will be key.

Part 2: Insights from Global Employment Leaders

Based on a survey of 900 employment and I&D leaders across the globe, the second installment of the Mind the Gap series outlines the main barriers to I&D success and the key actions organizations can take to strengthen performance, manage risk and accelerate progress through their I&D programs. Most critically, I&D initiatives must be connected by an overarching strategy, informed by data and employee experience and focused on cultural change.

Key findings include:

Despite pressure to accelerate progress, many organizations are less far along the path than they hoped, continuing to work on long-held I&D priorities such as the recruitment and retention of diverse talent.
While many companies have evolved their policies and training to align with employee needs, underreporting remains a concern, showing a critical need for organizations to focus on long-term culture change.
Many organizations are struggling to take an evidence-based approach to I&D and lack an empirical view on what is truly accelerating I&D progress.

Watch a panel of Inclusion & Diversity experts discuss the findings of the report, the steps diversity and HR leaders are taking to accelerate I&D progress and the challenges they are encountering in the video series Building a Campaign to Improve Inclusion & Diversity.

Part 1: Insights from Global Compliance Leaders

In the first iteration of this series, we examine the role that compliance leaders, in particular, have to play. This report, in collaboration with Howlett Brown, looks at the connection between diversity, inclusion and compliance and is based on key findings and insights from a survey of more than 600 compliance leaders.

In this report, we explore:

the compliance function as a critical component of I&D success
the four key gaps preventing greater connectivity between compliance teams and corporate I&D strategies
how organizations can strengthen their approach to I&D, support change and manage risk