A diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and culture survey will help companies understand the perspectives and feelings of their employees. A well-crafted survey will uncover people’s:

• Authentic feelings and beliefs about DEI
• Experiences (based on people’s intersection of their identities)
• Opinions and perspectives about the organization’s policies, practices and programs
• The organizational culture (overt and covert)

Companies should run DEI and Culture surveys with questions that, once responded to, will provide actionable questions that reveal how different groups experience your workplace culture. This  data can help your organization determine how equitable and inclusive the work environment is, with feelings of belonging and outcomes focused on justice.

DEI survey questions can be used to uncover and measure:

• Workforce demographics across social identities (Diversity)
• Fairness in the workplace (Equity)
• Feelings of being respected and valued (Belonging)
• Ability to provide input in policy and decision-making (Inclusion)
• If the organization is providing a safe and brave space to share their opinions (Psychological safety)
• Do all have equal and fair access to programs, spaces and technology (Accessibility)
• If policies, practices and programs, that may cause inequities or barriers, are identified and addressed (Justice)

Categories of questions you may want to consider

Are you curious what questions to ask on a DEI survey? We’ve put together a list of foundational questions to consider, as well as a more exhaustive list of questions that will help you take a deeper dive to measure how impactful DEI is within your organization.

As you develop your organization’s questions, we encourage you to frame the questions in a concise way, and when possible use a combination of open-ended, Likert-scale, multiple choice and rating scaled questions.

Demographic questions:

Begin with capturing demographic data which might be voluntarily provided and used for analysis of people’s experience by various social identity groups. This information should not be used to try to identify any individual. SO, keep in mind that if your organization is small, people may be concerned about you being able to identify them based on their responses to these demographic questions.

How long have you worked for [Company Name]?

___ Less than one year

___ One year to less than two years

___ Two years to less than five years

___ Five years to less than ten years

___ Ten years or more

What is your ethnicity?

___ Asian

___ African American or Black

___ Alaskan / Pacific Islander

___ Caucasian / White

___ Hispanic / Latinx

___ Native American

___ Mixed Race

___ Other

What is your age?

___ Under 21

___ 21 to 34

___ 35 to 44

___ 45 to 54

___ 55 or older

What is your gender?

___ Male
___ Female
___ Nonbinary

Which of the following best describes your role in the organization?

___ First-level supervisor

___ Manager/supervisor higher than first level (including senior management positions)

___ Not a manager or supervisor

NOTE: You may also choose to ask questions about sexual orientation, religion, ability status and more. You know your staff best and will understand if these demographic components should be included.

Basic DEI Culture Survey Questions

I feel my company:

1. Values the differences of individuals and empowers them to make decisions
2. Understands that diversity is critical to our future success
3. Welcomes a diverse group of talent (e.g. ethnicity, gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation, education, religion, etc)
4. Provides opportunities for me to grow and advance in my career at my company regardless of my background
5. Takes steps to make the workplace and services inclusive, safe, and welcoming
6. Allows me to bring my “whole self” to work including all parts of my background
7. Takes appropriate action in response to incidents of harassment or discrimination
8. Enables me to voice my opinion, even when it differs from the group opinion
9. Employs diverse leaders that I can relate to
10. Offers promotions and raises fairly regardless of background

DEIA and Culture questions using a likert scale

Using a scale of 1-5 (Likert scale), with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree, please select one response for each statement:

Overall Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Culture

• ‍‍The leadership at this company encourages diversity
• Management shows that diversity is important through its actions
• This company is committed to improving the diversity of employees
• This company fosters a workplace that allows employees to be themselves at work without fear
• This company respects individuals and values their differences
• The leadership at this company treats all employees fairly
• At this company, employees appreciate others whose backgrounds, beliefs and experiences are different from their own
• ‍Comments or suggestions for improvement:

Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree, please select one response for each statement:

Hiring and Recruitment

• ‍‍This company takes active measures to seek a diverse candidate pool when hiring
• There is diversity among the people a job candidate will meet/see on his/her first visit to the company
• Comments or suggestions for improvement:

Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree, please select one response for each statement:

Career Development

‍

• ‍‍Employees of different backgrounds are encouraged to apply for higher positions
• Employees of different backgrounds are treated fairly in the internal promotion process
• There is a career development path for all employees at this company
• Comments or suggestions for improvement:

Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree, please select one response for each statement:

Personal Experiences

• ‍‍My experiences at this company have led me to become more understanding of differences among my coworkers
• Getting to know people with backgrounds different from my own has been easy at this company
• Comments or suggestions for improvement:

Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree, please select one response for each statement:

Policies and Procedures

• The company’s policies or procedures encourage diversity, equity and inclusion
• I am aware of and understand the procedures for reporting incidents of discrimination and/or bias in the workplace
• I believe the company will take appropriate action in response to incidents of discrimination and/or bias
• Comments or suggestions for improvement:

Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree, please select one response for each statement:

Inclusion

• ‍‍Employees of different backgrounds interact well in this company
• Management of this company demonstrates a commitment to meeting the needs of employees with disabilities
• Employees of different ages are valued equally by this organization
• Racial, ethnic, sexual and gender-based jokes or slurs are not tolerated at this organization
• This company provides an environment for the free and open expression of ideas, opinions and beliefs
• Comments or suggestions for improvement:

Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree, please select one response for each statement:

Your Immediate Supervisor

‍

• ‍‍My supervisor is committed to, and supports, diversity, equity and inclusion
• My supervisor handles matters related to diversity, equity and inclusion matters satisfactorily
• Comments or suggestions for improvement:

Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree, please select one response for each statement.

Diversity Training

‍

• ‍‍This company has done a good job providing educational programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our workplace
• Comments or suggestions for improvement:

‍

Using open ended questions to gather qualitative data

You may also choose to ask questions that are segmented specifically to capture open ended feedback about diversity, equity and inclusion, which provides more in-depth information about how people feel about their experiences or what their perceptions are about the culture of the organization. These questions might include:

Open-ended Management/Leadership Questions‍

Do you think your top management team is diverse? If yes, in what ways?

The responses to this question will help you understand how staff feels about diversity within the leadership team.

Does the company’s appraisal and promotion policy support diversity?

This question looks to identify perceptions of bias within your company’s promotion and evaluation policies and practices.

Does the organization hire individuals from all backgrounds and communities?

The identifies perceptions of the recruiting and hiring process.

Do you think HR and management support the needs of disabled people in your company?

This question aligns with the company’s value about supporting employees with disabilities.

How do you think the company can improve to become more diverse in the future?

This is an exceptional question that allows employees to feel their voices are wanted and respected. When an employee can freely share their views on improvements, they begin to feel empowered to be a part of the change.

‍

Open-ended Inclusion Questions

What do you think about inclusivity in your organization?

This question collects employees’ opinions about the efforts that have been taken to hear the voices of those who are impacted by decisions. Are they inviting them to the “decision-making” table?

How do you feel the executive team promotes inclusivity? Please provide examples.

This helps you understand the perception of leadership’s actions to promote inclusivity at all levels in the company.

Give an example of how your leaders encourage you to share your concerns about program, policies, practices and more?

This question speaks to psychological safety. Employees will only share their problems when they feel comfortable. This question will help evaluate how proactive the leaders are in helping employees feel valued.

Have you ever faced discrimination in the workplace because of your cultural background?

This question helps you uncover any  problems faced by employees, and with disaggregated data, you can determine if there are any trends in people’s experiences.

What steps can be taken to promote inclusivity in the company?

Listen carefully, these are your inclusivity opportunities for adjustments in policies and practices.

Open-ended Equity Questions

What does equity mean to you, and how is it shown at [Company Name}?

This question will help you gather employees’ opinions on what they think about the company’s equity policies and practices.

Have you ever been treated unfairly in your company because of your . . . (race, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability status, religion, etc.)?

This social identity equity question evaluates if employees have experienced any unfair treatment in the company.

Do you think the career advancement policies of the company are fair for all, regardless of their background?

This question determines how your employees perceive if the career growth policies of the company are fair, or biased.

How does the leadership team proactively seek concerns related to equity within the organization?

This question helps you understand employee perspectives of leadership’s desire to proactively solve equity issues.

What more can be done to promote equity in the company?

You can gather data about what employees want to see in your organization’s equity policy.

Open-ended Questions About Belonging

How comfortable are you discussing your social and cultural background with your teammates?

This question can help you evaluate how comfortable or uncomfortable employees feel talking about their background with their colleagues.

How comfortable are you bringing your authentic self to work, without fear of judgment?

This question will reveal how comfortable or uncomfortable employees feel just being their true selves. You can also ask about the implementation of DEI and people’s perceptions.

‍

On a scale of 0-10, how will you rate the implementation of diversity in your organization’s culture?

This NPS question is used to understand what employees think of the organization’s culture in terms of diversity. You can also modify this question to an open-ended one, depending on the type of data that you need to collect.

‍

What improvements, if any, can be made to improve the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at [Company Name]?

‍

‍

DEIA Survey Questions to Ask

‍

A focus group is a type of qualitative research method that brings together a small group of people to answer questions in a moderated setting. Focus groups are most suited for obtaining several people’s perspectives about DEIA. By asking guided questions, the facilitators can:

• Encourage free flowing conversation
• Build responses to linked questions (take a deeper dive to specific answers)
• Gain insights into people’s perspectives by uncovering personal attitudes and beliefs that other research methods can’t reproduce which results in more meaningful insights
• Helps participants gain trust (if the moderator/facilitator lays a great foundation)

The focus groups generally consist of 5 – 10 people within your company . The purpose in holding a focus group meeting is to gather direct, personal insights from customers with strong interest in your products or services. Because a focus group is a dynamic research environment, the skills of the moderator are key to getting valuable, unbiased data.

Focus groups can be used to gather feedback to check the pulse of what’s happening in the organization. It’s also great to be used to supplement the culture survey(s) which provides quantifiable data by enriching them with qualitative perspectives.

A well facilitated focus group should result in an open-ended, free-flowing discussion that can be used to help your organization understand people’s perspectives, and ultimately feeds into the decisions made. Below are steps you can take to conduct a great focus group discussion:

‍

Step 1: Choose what you want to uncover

A focus group may be a good choice for you if:

• You’re interested in real-time, unfiltered responses  between multiple participants
• Your questions are based in uncovering feelings or perceptions
• You have questions framed as open-ended where they cannot easily be answered with “yes” or “no”
• You’re seeking information that needs to go to a deeper level than a quantitative digital survey can provide

‍

Step 2: Define your scope and hypotheses

Once you have determined that a focus group is the right way to gather ADDITIONAL feedback, you can start thinking about what you expect the group discussion to produce. Consider the following questions.

• Are you interested in only focusing on a specific pillar of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility??
• Are you interested in looking at culture, feelings of belonging, programs, policies, practices?
• What topics are out of scope, and if the subject(s) are brought up, how will you redirect participants to focus on your intended subject?

‍

Step 3: Determine your focus group questions

The questions you ask participants are important to your overall analysis. Take your time to develop your questions and the phrasing of them, especially to ensure you’re not LEADING the participants to a specific response. Your focus group questions should be:

• Direct questions that stimulate discussion
• Questions that might have multiple perspectives (ask participants to explain their response)
• Open-ended and flexible
• All questions should be developed to be neutral. Eliminate creating questions that have a biased lens. For example: if you’re talking about racial equity, you should not begin your question with, “Since we know that black and brown people are discriminated against in our organization . . . “. Instead, you would want to begin the question by asking, “Explain to me how you feel black and brown people are treated in our organization.” Shifting to the latter question doesn’t put your thoughts and feelings into the question.

Here are a few types of questions you can use:

• Engagement questions are questions used at the beginning to help make your participants feel comfortable and at ease
  • “What is your favorite thing about working at [Company Name]?”
• Exploration questions are used when you’re trying to gain a deeper understanding or acquire additional insight.
  • These questions begin with “what”, “how”, and “when” rather than “why”.
• Exit questions pick up on anything you may have previously missed in your discussion:
  • “Is there anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t discussed?”

‍

Step 4: Select a facilitator/moderator or co-facilitator/moderator

It’s important to select the right facilitator /moderator to lead the discussion. To do this, you can start with identifying the competencies you want of the facilitator/moderator.  Think thru the skills and attributes you feel are needed:

• What’s the level of expertise does the facilitator/moderator need in the subject matter?
• How will you ensure the facilitator/moderator doesn’t have biases that he or she will bring into the discussion?
• How will you be sure the facilitator/moderator is able to direct and re-direct the energy in the room?
• Has the potential facilitator /moderator been trained to moderate discussions?
• How will the facilitator be able to set an expectation of trust, transparency and create a comfortable environment so people will share?

These are questions you should consider because the facilitator/moderator sets the tone of the focus group, which will impact the participants comfortability and desire to share their beliefs, feelings, perspectives, and other information. At a minimum, your facilitator/moderator should have the following competencies:

• Effective listening skills: In small group facilitation, we live to impose a 70/30 airtime rule. This means the facilitator/moderator will ONLY spend 30% of the time asking questions, guiding participants to share, explaining concepts he or she is asking about, redirecting the energy in the room. 70% of the airtime belongs to the participants and uncovering their thoughts.
• Effective questioning and probing: Asking pr-determined questions helps make it easy. However, a response given might require more probing and prompt opportunities for follow-up questions. The facilitator/moderator must be keen on understanding not just what is said, but look for what isn’t said, or be able to determine in the moment when something is unclear and dig deeper.
• Flexibility: a good moderator needs a flexible attitude and mind. He must accept that focus group members may deviate from the anticipated answers or thought patterns in response to questions.
• Time management: In some cases, the moderator (if he or she is not able to direct the flow of the discussion) might not get through their list of planned questions because of the direction of customer thoughts.
• Sound Judgment: Focus groups only produce the results you desire IF the facilitator/moderator manages the process objectively, efficiently and effectively by balancing the objectives of the organization, and the needs of the participants while they are providing feedback. He/she must able to draw out the thoughts and feelings of all participants and, when noticed, minimize and re-direct groupthink.
• Facilitation skills that manage personalities: Focus groups sometimes have vocal participants that intentionally or unintentionally can dominate the space. There might also be those who are less vocal and intimidated. An effective facilitator/moderator will have the facilitation skills to encourage individual expressions while maintaining an objective, facilitative stance.

It is our suggestion that in addition to a facilitator/moderator, you have a person who is helping to coordinate the technology, take notes, assist with moderating the discussion and observe the behaviors and attitudes of participants. BUT, it’s important for that person to chart ALL responses that are given in an unbiased way.

‍

Step 5: Recruit your participants

There are a few ways you can identify who should participate, recruit and select participants.

• Volunteer: You can communicate broadly throughout your organization to get volunteers to participate in your small focus group.
• Demographic/Identity: This is the process of selecting people of a particular identity (age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, or other identities that you want to hear from).

You also want to determine the number of participants and the number of focus groups you will conduct. To capture the information from enough viewpoints and perspective, you may need to schedule several focus groups. A good rule of thumb is to stop when you’ve reached a saturation point (i.e., when you aren’t receiving new responses to your questions). If you determine you want your focus groups to have 5–10 participants, you may want to over-recruit just in case people doesn’t show up. It’s better to have a couple more people than not enough.

‍

Step 6: Set up your focus group

Now it’s time to confirm information:

• Confirm a time and date and let participants know well in advance. Most focus groups usually meet between 45–90 minutes, to ensure you keep people’s attention AND have enough time to capture the information you need.
• Confirm whether it will take place in person or online. If you are hosting it in person, be sure to pick an appropriate location. Some considerations are:
• • In person: Select a location that is open and has good lighting so it can positively affect the mood or level of participation of your group members. Also make sure the environment where you host the focus group is free from distractions and interruptions.
  • Online sessions: This might affect the interaction between participants AND might lessen participants freely

• It’s important to make sure you have the consent of all participants and that you provide everyone with the information they need to decide whether they want to participate. You may also consider capturing the information in a digital format and having participants sign a release form that states that they are comfortable with being audio- or video-recorded. While verbal consent may be sufficient, it is best to ask participants to sign a form.
• You want to share with potential participants the method you will use to maintain confidentiality. This can be done by removing all identifying information from your report or offer to pseudonymize (replacing data with false identifiers) the data later.
• If there is something you want participants to read, study, or prepare beforehand, let them know well in advance. It’s also a good idea to call them the day before to ensure they will still be participating.

Sample Invitation and Informational Letter to Participants

‍

Step 7: Host your focus group

Now that you’ve done the preparatory work, it’s time to host your focus group in an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere, so people are comfortable and want to participate. Beforehand you also want to check all of the technical components to make sure they are working properly. Now you’re ready to begin the focus group. Here are some reminders:

• Create a welcoming environment to make participants feel comfortable.
• Introduce yourself, any co-facilitator/moderator and note-taker.
• Remind participants of the topic and go over any ground rules or suggestions for a successful discussion.
• Remind participants of how the information they share will be used.
• Remind participants of the confidentiality and how you will ensure it.
• Consider starting out with an icebreaker, which will allow participants to relax and settle into the space a bit. Your icebreaker can be related to your study topic or not; it’s just an exercise to get participants talking.
• Once you start asking your questions, try to keep response times equal between participants.
• Take note of as much information as possible, and definitely capture the pieces that garner a lot of discussion.
• Keep to the time allotted.

‍

Step 8: Review your data

After concluding your focus group, you and your co-facilitator/moderator should debrief the highlights, issues, or immediate conclusions from the information you received.

Now that you have your DEIA survey results, with the various identities, cultural and otherwise, that are represented among your employees, what do you do with them? The results will not only help you jumpstart your efforts, but provides a snapshot in time to track progress.

The first step is to reveal the demographic information you’ve captured from survey:

• Gender representation
• Racial and ethnic representation
• Age representation
• Geographic representation

Graphic example of demographic categorization:

NOTE: You might ask, is it legal to collect demographic information: The short answer: yes. But be sure you’re doing it in a way that protects everyone’s rights and privacy. Check with your own legal advisors and HR department as it’s important to do this right for your organization.

Analyze the number of people who responded

The next step when analyzing survey data is to turn your individualized responses into aggregated numbers. For every question in your survey, you need to know the total number of people who this question was sent to (this is “N” – which represents TOTAL NUMBER), and the number of people who answered each response (this is “n” – which represents the NUMBER OF RESPONSES).

• N = 100 (Example of the total number of people who a response was requested of)
• N = 76 (Example of the total number of people who actually responded to the question)

For every question that is asked and there are responses, you will quantify the number of respondents to the question, based on the aggregate.

Analyze quantitative data first

Quantitative data (data about numeric variables (e.g. how many; how much; or how often)

is valuable because it uses statistics to draw conclusions. While qualitative data (are measures of ‘types of information’, not numerical) can bring more interesting insights. This is subjective information, which isn’t always easy to analyze. Quantitative data might come from close-ended questions which can be converted into a numeric value. Once data is quantified you can compare results and identify trends.

It’s best to start with quantitative data because quantitative data can help you better understand your qualitative data. For example, if 60% of staff say they’re unhappy with the company culture, you can focus your attention on negative qualitative comments about staff’s experience. Qualitative data can also help you uncover gaps and roadblocks in that may be causing concern.

Consider causation versus correlation

Another important aspect of survey analysis is knowing whether the conclusions you’re drawing are accurate. For instance, let’s say we identify a correlation (a measure to which two variables are related) between a group of people of a specific social identity, and a belief that there is discrimination. While this data may suggest a link between these variables, it doesn’t tell us WHY.

Just because the two are correlated doesn’t mean one causes the other. That’s why it’s important to continue your analysis. You never want to draw a conclusion that’s inaccurate or insufficient. So analyze all the data before assuming what influences why someone thinks, feels, or acts a certain way.

Compare new data with past data

If you’ve conducted a past DEIA and Culture survey, you will want to compare your new data with past data to see where improvements or opportunities exist.  If you know 42% of respondents said they feel the culture of the organization is not inclusive, you’ll want to see what the percentage (%) is from the prior data. If the last survey said it’s 30%, then you’ll want to identify why the culture of inclusion has shifted negatively. If the last survey said it’s 85%, then you’re doing something right, and you want to identify what that is and continue toward that positive path. If this is your first year analyzing data, you’ll use these results as a benchmark for your next analysis.

Now that you’ve gathered and analyzed all of your data, the next step is to share it with organizational leaders, then coworkers  and other stakeholders. Sharing a survey summary of the results of an engagement survey with everyone invited to participate is a great way to close the loop. So ideally it’s a great idea to share the information within a few weeks.

Two levels of information that should be shared:

• All results – for organizational leaders
• Survey summary results – for staff and other stakeholders “

While transparency is an excellent value for any organization to hold, there is a level of transparency that can lead to lower engagement and morale. There is also sensitive information and personal information that should not be shared broadly.

According to McKinsey, “the first rule of thumb [in deciding what employees need to know] is to strive for a match between transparency and responsibility.”

Since all employees are not responsible for executing the DEIA strategy, you want to provide the high-level summary of findings that helps them understand where the organization is (positive and areas for improvement), and provides context behind some of the actionable items that will be introduced. The information that is shared company-wide should be high-level, easy to digest, and strike a positive “we’re in this journey together” tone about embracing the DEIA journey. Following the steps below will help to engage staff and entice them to listen and begin talking about the DEIA Culture summary of findings.

‍

Step 1: Send a thank you note to all participants that were invited to provide feedback

Because the DEIA Culture survey is voluntary, it’s important to thank participants for taking the time to complete it. This communication should come from a senior executive such as a CEO or CPO, and it should be delivered to all employees. This email should be sent the day after the closing of the survey and should also confirm that the survey has closed, remind them of the survey’s goals and the next steps.  If you have any high-level metrics, such as survey participation rate, it would be great to include that information in the initial email.

‍

Step 2: Communicate an initial overview of your survey results

Although full analysis will take time, within a couple of weeks of the survey closing, you will want to share an initial overview of the results that highlights a few key themes such as:

• Participation numbers
• Key survey findings (both positives and negatives/strengths and opportunities)
• Your plan to follow up with these results
• When you plan to share the report broadly

It’s important to be transparent which helps participants understand that their responses matter to you. Try to keep the focus of this communication on more broad organizational trends. This step in the process is from leadership to all employees.

Tip: It’s not yet time to draw conclusions. And if you get feedback from staff that isn’t positive, please avoid becoming defensive.

‍

Step 3: Share and discuss survey results with the leadership team

This should happen, if possible, within the three-week point after the survey has closed. Now you’ve done a deep dive and thoroughly analyzed all responses. It’s time to share your results with your leadership team.  Schedule a meeting specifically to:

• Share the results and gain their feedback.
• Highlight your areas of concern and discuss and agree on how you’re going to handle any challenges that arise.
• Make a plan for prioritizing and addressing results. Review and answer the following questions and then communicate the plan to employees.
• What are the overarching themes that surfaced in the survey results? What are the wins? What are the opportunities?
• What are the solutions to address opportunity areas?
• Are there any emerging department or organizational trends?
• What is the organization’s commitment to remedying those reported insights that need intervention and correction?
• Who needs to be involved in the implementation of solutions?
• When will solutions be delivered?

The information can be shared in both an Executive Summary format (handout) and in a presentation format.

Tip: Focus on the areas of the survey results which you can influence. It may be tempting to zoom in on the lowest scoring questions (usually around pay and benefits) but this may be outside your direct influence.

‍

Step 4: - detailed results to be announced

Now that you have reviewed the employee survey results in more detail and discussed all components with the leadership team, this information can now be presented to your employees. It might be helpful to produce some nicely designed graphs and a dashboard (see presentation template), so the results are easy and clear to see. When communicating you will share:

• Quantitative and qualitative results
• Areas the organization has chosen to focus on
• Any actions that have already been taken, especially resulting from employee feedback
• Future follow up plans
• How staff can get involved

Top tip: This communication is from senior leadership to all employees. It’s also important to celebrate your wins so people will feel positive while the challenges are being addressed.

‍

Step 5: Equip managers to discuss survey results at a team level

Once the detailed survey results have been announced, it’s time to discuss them at team level across your organization, which should happen at the division, department and/or team level. Employee surveys are confidential, so employees should feel at ease that they won’t be identified or associated with specific comments, so this environment should not be one where tension may develop. It’s also important to first thank them again for taking part in the survey and encourage them to continue to provide their feedback. This is where psychological safety becomes very important. Managers should also be sharing both the negative and positive points raised, as well as strengths and weaknesses and use this time to initiate dialogue and encourage teams to ask questions. The manager should encourage their staff to work together to identify areas for improvement and to communicate without fear of negative consequences.

Tip: To help teams feel more involved, invite them to take ownership of developing some of the actionable items. This also helps to foster trust.

Be prepared to:

1. Provide accountability for implementation—over-communicate progress. Ensure checks and balances are in place to ensure surveying was not for naught.
2. Ask for employee support. The implementation team should have representation from employees who have provided insights. Employees have a vested interest in seeing change occur. They, in turn, can be ambassadors that provide ongoing transparent feedback to remaining employees on organization commitment and actions.

Communications channels

The best practice is using a mixture of communication channels to get the messages out, such as:

• Before sharing the information broadly:
  • Send an email(s) from Executive leadership inviting people to attend an event where the information will be shared
• Hold one of the following:
  • An all-hands meeting (in person
  • An all-employee webinar
  • Manager meetings
• After information is shared in person, you can follow up in the following manner:
  • In the company newsletter
  • Company intranet (highlighting various components at different times
  • An infographic to share top-level results in an email
  • Put up posters around the office to share information

‍

Step-by-step Guide

• Step by Step guide to conducting your DEIA Survey

Survey Questions

• DEIA Survey Questions to Ask
• Sample questions to use in your small focus group discussion

Email Templates

• Sample invitation and informational letter to participants to communicate survey results

Presentation Templates

• Sample Leadership presentation template
• Sample All-staff presentation template

‍