Traliant Survey of DEI Leaders Reveals Challenges and Predictions for 2022
Traliant, an innovator in online sexual harassment training and diversity training, today released findings from a survey highlighting how organizations are supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and their expectations for 2022 and beyond. Nearly all of the DEI leaders surveyed said their companies have a formal DEI strategy, or expect to have one in 2022 -- but for now, most lack the dedicated budget and resources to take action.
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Traliant, an innovator in online sexual harassment training and diversity training, today released findings from a survey highlighting how organizations are supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and their expectations for 2022 and beyond. Nearly all of the DEI leaders surveyed said their companies have a formal DEI strategy, or expect to have one in 2022 — but for now, most lack the dedicated budget and resources to take action.
As issues surrounding DEI in the workplace continue to be front-and-center in 2021, Traliant set out to better understand how leaders are responding with their own DEI strategies. The survey participants are DEI executives from U.S. companies, ranging in size from 100 to 5,000+ employees and across a number of sectors, including healthcare, industrial/manufacturing, business services, finance, and retail.
"The social justice movement and other events of the last several years have put DEI at the forefront, and organizations are trying to figure out how best to turn words into actions," said John Arendes, Traliant CEO. "What our survey makes clear is that while DEI is becoming a business priority, making sustainable change is a long-term process and executive leadership's active involvement is crucial."
The survey and report, How to Build an Effective DEI Program, can be downloaded here.
Survey highlights:
Executives are not visible or proactive enough in showing support for DEI:
- 71% of respondents say their executives are involved in decisions about endorsing and advancing DEI, however only 13% within that group claim their executives are proactive and visible in those activities; 58% claim they are not.
Budgets and resources are expected to increase in 2022:
- 79% of respondents will allocate more budget and/or resources to DEI in 2022 — whether or not they currently have any allocated.
- 42% said they will allocate 25% more to DEI and 31% will dedicate 10% more.
Impact of COVID-19 on DEI efforts varies:
- Half of respondents claim COVID-19 has either not impacted their DEI efforts (50%) or has complicated, delayed, or worsened their DEI efforts (18%), while only 32% claim COVID-19 has reinforced or driven improvements in DEI.
Respondents only somewhat confident that employees feel a sense of belonging:
- 61% of the respondents say they are only somewhat confident that employees feel a sense of belonging, inclusion and psychological safety; 24% say they are somewhat unconfident.
It's important that training aligns with DEI goals, with regular updates:
- 72% of respondents say it's important that training is updated regularly so employees aren't taking the same training year after year; 62% say training should align with their strategy and goals.
"We know that people want to feel valued, respected and safe to bring their whole selves to work," said Andrew Rawson, Chief Learning Officer and Co-Founder of Traliant. "It's a positive sign that respondents recognize the need to increase awareness and communication with employees about their DEI goals and strategy. These are key areas where ongoing education and training can make a difference."
Traliant will be hosting a roundtable discussion of the survey and exploring other key topics with a panel of DEI leaders at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo, on September 11, at 3:45 pm, PST, in Las Vegas. Click here to learn more.
About Traliant
Traliant was founded by industry veterans from some of the world's most successful compliance training companies to meet the challenge of transforming compliance training from boring to brilliant. The company is ranked No. 234 on Inc. magazine's 2021 list of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America, and No. 13 on Deloitte's 2020 Technology Fast 500 list. Backed by PSG, a leading growth equity firm, Traliant delivers award-winning, bite-sized compliance training on an eLearning platform that enables fast and easy customization. Courses are available on numerous workplace topics including diversity training and sexual harassment training. For more information, visit: http://www.traliant.com.
Survey Methodology
The phone survey of 300 DEI executives from U.S. companies across industries was conducted in June and July, 2021, by World Business Research on behalf of Traliant.
Media Contact
Carole Walters, Traliant, 973-705-7540, [email protected]
SOURCE Traliant
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