Representation Is Not Enough: Study of Fortune 500 Black, Latino and Latina Board Members Shows Companies Still Struggle to Operationalize DE&I Goals, Despite Greater Board Diversity
Representation Is Not Enough: Study of Fortune 500 Black, Latino and Latina Board Members Shows Companies Still Struggle to Operationalize DE&I Goals, Despite Greater Board Diversity
There is an education gap between the board and average employees on how DE&I contributes to business outcomes.
Most diverse directors believe companies act on DE&I issues out of interest in the experience of diverse employees (66%), concern for social inequality (59%), and the interests of shareholders (59%)—suggesting that directors believe DE&I is critical to a company’s success.
However, employees do not trust that corporations are prioritizing DE&I for business or social reasons. 62% of U.S. workers believe companies act for public relations reasons or political concerns.
This mismatch could be attributed to a lack of information sharing and a disconnect between employees and leaders: 37% of directors think their companies’ leadership teams are out of touch with the actual experiences of their diverse employees.
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