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<\/a>Recently, I chatted with Jim Coughlin<\/a>, founder of Remotived, to gain his perspectives about DEI, creating a workplace diversity questionnaire, and fostering inclusivity in the workplace. In this post, I\u2019m sharing what I\u2019ve learned from talking with Jim and giving you a list of questions you can use in your own surveys.<\/p>\nIn this article:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n \n I find it helpful to break down the terms further:<\/p>\n The concept of DEI continues to evolve, and many organizations have also started recognizing \u201cbelonging\u201d as part of their DEI(B) efforts.<\/p>\n When you think about it, belonging is the outcome of diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s the feeling of comfort, connection, and acceptance.<\/p>\n While I haven\u2019t managed employees, I have managed a classroom. From my classroom experiences, I\u2019ve found the quality of your DEI initiatives can set the tone for your work environment \u2014 whether that\u2019s a classroom or an office.<\/p>\n When I asked Coughlin about the impact DEI initiatives have in his workplace, he told me that creating an environment where collaboration and innovation happen is important \u2014 and not just for underrepresented groups.<\/p>\n He said, \u201cWe’ve found that without intentional inclusion efforts, employees from underrepresented groups can feel isolated or disconnected from growth opportunities, regardless of workplace model. The amazing thing is that the positive impact on culture is not limited to diverse employees themselves. Everyone at the company reports a higher feeling of psychological safety, engagement, and well-being when companies implement authentic DEI programs.\u201d<\/p>\n For the workplace, DEI can be the difference between retaining and acquiring highly qualified employees or losing them. Research shows that 53% of U.S. employees<\/a> consider diversity at work an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers.<\/p>\n DEI also gives you a competitive advantage, too. A 2023 McKinsey & Company<\/a> study revealed that gender-diverse companies are more likely to outperform their competitors who lack diversity.<\/p>\n I asked Coughlin what he thought about this statistic, and he didn\u2019t seem very surprised. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty simple case to be made that if you\u2018re hiring the best people from lots of different backgrounds with great ideas and you know you\u2019re going to achieve better results,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n This is likely to do with the fact that more diverse opinions are represented in the decision-making process. When everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute, your team is more likely to find creative, innovative solutions.<\/p>\n Organizations should make an ongoing investment in DEI to attract top talent. This is good for business.<\/p>\n (Pssst! Looking for help to create a presentation on your company culture and its values? Check out the free Company Culture Code template<\/a>.)<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n When developing your DEI survey, be sure to keep the general best practices for creating a survey<\/a> in mind.<\/p>\n That said, I asked Coughlin if he could share any tips or best practices for creating effective DEI survey questions for a workplace diversity questionnaire. Here\u2019s what he told me.<\/p>\n Your survey should be a direct reflection of your overarching DEI goals. And not only that, but Coughlin suggests that you focus less on labels. He said, \u201cWe really try to help people approach it from the perspective of assessing the experience rather than labeling.\u201d<\/p>\n For example, one of your goals may be to increase inclusivity and equity for neurodiverse people. However, if you simply ask, \u201cAre you neurodivergent?\u201d<\/em> you just get a count of your neurodivergent employees, which isn\u2019t a true indicator of inclusivity and equity.<\/p>\n Make sure there\u2018s a clear way to use your survey results to measure progress against what you\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/p>\n Coughlin told me it\u2019s best to consider the design of your questions. He said, \u201cWe recommend focusing questions on three key areas: belonging, access, and voice. Do employees feel valued for who they are? Do all employees have equal opportunities for growth? And are diverse perspectives actively sought out and incorporated?\u201d<\/p>\n Pay close attention to the wording and format of your questions. Also, consider how your audience may perceive them.<\/p>\n For example, asking employees, \u201cIs our company diverse?\u201d as a yes or no question forces participants into an answer. Plus, it doesn’t really give them a chance to voice their opinions.<\/p>\n You could rework your questions to include a rating scale (e.g., On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate diversity at our company?) and follow up with an open-ended question that asks why that rating was selected.<\/p>\n I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your surveys optional and anonymous. From personal experience, I\u2019ve found that when people feel unsafe to share their thoughts, they won\u2019t.<\/p>\n The same goes for your employees. They are more likely to share their honest thoughts and opinions if they feel they can do so without repercussions. Coughlin said keeping your survey anonymous is critical, but it might require finding a new tool to ensure privacy.<\/p>\n He told me, \u201cIt\u2019s really important to take steps to make these surveys anonymous. Most survey tools don’t do this and it makes employees nervous to answer honestly. Leaders should be very transparent about how these answers are displayed and that no one in the organization will be able to reverse engineer who is who.\u201d<\/p>\n He even mentioned that some surveys allow the administrators to watch employees answer questions in real-time. This defeats the purpose of anonymous surveys and can lead to serious repercussions.<\/p>\n Remember, your survey<\/a> shouldn\u2018t focus on who is saying what, and people shouldn\u2019t feel forced to take it. You’ll get more genuine responses if people feel like they can answer honestly while keeping their identity private.<\/p>\n At the end of our chat, I asked Coughlin if he had any more tips to share about DEI surveys. He made a point to tell me that workplace surveys are great, but you can\u2019t just file the results in a folder and leave them there. There\u2019s meaningful work to do once the results are in, especially if you want your employees to feel valued and heard.<\/p>\n He said, \u201cIt goes beyond listening and measuring. It\u2019s actually going to be acted on. Because companies sometimes feel like listening just means listening. But that doesn\u2018t make people feel heard. You have to make a commitment to do something useful with that information. And when you\u2019re giving something a value like that, then you’ll get that valuable data from people. People will be honest. They will feel compelled to take the survey rather than ignore it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n I think it\u2019s important to point out that workplace diversity questionnaires are different from employee satisfaction surveys<\/a>. While employee satisfaction surveys are helpful to understanding how your employees feel about their work, they don\u2019t always indicate the inclusivity of your workplace \u2014 which is why you need DEI survey questions in your questionnaire.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve compiled a list of 24 diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging survey questions for employees. Feel free to use these or tweak them for your organization.<\/p>\n You can review the questions in order below or jump around:<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Why I think this works: This is a great starter question that allows participants to quantify how successful your diversity efforts are as a whole.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: If the answer is no, this tells you exactly where you need to focus your efforts (e.g., creating a forum for new ideas, additional DEI training for team leads, etc.).<\/p>\n Why I think this works:<\/strong> This helps you understand if your employees can see themselves as part of leadership one day. Huge implications for retention and growth.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: Even if your organization is setting diversity hiring goals, you’ll be able to see whether or not your employees actually see this reflected within their teams.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: A big part of diversity is authenticity. If people aren’t comfortable talking about their backgrounds, this is an indicator that something needs to change.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: This question is actionable and gives participants the opportunity to tell you what they really want to see out of your DEI work.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Why I think this works: Equity means that growth opportunities are available for everyone. This question tells you how employees feel compared to their peers in this area.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: Fair and just treatment is another key element of workplace equity. If employees disagree with this question, this is an easy red flag.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: Favoritism is the antithesis of equity. If this is happening at your company, this will allow you to capture real examples for further investigation.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: Employee rankings will give you direct feedback on your equity processes and program, and help you prioritize your efforts.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: The supervisor\/direct report relationship is crucial. This can help you determine whether your people managers need additional equity training or support.<\/p>\n Why I think this work: This is another actionable question that gives employees space to make suggestions based on their experiences with equity at work.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Why I think this works: Inclusion means being comfortable showing your authentic self at work. If the responses indicate that this isn\u2018t the case, it\u2019s clear you have some work to do.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: If people feel excluded, they’re less likely to engage. The results of this question can help you proactively re-engage employees before they churn.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: Feeling like you bring value to the business at large is another form of inclusion. This question tells you if employees feel like their day-to-day work matters.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: This will help you gauge how confident employees are about sharing feedback and identifying problems in the workplace.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: If your company values inclusivity, it\u2018s important to practice what you preach. This will let you know if your employees think you\u2019re doing a good job.<\/p>\n Why I think this works: If your employees answer yes to this question, this speaks volumes. Why? Because they would be willing to encourage their peers to join your work environment.<\/p>\n\n
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The Impact of DEI<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A Greater Competitive Advantage<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\n1. Map it back to your organization’s DEI objectives.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Ask the right questions.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Keep your survey optional and anonymous.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Be an active listener with a plan.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n\n
Diversity Survey Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate diversity at our company?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Do you feel our company encourages diverse perspectives and ideas?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. To what extent do you feel you can relate to members of the executive team?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. Rate on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree: Our organization hires people from all backgrounds.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
5. How comfortable are you discussing your social or cultural beliefs in the workplace?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
6. What steps can we take to create a more diverse culture at our company?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Equity Survey Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1. Do you feel you have the same opportunities for advancement as your colleagues?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Rate on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree: Our company treats all employees fairly.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Have you ever noticed favoritism in the workplace? If so, please explain.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. Rank these equity initiatives based on how important they are to you.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
5. Does your supervisor show a commitment to workplace equity?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
6. What else can we do to promote equity across the company?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Inclusion Survey Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1. To what extent are you able to bring your full self to work each day?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Have you ever felt left out or excluded from certain activities in the workplace?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Rate on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree: I feel included in the decisions that impact the business.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. How comfortable are you with voicing your opinions and concerns at work?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
5. On a scale of 1-5, how strongly do you think our company values inclusivity?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
6. Would you recommend this company as an inclusive place to work?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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