MadREP Releases 2019 Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Survey Findings

Building on the success of its groundbreaking Workplace Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Surveys from 2015 through 2018, MadREP launched its fifth D&I Survey in early 2019. The survey was sent to a random sample of 1,864 employers (drawn from 7,969 organizations with 10 or more employees) between February – March 2019 and received 363 responses, for a confidence interval of plus/minus 5.03%.

As with the earlier editions, this year’s survey was used to capture quantitative and qualitative data about workforce demographics, supplier diversity programs, and community engagement while providing companies with a vehicle to self-assess strengths and opportunities relative to diversity in their workforce.  The inclusion of a diverse workforce is seen by MadREP as vital to the sustained economic growth of the region and assessing the progress of diversity and inclusion efforts by Madison Region employers is a critical step in improving our practices.

As this was the fourth year using the same survey and working in partnership with the Survey Center at UW-River Falls, we are now beginning to develop a baseline of results to better identify potential areas of progress or concern moving forward.

Selected comparative metrics from the 2016-2019 surveys:

• The proportions of women and people of color on boards of directors have remained fairly consistent over the four years of the current the Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Survey.
• The proportion of women in the total workforce at participating organizations may be trending downward slightly.
• The percentage of women and people of color in top leadership positions both appear to be trending slightly upward.
• The proportion of Other Supervisors identified as people of color has been fairly consistent over the 2016 – 2019 period.
• After three years of increases, 2019 saw a decline in the proportion of respondents saying their employees of color had a higher turnover rate than the rest of the workforce.
• For the second year in a row, there was a slight decline in the proportion of responding organizations who have at least a part-time staffer focused on diversity and inclusion issues.

“While a number of the metrics measured in the survey are moving in a positive direction, other results reveal significant opportunities for improvement”, said Gene Dalhoff, MadREP V.P. of Talent & Education.  “This helps us to understand where to focus our workplace diversity & inclusion efforts both at the individual company and broader regional level,” said Dalhoff, adding, “There is still much work to be done in our region before we are seen as a model for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.”

To view the complete survey report, please visit the Research & Reports page on the MadREP website.  For more information, contact Gene Dalhoff at gdalhoff@madisonregion.org.