Inclusive workplaces are the future of successful businesses. Although this may seem simple, embracing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is critical in driving growth.
There are many aspects to DE&I. Diversity is the representation and inclusion of individuals from various backgrounds. Equity means fair treatment, access, and opportunity for all individuals, considering their diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Inclusion is creating a supportive and welcoming environment that values and respects the contributions and perspectives of all individuals.
Organizations must have structures, systems, processes, and initiatives designed to promote fair treatment, access, opportunities, and outcomes for everyone. They also need to promote the feeling of belonging in the organization and team, be treated with dignity as an individual, and be encouraged to participate fully. As a commitment to DE&I becomes increasingly important to the next generation of talent, many job seekers also demand transparency when recruiting. Efforts on DE&I will result in improved business performance, profitability, and employee commitment to the company.
At Aura, we believe that DE&I goes beyond the standard metrics companies usually release, such as the percentage of females and minorities. We believe there is a need to dive deeper and have devised a scoring metric focusing on diversity and inclusion across functions and levels. We also believe that factors such as tenure across different groups strongly correlate to a company's outlook towards DE&I.
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We focused on 15 of the top US technology companies, including classic software companies and semiconductor giants. Adobe, Salesforce, and Oracle are leaders among the companies we looked at, with spikes seen in different aspects. In contrast, semiconductor companies tend to lag other technology companies due to their heavy emphasis on engineering and research and a lack of female talents in these fields.
Based on the Aura DE&I score, Adobe, Salesforce, and Oracle are the top leaders among the top technology companies considered in this set. These three companies do a relatively good job among most of the metrics the Aura DE&I score covers.
Adobe, Salesforce, and Oracle have relatively balanced workforces today. Using Oracle and Adobe as examples, we can see that there is still room for improvement with certain underrepresented groups, such as Hispanics and Blacks. Companies can consider targeted programs to increase representation, such as summer internships or affinity programs.
On the other hand, Adobe has a less diverse leadership team, with more than 70% of the leadership being White.
One thing worth pointing out, however, is these underrepresented groups, such as Hispanic and Black, have lower representation at the leadership level. This is a common DE&I issue among many companies – few ways of tackling this can be more transparent promotion and succession planning and mentorship and sponsorship programs.
The representation data above gives a good sense of ethnic diversity at overall company level. However, it is also important to ensure diversity across departments. Many employees interact more within their own department, thus having diversity within the department promotes a broader range of perspectives and ideas, fostering innovation and creativity.
Oracle and Salesforce have a relatively balanced organization overall. Yet with some of the more relationship-driven departments, such as Sales, people from ethnic minority groups still struggle with representation. Companies can consider having targeted recruiting initiatives such as Black and Latinx in engineering summer programs to improve diversity.
The Aura DE&I score also considers how balanced tenure is for employees from different ethnic backgrounds and genders. One signal of employees having a sense of belonging is the willingness to stay at the company for a longer period of time. This is also a key metric to look at to ensure that the organization promotes fairness and mitigates potential biases or discrimination.
Gender diversity in companies brings numerous benefits. It promotes a wider range of perspectives and experiences, leading to more innovative and creative solutions to problems. Different genders often approach challenges differently, enhancing the overall decision-making process.
For many technology companies, however, there is still a long way to go to achieve gender parity. Aura data shows that females account for less than 35% of the workforce at Oracle. Salesforce is slightly better at 40%. Furthermore, when individuals see themselves represented in leadership positions, they feel valued and are more likely to contribute their best work.
However, there is an even lower percentage of women at the top level than the overall company for both Salesforce and Oracle, indicating room for improvement.
Take the guesswork out of workforce planning and diversity strategy. With Aura’s cutting-edge workforce analytics, you’ll gain actionable insights to foster inclusivity, retain top talent, and drive organizational success. Start making data-driven decisions that empower your team and shape a more equitable future.