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More than three-quarters (76 per cent) of companies have no diversity or inclusion goals of any nature, according to a new survey by human-resources analyst Josh Bersin.

The survey found among more than 800 human resources professionals surveyed, 75 per cent said their companies don’t include diversity, equity and inclusion in their leadership development and fewer than 12 per cent said their companies compensated or tracked senior leaders for achievement of specific DEI goals.

Read: IKEA Canada signing BlackNorth pledge, expanding DEI efforts

Only 32 per cent of companies mandated DEI training for employees and 34 per cent offered such training to managers. These requirements differed between sectors, with 57 per cent of energy-related companies requiring all employees to attend DEI training, as compared to 22 per cent of manufacturers and 15 per cent of health-care organizations.

The survey also found among organizations that have implemented listening and action strategies, they were 3.6 times more likely to innovate effectively, 6.6 times more likely to adapt to change, 8.5 times more likely to satisfy and retain customers and 12 times more likely to engage and retain employees.

And among organizations that have achieved meaningful DEI outcomes, they were 4.3 times more likely to have a chief executive officer who articulates the company’s DEI vision and transparently communicates progress, 9.4 times more likely to have a CEO who holds senior leaders accountable for DEI results and 10 times more likely to have DEI as an integral component of the company’s business strategy.

A separate survey, which polled more than 3,000 HR professionals, found just three per cent said they had deep expertise in DEI, while 80 per cent assessed themselves as beginners.

Read: TD Bank expanding DEI goals via e-training, shared experiences