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If you want to create a better workplace environment for your employees, it pays to spend time brainstorming DEI survey questions to evaluate your company's ability to create a welcoming, inclusive workplace.

As a former classroom teacher, I saw firsthand the importance of creating an equitable and inclusive classroom for all of my learners. An inclusive classroom meant my students could thrive in an environment tailored to meet their individual needs.

Just like in the classroom, a commitment to creating an inclusive workplace and diverse workforce ensures your employees can better flourish in their roles in a way that works best for them. When your employees are set up for success and are given equal opportunities in the workplace, you're working to reach your business's full potential, too.

It's clear that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is critical to your brand's success, but how do you measure the success of your commitments?

Recently, I chatted with Jim Coughlin, founder of Remotived, to gain his perspectives about DEI, creating a workplace diversity questionnaire, and fostering inclusivity in the workplace. In this post, I'm sharing what I've learned from talking with Jim and giving you a list of questions you can use in your own surveys.

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I find it helpful to break down the terms further:

• Diversity means that there is widespread representation of people with different backgrounds (race, age, gender, etc.) within an organization.
• Equity means fair and impartial treatment for everyone. At work, employees have access to the same opportunities and are held to the same standards.
• Inclusion means creating a welcoming environment at work where employees are empowered to participate equally.

The concept of DEI continues to evolve, and many organizations have also started recognizing "belonging" as part of their DEI(B) efforts.

When you think about it, belonging is the outcome of diversity, equity, and inclusion. It's the feeling of comfort, connection, and acceptance.

The Impact of DEI

While I haven't managed employees, I have managed a classroom. From my classroom experiences, I've found the quality of your DEI initiatives can set the tone for your work environment - whether that's a classroom or an office.

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 - and not just for underrepresented groups.

He said, "We'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."

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 consider diversity at work an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers.

A Greater Competitive Advantage

DEI also gives you a competitive advantage, too. A 2023 McKinsey & Company study revealed that gender-diverse companies are more likely to outperform their competitors who lack diversity.

I asked Coughlin what he thought about this statistic, and he didn't seem very surprised. "It's a pretty simple case to be made that if you're hiring the best people from lots of different backgrounds with great ideas and you know you're going to achieve better results," he said.

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.

Organizations should make an ongoing investment in DEI to attract top talent. This is good for business.

(Pssst! Looking for help to create a presentation on your company culture and its values? Check out the free Company Culture Code template.)

When developing your DEI survey, be sure to keep the general best practices for creating a survey in mind.

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's what he told me.

1. Map it back to your organization's DEI objectives.

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, "We really try to help people approach it from the perspective of assessing the experience rather than labeling."

For example, one of your goals may be to increase inclusivity and equity for neurodiverse people. However, if you simply ask, "Are you neurodivergent?" you just get a count of your neurodivergent employees, which isn't a true indicator of inclusivity and equity.

Make sure there's a clear way to use your survey results to measure progress against what you're trying to achieve.

2. Ask the right questions.

Coughlin told me it's best to consider the design of your questions. He said, "We 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?"

Pay close attention to the wording and format of your questions. Also, consider how your audience may perceive them.

For example, asking employees, "Is our company diverse?" as a yes or no question forces participants into an answer. Plus, it doesn't really give them a chance to voice their opinions.

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.

3. Keep your survey optional and anonymous.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your surveys optional and anonymous. From personal experience, I've found that when people feel unsafe to share their thoughts, they won't.

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.

He told me, "It's 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."

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.

Remember, your survey shouldn't focus on who is saying what, and people shouldn't feel forced to take it. You'll get more genuine responses if people feel like they can answer honestly while keeping their identity private.

4. Be an active listener with a plan.

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't just file the results in a folder and leave them there. There's meaningful work to do once the results are in, especially if you want your employees to feel valued and heard.

He said, "It goes beyond listening and measuring. It's actually going to be acted on. Because companies sometimes feel like listening just means listening. But that doesn't make people feel heard. You have to make a commitment to do something useful with that information. And when you're 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."

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey Questions

I think it's important to point out that workplace diversity questionnaires are different from employee satisfaction surveys. While employee satisfaction surveys are helpful to understanding how your employees feel about their work, they don't always indicate the inclusivity of your workplace - which is why you need DEI survey questions in your questionnaire.

I've 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.

You can review the questions in order below or jump around:

• Diversity Survey Questions
• Equity Survey Questions
• Inclusion Survey Questions
• Belonging Survey Questions

Diversity Survey Questions

1. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate diversity at our company?

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.

2. Do you feel our company encourages diverse perspectives and ideas?

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.).

3. To what extent do you feel you can relate to members of the executive team?

Why I think this works: This helps you understand if your employees can see themselves as part of leadership one day. Huge implications for retention and growth.

4. Rate on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree: Our organization hires people from all backgrounds.

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.

5. How comfortable are you discussing your social or cultural beliefs in the workplace?

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.

6. What steps can we take to create a more diverse culture at our company?

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.

Equity Survey Questions

1. Do you feel you have the same opportunities for advancement as your colleagues?

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.

2. Rate on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree: Our company treats all employees fairly.

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.

3. Have you ever noticed favoritism in the workplace? If so, please explain.

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.

4. Rank these equity initiatives based on how important they are to you.

Why I think this works: Employee rankings will give you direct feedback on your equity processes and program, and help you prioritize your efforts.

5. Does your supervisor show a commitment to workplace equity?

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.

6. What else can we do to promote equity across the company?

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.

Inclusion Survey Questions

1. To what extent are you able to bring your full self to work each day?

Why I think this works: Inclusion means being comfortable showing your authentic self at work. If the responses indicate that this isn't the case, it's clear you have some work to do.

2. Have you ever felt left out or excluded from certain activities in the workplace?

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.

3. Rate on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree: I feel included in the decisions that impact the business.

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.

4. How comfortable are you with voicing your opinions and concerns at work?

Why I think this works: This will help you gauge how confident employees are about sharing feedback and identifying problems in the workplace.

5. On a scale of 1-5, how strongly do you think our company values inclusivity?

Why I think this works: If your company values inclusivity, it's important to practice what you preach. This will let you know if your employees think you're doing a good job.

6. Would you recommend this company as an inclusive place to work?

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.

Belonging Survey Questions

1. To what extent do your personal values align with the values of our organization?

Why I think this works: If employees don't feel like your values align, this could be an indicator that your DEI efforts aren't creating the outcome you anticipated.

2. Do you feel a sense of ownership over your work?

Why I think this works: If employees feel like they own the work they do, they'll be more empowered to make decisions and bring creative ideas to the table.

3. Rate on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree: I can depend on my coworkers.

Why I think this works: A good sense of belonging gives employees the confidence to build relationships. And dependability means they're comfortable confiding in their peers.

4. Do you feel like you belong at this company?

Why I think this works: This question is straightforward and to the point. It essentially tells you whether your employees feel like they should be working for you.

5. Rate on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree: Our company's mission inspires me to do my best work.

Why I think this works: Similar to value alignment, this question gives you insight into how connected employees feel to what you're trying to accomplish as an organization.

6. Can you see yourself working for this company in the next two years?

Why I think this works: A good indicator of belonging is that your employees want to stick around long term. If most participants say yes, that's a win.

Get the Most Out of Your Next DEI Survey

From my conversation with Jim Coughlin, it's clear DEI initiatives are critical for the success of any business, and the need for these initiatives will only continue to grow. Your employees invest their time and energy in making your business a success. So, you should go out of your way to create an environment where they feel safe, seen, and heard.

How? It's easier said than done, but asking them for feedback is the perfect place to start. Take some time to think through your DEI survey questions to ensure you gain perspectives and not just a blanket, surface-level response.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in April 2023 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Topics: Survey Creation

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