From the outside, it seems that organizations everywhere are pouring tons of resources into their respective Diversity, Equality, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) policies.

But as Dice’s latest Discrimination in Tech fact sheet (our second) points out, all those DEIB efforts aren’t having the internal impact that many executives desire. Among those tech professionals surveyed by Dice, some 36 percent said they were extremely or moderately impressed by their company’s actions related to racial diversity, equity, and inclusion, while 37 percent said the same thing about gender-related efforts. That’s significantly down from the 42 percent who felt the same way about their company’s racial- and gender-related DEIB initiatives the year before.

Meanwhile, some 20 percent reported they were unimpressed with these racial- and gender-related efforts, up year-over-year from 12 percent. That’s not good, and it’s not something that companies can afford to ignore, especially if they want to hire and retain top talent: some 47 percent of tech professionals say a company’s reputation for diversity, equity and inclusion is influential in their decision to work there. 

As the fact sheet breaks down, this decline in tech professional sentiment could hinge on resources. Those who worked at larger companies (i.e., those with 3,500-4,999 employees) were generally far more inspired with DEIB efforts than their counterparts at smaller organizations. Simply put, DEIB takes a lot of time, energy, thought, and budget—something that big organizations can easily afford, but might not be a top priority for small- to mid-sized businesses that feel squeezed on multiple fronts.

 

And yet smaller companies must do all they can to prioritize such efforts. DEIB doesn’t just boost retention—it can also result in better products that appeal to more groups, which makes it critical to retaining and growing a customer base over the long term.  

The sheet also breaks down how everyone in an organization—especially managers and team leaders—can make changes to help boost their company’s DEIB strategy, including (but not limited to) asking the right questions and building in systems that hold leaders accountable. DEIB takes a lot of effort, but the results can be well worth it. And for even more on DEIB in tech, check out our first fact sheet, released earlier this year.