It’s one thing to say that your company is launching a DEI initiative. It’s another thing entirely to put those plans into action. An important part of prioritizing diversity is taking aggressive action. Here’s how you can do just that with a DEI report.

1. Be Forthright About Your Goals

You need to have a goal in mind when launching a DEI report. Lots of companies are currently launching such reports, with a recent survey indicating that seven in 10 people in the tech industry have heard about workplace diversity issues in the last 12 months. But what is your company trying to get out of the report? Only once you’ve identified these goals should you move forward with establishing your report.

2. Develop The Report Carefully

Every factor that goes into your report should be considered. Think about how long you want it to be, whether or not it should be anonymous (and how you will maintain the anonymity of your employees if so) and how you can ensure that it is inclusive. This will extend to using inclusive language and instructions.

3. Be Careful With Your Questions

There is no point in launching a DEI report if your questions are not going to be well understood or received. You don’t want the questions to be overly specific, either. Ideally, you will want to be able to reuse some of these questions for later reports. They need to be repeatable.

4. Choose A Deadline

Not only do you need to choose a deadline; you need to be firm with it. There is no point in setting a deadline for the DEI report if you aren’t going to send reminders to employees about the report.

5. Analyze The Information

Have the information analyzed in an impartial objective manner. Don’t stop with surface information, either. Explore further to see if there are any trends that you can identify to better your company.

It’s important to get the honest feelings of your employees, as well as an accurate idea of your company’s demographics. The best way to do this is by starting a DEI report.