Dive Brief:

• Diversity continues to be top of mind for employers across the U.S., but there is still much work to be done, according to a 2015 survey from Human Capital Media Advisory Group, the research arm of Talent Management magazine.
• The survey, conducted in September, collected data from 158 organizations of varying sizes and industries. It found that nearly 72% of HR practitioners see diversity and inclusion as a strategic enabler for business strategy.
• At the same time, while a clear minority (14%) view diversity as a "necessary but expensive contributor to the business,"  40% of respondents consider diversity and inclusion "critically important" to business success. One issue emerging from the research, however, is the uncertainty of where the diversity and inclusion function should be located. 

Dive Insight:

HR professionals reported that the diversity/inclusion function is usually scattered across all departments rather than existing all on its own, according to the survey. 23% of respondents don’t have a diversity and inclusion function at all.

In addition, some companies (34%) don’t have a specific role for the person designated as in charge of diversity and inclusion, and 26% of respondents said in their firms the "vice president or somebody in HR" is responsible for diversity and inclusion. 

Not surprisingly, a majority (60%) said HR is the most common department for diversity and inclusion. Diversity goals also tend to be equally spread across entry-level, mid-level and leadership employee groups. When it comes to measuring diversity and inclusion, 92% track by gender, 88% by ethnicity or race, and 85% by age.

Clearly, while the survey results are encouraging, they also demonstrate that diversity remains a work in progress as employers continue to struggle with ways to boost diversity across their workforces.