This article first appeared on Forbes.com
If we want workplaces where talent can thrive, leaders must look beyond surface-level reporting and begin measuring the systems, leadership behaviors and workplace conditions that shape whether people can succeed. The question is not just who makes up our workforce, but whether they are supported, valued and given opportunities to grow.
Navigating Today’s Climate
Many companies are more cautious today about what they collect and report. Recent legal and political shifts have made some leaders uncertain about what can safely be measured. That caution is understandable. But even within today’s environment, organizations have clear, legal ways to gather meaningful insights about their workforce, and doing so responsibly is critical for progress.
What Companies Can—And Should—Measure
• Workforce Representation Gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, veteran status and other demographics remain legal and essential to monitor.
• Hiring, Promotion And Turnover: Understanding who is joining, advancing and leaving—particularly voluntary versus involuntary turnover—reveals whether opportunities and support are equitably distributed.
• Pay Practices: Compensation analysis by demographic group ensures fairness in one of the most visible measures of workplace equity.
These metrics are foundational. But to understand whether people truly thrive at work, companies must go further.
Going Deeper: Culture, Leadership And Benefits
An inclusive workplace isn’t built on demographics alone; it is shaped by culture and systems. Here are some additional areas to assess:
1. Leadership Accountability
Are managers trained on inclusive decision-making? Are they evaluated on whether their teams feel supported? Measuring leadership behaviors ensures inclusion isn’t just an HR priority but a management responsibility.
2. Employee Experience
Deeper listening through anonymous surveys and employee voice platforms can capture whether employees feel they belong, believe their contributions are valued and trust their leaders. When paired with demographic data, these insights show where gaps in experience persist.
3. Benefits And Policies
Measuring access to and utilization of benefits—including ERG participation, accessibility accommodations, healthcare coverage and leadership training—helps determine whether support systems are reaching the people who need them most.
Some organizations also use external benchmarks and annual applications to compare progress across industries and uncover blind spots (full disclosure: Seramount offers this application). This approach helps leaders avoid operating in a vacuum and often gives them ideas on ways to implement best practices.
Three Steps Leaders Can Take Now
1. Start with what’s legal and required.
Build a strong foundation by measuring representation, pay equity and attrition. These are defensible and necessary and reveal important trends.
2. Add depth through culture metrics.
Layer in employee listening, leadership accountability and benefit utilization data. This shows not just who is in the workforce, but how they are experiencing it.
3. Benchmark externally.
Compare your data to peers, industries and published standards. External surveys and annual applications provide valuable context and help set realistic goals.
Some leaders hesitate to measure more fully, fearing that the results might highlight uncomfortable truths. But ignoring the data doesn’t change reality. It only makes it harder to address. Measurement provides clarity about where progress is happening, where barriers remain and how resources should be directed.
But savvy HR leaders know that measurement alone is not enough. Once insights are collected, organizations must act. That means aligning findings with institutional priorities, setting concrete goals and holding leaders accountable for change. Otherwise, data becomes just another report on a shelf.
When used strategically, measurement drives accountability. Data, shared thoughtfully, builds trust with employees who want to see that leadership commitments translate into real change. And when organizations take the next step and act on the data, they create stronger cultures that support higher productivity, greater innovation and better business outcomes.
Looking Ahead
The workforce of tomorrow is paying attention to how organizations act today. Employees, especially younger generations, expect fairness, opportunity and workplaces where they can bring their full selves to work. Measurement is how we bridge the gap between intentions and outcomes.
For companies committed to building workplaces where all talent can thrive, the work begins with asking the right questions, collecting the right data and having the courage to face what it reveals. But the real transformation happens when leaders use those insights to guide priorities, inform strategy and embed accountability into the business. That is the path to a culture where people don’t just show up; they succeed.
Measurement is not the end of the journey. It is the beginning of building stronger cultures and stronger companies.
