In 2016, the publishing house, Thomson Reuters launched its global D & I index to rank the Top 100 companies for diversity and inclusiveness. The index determines its rankings by applying 24 metrics across four key categories: Diversity, Inclusion, People Development and News Controversies. The D & I index is intended to serve not as a measure of how socially conscious an organisation is but rather as a criterion of whether the company is a sound home for financial investment.

Thomson Reuters has recognised that amongst the factors that potential investors will be looking at is the extent to which a diversity and inclusion culture is embedded in the workings of the organisation. Diversity and inclusion have become performance issues for many investors who are financially and strategically savvy because it is now well established that inclusion will optimise performance and innovation.

“In an increasingly globalized business environment, diversity and inclusion is more critical than ever. Having access to such information to drive responsible decisions is a natural next step in the evolution of financial services.” – Will Jan, Vice President of Outsell

Take, for example, Johnson and Johnson, a company which is ranked third on the D & I index in 2017 and has consistently featured on Fortune’s list of the world’s most admired companies. The company’s global head of HR Sumeet Salman described in a recent interview the many initiatives it had undertaken including a corporate – wide program to counter unconscious bias in which leaders told stories of how their own decisions had been impacted by bias. Sumeet also emphasised the need to measure diversity and inclusion and to hold leaders accountable.

To learn more about Symmetra’s inclusion assessment tools which are being used by global clients to measure inclusive leadership capability and to hold leaders accountable come to the Symmetra’s free breakfast sessions: Symmetra Connect.

Register here for the Sydney session Inclusion: the measurement that matters most on Wednesday 6 June.

Register here for the Melbourne session Inclusion: the measurement that matters most on Friday 22 June.