Publication

Investors, regulators, employees and other stakeholders continue to push for progress in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, including the promotion of pay and opportunity equity without bias. Corporate boards can play a critical role in driving organizational commitment and providing guidance to their management teams on strategies to drive DEI as a core ingredient of responsible and successful business. But boards are still developing their capacity to oversee workplace equity; they often lack the skills, tools, and processes for effective governance.

To advance progress on these issues, Tapestry Networks, in partnership with Syndio’s Fair Pay Workplace, conducted a study to assess the role of boards in defining and advancing workplace equity and to understand how workplace equity generates better business outcomes. This report reflects insights from interviews with 26 board directors and DEI professionals from almost 40 leading companies; it explores the current realities and challenges for effective board oversight of workplace equity and suggests pathways for improved governance.