Building Belonging
6 Insights from our International Survey on Diversity and Inclusion
Introduction
As an organisation, getting D&I right is increasingly critical to strategic success — and it’s something that’s gained more and more attention in recent years. But it’s key that change comes from a place of understanding and that leaders know where their teams need the most support, rather than leading them blindly.
To find out where employees need the most support, and how change makers in 2025 view D&I, we asked them directly.
The results make it clear that companies cannot simply declare themselves as inclusive — inclusivity requires active cultivation. Managers and HR professionals must set the tone, embody the values, and practice organisational commitments every day. This can only be achieved through effective support and training.
This barometer is our way of listening and learning. From it, we understand what forms of discrimination are affecting people most, where the gaps lie, and where L&D can help.
About the Barometer
Conducted from April–May 2025
5,537 employees surveyed
438 HR Directors or Heads of Training surveyed
Covering 10 countries: UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Chile
Participants from both public and private organisations with 50+ employees
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Has discrimination increased, or has visibility?
84% of employees have witnessed at least one form of discrimination during their career
Confronting the ongoing reality of discrimination in the workplace is a challenge that can’t be underestimated. However, there’s another side to what is, at face value, a gloomy statistic: discrimination doesn’t only get noticed by those it directly affects, but also by others around them. The environment we are currently living in is one where people are much more aware of what discrimination looks like — from recognising unconscious bias in themselves to identifying microaggressions from others.
Prompt Question: How can we continue to educate organisations on less visible forms of discrimination?
02
Do organisations actually know what to look out for?
67% of HR professionals rank ageism as the top form of discrimination seen at work, followed by racism at 63%.
However, only 27% of employees report experiencing discrimination based on age, and racism doesn’t appear in the top 5 mostexperienced forms of discrimination at work at all.
There’s a clear perception gap. Although awareness of workplace discrimination has grown significantly among HR professionals in the last three years, it seems that their understanding of the lived employee experience is still lagging. This disconnect risks investment in the wrong places. On the flip side, perhaps employees experience less discrimination in the areas cited by HR because it’s more of a focus area for People teams. It raises the critical question — do HR departments really know where employees need the most support?
Prompt Question: How well do existing D&I efforts align with your or your team’s experiences?
03
Is D&I the key to retaining — or winning —
talent?
79% of employees say that attention to D&I would influence their choice of a future employer.
Not only does D&I have a very a real impact on employee fulfilment, but that sense of fulfilment is becoming more and more of a priority for employees. So creating spaces where employees feel aligned to company values, and in turn feel fulfilled, respected, and at home, is more relevant now than ever. Without this, organisations risk losing talent — or missing out on hiring opportunities in the first place. Inclusion and belonging are game-changers in the workplace. But they’re also now key differentiators in the fight for talent.
Prompt Question: How can we embed belonging meaningfully into the onboarding journey, rather than treating it as a one-off message?
Is allyship more important than awareness?
41% of HR professionals state they promote a culture of ‘allyship’
Attitudes to D&I are shifting — previous buzzwords such as ‘awareness’ aren’t cutting it anymore. Organisations are expected to adopt and adapt their values at a foundational level; employees are holding organisations accountable for their alignment more than ever before. But how do you prevent allyship from becoming just another buzzword, and where do you draw the line between ally and agitator?
Prompt Question: How is L&D responsible for making D&I a tangible part of organisational culture?
Are managers overly confident in their ability to handle D&I topics?
86% of managers say that they feel supported and equipped to manage D&I issues, yet only 42% are seen as strong allies by employees.
This gap in opinion suggests that while most managers believe that they have everything they need to handle sensitive issues relating to diversity, most employees are not seeing the proof. As confident and well-meaning as managers may be, once again, the difference maker is how this actually plays out in practice. It begs the question — do managers make assumptions about how their teams feel when it comes to D&I?
Prompt Question: How can managers and their teams become more aligned to truly foster inclusion?
Do quota policies help or harm?
2/3 of employees globally are in favour of quota policies aimed at promoting the access and advancement of under-represented groups.
Yes, we’ve heard that D&I is more than a box-ticking exercise. But that doesn’t mean that the tick-boxes themselves are a bad thing. The barometer results show a willingness to act amongst organisations, to take concrete steps toward ensuring fair access to opportunities beyond legal requirements. It’s a strong signal: more proactive measures are a must in order to meet expectations around Diversity and Inclusion. And quota policies are an increasingly supported lever to do so.
Prompt Question: How can L&D meaningfully help to elevate under-represented groups through development opportunities?
