While UK businesses increasingly acknowledge the importance of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), new research from Radley Yeldar (RY) reveals that time, budget and organisational constraints are holding back the kind of transparent, ambitious D&I reporting that will power decisive progress.

In a sign that corporate attitudes to D&I are maturing, four in five (80%) HR decision-makers believe their organisation is telling a transparent story on D&I and 70% believe it should be mandatory to publicly report progress. Elsewhere two in five (39%) believe reporting on D&I is critical for businesses aiming to count themselves as a good corporate citizen. A quarter (24%) believe that, in a complex, challenging and constantly evolving world, D&I reporting is critical in reassuring stakeholders.

But while attitudes are clearly shifting, organisations are yet to follow-through and prioritise action over talk.

• Just over one in ten (13%) of FTSE 100 organisations are reporting on D&I
• Only half (53%) of respondents state that they report their D&I strategy
• Only one in 20 (5%) make their record on D&I publicly available on their website.
• Of those that do report on D&I today, only six in ten (59%) do it because they want to be held accountable for their plans.

The good news is that many in influential positions are clear-eyed on what more needs to be done. Two fifths (41%) want their organisations to collect more D&I data, a third (30%) want to see D&I data published more widely and over a fifth (22%) want to see more transparency. They want to improve how critical audiences are brought into the conversation too: 32% want their organisations to better utilise employee groups while 28% want to involve a wider base of stakeholders in D&I efforts.

RY’s research reveals that, while time and budget are the biggest barriers, businesses are struggling with a range of barriers that prevent them prioritising D&I.

• 30% of HR decision-makers say budget and time is the biggest barrier to their businesses achieving their D&I ambitions
• 15% report a lack of clarity on who holds responsibility for D&I as the biggest barrier
• 11% say their organisation can’t agree a clear narrative on its D&I agenda
• 11% say their organisation has no clear purpose or joined up thinking behind its D&I work

Sharn Kleiss, Head of Employee Experience at Radley Yeldar, said: ‘It’s a huge positive that ambition and passion for progress on D&I has clearly found its way to UK businesses’ top-tables. While we’ve come a long way, it’s clear that more needs to be done. Our research shows that people up and down the country are calling on their businesses to prioritise D&I – that means more budget, a greater focus on reporting, and a more joined-up, coherent direction.

“Businesses need to get D&I right, and not just because it’s the right thing to do – diverse, inclusive workforces are more innovative and creative. Good D&I reporting is critical to progress because it sets a business up for accountability, helps to track progress, and drives belief across all audiences.”

RY’s research findings come as the creative communications agency releases a white-paper looking at best practice D&I reporting. It’s based on first-hand research, interviews and examples from across a multitude of industries, alongside 35+ years of Radley Yeldar’s reporting experience. It’s made up of tools, principles, and practical tips for business leaders to find a better way of talking about their D&I agenda.