Accountability for DEI Commitments: A New Report and Scorecard by CBC

By: Keli Wilson

In September of 2024, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released a report titled What Good Looks Like: A Corporate Accountability Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In this report, CBC provided a scorecard on corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives based on responses from 189 employers, 139 of which are in the Fortune 500, to a questionnaire that was included with a letter sent to Fortune 500 companies. 

CBC reviewed the responses and developed a Corporate Accountability Scorecard summarizing participation within each category in the Global Industry Classification System. Focusing on respondents that are part of the Fortune 500, CBC found that the Communication Services industry had the highest participation rate with 47.4% participation, while the Materials industry had the lowest with 12.5%.  

Table from CBC report on Fortune 500 Participation Rates

Importantly, this table shows that many employers were willing to disclose information about their DEI commitments. It is important to note, however, non-participation by employers does not necessarily indicate a divestiture from DEI commitments but rather could be caused by a belief that this information is a competitive advantage or a fear of gaining unwanted publicity due to their DEI efforts. However, the anonymity built into the scorecard (e.g., by industry and not company name), may lead more companies to participate in repeat studies by CBC. 

Summary of Best Practices 

The most important information for employers on DEI initiatives, programs, and actions implemented by employers cross-industry is in the section titled Summary of Best Practices. In this section, CBC consolidated information from the respondents and shared 12 best practices for enhancing DEI efforts, each with detailed descriptions and examples in the report, including: 

1. Leadership Accountability
2. Data Disaggregation 
3. Culture and Engagement
4. Talent Channels and Workforce Opportunities 
5. Retention and Turnover Rates
6.  Promotion and Internal Hire Rates 
7. C-Suite and Senior Leadership Diversity 
8. Board Diversity
9.  Pay Equity 
10. Supplier Diversity and Procurement Policies
11. Civic Activities and Democratic Participation
12. Commitments and Progress on DEI Initiatives

In a time of political and societal pressures on companies to divest from DEI commitments, these best practices provide employers with an opportunity to enhance DEI in the workplace across industry lines. However, it is critical for employers to objectively and responsibly test each initiative prior to implementing it organization-wide to reduce the chances of unintended outcomes and increase the efficacy of these initiatives.  

DCI will continue to monitor activity in the DEI realm and share important information such as this CBC update, including any similar scorecards released by CBC in the future.