Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index
The REDI Index is a benchmarking measure of a company’s commitment to including religion as part of its overall diversity initiatives.
HISTORY:
2023 marks the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s fourth annual REDI Index. This edition is the second time to be offered as an opt-in survey. In the first two years, the research staff of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation scored companies only in three areas:
- (1) content analysis of the company’s main diversity landing page for religion-related content,
- (2) acknowledgement on company websites of faith-oriented ERGs, and
- (3) verified external training efforts/workshops in which companies share their best practices related to faith-oriented ERGs with other companies.
2023 Version: The 2023 REDI Index survey asks about activities occurring during the 12 months ending March 31, 2023.
The 2023 survey has the same 10 questions* as in the 2022 survey, each worth 10 points, for a total of 100 points. Scoring for each point will be based on (a) answering in the affirmative with some evidence (5 points), and (b) demonstrating that the efforts are substantial (up to 5 additional points). The “b” part of each question in this year’s survey offers “tick” lists based on company responses from last year’s REDI Index survey, which makes reporting and benchmarking easier.
Evidence for and/or a brief explanation of answers provided must also be typed in or uploaded.
As in last year’s survey, the 2023 edition also has an optional 11th question, which can add up to an additional 10 bonus points. This is because we recognize that companies may be doing other religiously inclusive activities that are not covered in the survey that are worthy of recognition.
Overview of the questions can be seen here.
The deadline for completion is March 31, 2023. Companies not completing a survey will be scored only on what is available on their main diversity webpages, which puts them at a disadvantage but still allows us to monitor the state of religious inclusion in all Fortune 500 corporations.
Final tabulation of a company’s score is pending verification of answers against supporting details provided as well as evaluation of answers to open-ended questions and any responses to the bonus question.
* Question 5 is slightly modified to clarify the difference between professional workplace chaplaincy and other forms of employee spiritual care.
BENEFITS: Doing well on the REDI Index provides companies with a competitive advantage in recruiting new staff in retaining them once on board because the items on the REDI Index measure best practices for creating a workplace that is inclusive of all faiths and beliefs and is at the same time nurturing and supportive of teammates in this important area. This directly benefits the bottom line by building stronger and more committed teams and provides competencies in better understanding and relating to faith-related preferences of customers and clients, thereby positively impacting the communities and societies in which companies operate.
Results are released and participating companies will be recognized at the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s national Faith@Work ERG Dare to Overcome conference, May 22-24, 2023, in Washington, DC. Dare to Overcome is the premier annual conference where Fortune 500 faith-and-belief employee resource groups (ERGs) and corporate chaplains come together as allies of others to share best practices and build stronger, more diverse networks among the faith-and-belief ERG community in the U.S. and worldwide.
Registration for Dare to Overcome (which is not required to submit a REDI Index entry) is open now.