Methodology

The two primary components of the GenderLEAP™ Assessment are a Human Resources (HR) survey and an employee engagement survey. The HR survey documents an organization’s workforce statistics, and policies and practices that contribute to gender equity. The employee engagement survey measures the impact of those factors on employees’ daily work experiences.

The Kim Center and its research partner, the Center for Research & Evaluation at UC San Diego Extension (UCSD Center), collaborate with HR departments to deploy the GenderLEAP™ Assessment. A password-protected, online employee engagement survey is emailed to employees. Responses are anonymized and sent directly to the UCSD Center to preserve anonymity. HR staff complete the HR survey, and those responses also go directly to the UCSD Center to assure confidentiality.

Metrics

The Workplace Environment Metric (WEM) captures how valued, respected, and supported employees feel. Itexplores microaggressions, sexual harassment, relationships with supervisors, and treatment based on gender.

The Advancement and Compensation Metric (ACM) weighs organizational practices, as reported through the HRsurvey, against employee perceptions of fairness. Key indicators include gender representation in leadership, salary comparisons between groups, hiring practices, raises/promotions, and access to tools for career success including support from supervisors for advancement opportunities.

The Policies and Benefits Metric (PBM) looks for official policies and benefits that promote gender equity, and evaluates their effectiveness through employee feedback. Employee satisfaction is measured by the degree to which they feel that adequate policies are in place, that policies are equitable, and confidence that policies are upheld. The GenderLEAP™ Assessment examines six policy areas that are supported by the literature:

1. Organizational self-evaluation, including employee check-ins about gender-related experiences at work

2. Organization-specific, long-term strategic plans to achieve and/or maintain gender equity

3. Comprehensive work-family policies; examples include:

• Child care referral service
• On- or near-site childcare, or childcare vouchers
• Dedicated lactation facilities
• Family leave, paid
• Flexible spending accounts for dependent care
• Flexible work schedules

4. Minimum 30% representation of women in executive and senior leadership

5. Strong internal labor market; examples include:

• Hiring from within
• Internal job postings
• Management training programs

6. Hiring and advancement policies aimed at promoting gender equity; examples include:

• Formal and informal employee sponsorship, mentorship, networking programs
• Blind screening of interview candidates
• Diverse interview panels

Scoring

Each metric receives a composite score that falls in a green, yellow or red zone. Scores are based on the results from t-tests comparing female and male responses. The green zone covers scores of 95-100 and indicates that gender equity is being well-served. Scores between 80 and 94 (yellow) call on leadership to increase their efforts to address gender equity barriers. Anything at 79 and below (red) warns that lower levels of gender equity may already be interfering with employee morale, retention, and productivity. The lowest score is 0.

Composite scores are generated by combining data from the HR and employee surveys. Employee responses are evaluated for statistically significant differences between certain groups. In addition to gender, this includes groups that research has shown to disproportionately suffer workplace gender inequities: caregivers, women of color, LGBTQIA+ women, and non-binary employees.

Special considerations

Comments from open-ended survey questions and focus groups were included to support or clarify specific points.