A prevailing discussion in today’s workplace is the dialogue around Diversity Equity & Inclusion programs (DE&I). More recently there seems to be a renewed energy even urgency in examining these programs. What some seem to be missing is that Diversity Equity Inclusion is not solely about demographic and anthropological differences – it’s also about a sense of belonging or inclusion – a construct that is distinct and different from diversity. While there is increasing literature at the moment about this debate what has been missing todate is a valid measure of inclusion or this sense of belonging. Where a few measures of workplace inclusion currently exist, they tend to be proprietary, lengthy, packaged with hefty consultation fees, and are frequently not psychometrically tested.

In an effort to advance its own DEI initiative, Chestnut Health Systems has developed a short 8 item workplace inclusion scale (WIS) that has been psychometrically tested, validated, and published. This WIS tool is publicly available and free-of-charge. Any individual or organization may use the WIS with the execution of a simple license agreement. The WIS can be used as a single one-time administration to ascertain if there are gaps worth analyzing and addressing but its larger purpose is to implement Pre/Post effectiveness evaluations of neglected “I” initiatives within DEI. HR departments, organizational development consultants, employee assistance/wellness providers, faculty/students, and others are all invited to examine this short scale

The WIS can be found at https://www.chestnut.org/workplace-inclusion-scale/ for more information. For particular questions please email Patricia Herlihy Ph.D., RN at pherlihy@rockymountainresearch.us