At Pulsely, our goal is to capture data on employee segments that are actionable (identifiable and of sufficient size to warrant the dedication of resources). The comparison of data from these segments will be used to analyze patterns that help you understand the perceptions and experiences of these groups. GDPR, a strict guideline followed in Europe that influences data privacy restrictions globally, recommends only collecting the demographic data that is necessary to take action which benefits employees. As a default. we recommend a set of carefully selected diversity dimensions that organizations are commonly addressing with their DEI programming. For most companies, these default demographics will give you more than enough to analyze and address for your workforce. It is possible to add additional diversity questions that capture other essential information for you to understand your workforce. For example, if your company has recently completed a merger or acquisition, you may need to compare how inclusion may be impacting the experiences and performance of employees from those legacy groups. However, we recommend that you only ask questions that the organization is prepared to act on. Asking the question creates the expectation for employees that any identified issues will be addressed.

If the answer categories (demographic segments) in the standard wording of Pulsely’s demographic questions do not align with the data you need to capture, you can also customize the answer categories in line with your organizational terminology and current HR categories. While it is important to be inclusive in the answer options, there is no way to have a mutually exclusive and completely exhaustive answer option for every single person. This is not desirable for other reasons, as well; employees from smaller minority groups often fear being singled out if they expect being an “only” in a category. For this reason, we provide an “Other (specify)” category for less common segments; this allows a person to identify themselves specifically, if they desire, but also enables them to feel protected by a larger group identity.

After you review the Pulsely Implementation Guide 6: Data Decisions, contact us if you’d need to add additional diversity dimensions or edit answer categories. Not all service levels allow this customization, so please determine whether the customization is needed and ask your Pulsely Advisor about the change fee.