Embedding Diversity in Sustainability Reporting

Abstract

The relevance of diversity has been recognised by academics and researchers as well as decision-makers. Diversity reporting can be perceived as the first step in addressing inequalities in organisations and potential assistance for the diversity agenda, because it allows measuring diversity and ultimately managing it. However, the recognition of the importance of diversity and diversity reporting does not necessarily contribute to a greater inclusion of diversity into sustainability reporting. The following paper attempts to determine the scope of diversity reporting, the specificity of the collected and disclosed diversity data, as well as the determinants of diversity reporting. For this purpose, a CATI (computer-assisted telephone interview) research was conducted, involving companies indexed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The results were analysed using the Cramer’s V contingency measure, the Kruskal–Wallis H test and ordinal regression. The results show a substantial difference in the collection of diversity information between organisations that map and that do not map their stakeholders. Furthermore, they show that, when organisations collect diversity data, their specificity is rather high, however this does not translate into an equally high level of diversity disclosure. Furthermore, the paper analyses the possible determinants of diversity disclosure, which do not necessarily overlap with the determinants of sustainability reporting.