Among other noteworthy human capital and corporate culture oversight-related takeaways from a recent survey of nearly 200 directors conducted by Corporate Board Member and EY’s Center for Board Matters is the gap between what boards are actually doing to glean insight into the experience and perspectives of employees and what they find most impactful, as shown here:
Engagement Assessment Gap
Similar gaps between what boards are doing and what they find impactful are noted in relation to corporate culture oversight:
Culture Assessment Gap
The article discusses the impediments (e.g., competing board priorities) to evaluating and understanding employee sentiment and tactics directors use to mitigate the absence of reliable workforce information or data, including site visits and one-on-one direct informal employee engagement that, in addition to uncovering issues that may not otherwise be apparent to the board, may shed light on discrepancies between employee engagement surveys (which may not reflect how employees really feel for fear of speaking out) or management presentations and actual employee sentiment.