Improving staff well-being is the top driver for DE&I in Australian organisations, according to a survey by software giant Workday Inc. It found that 46% of Australian firms said improving employee well-being drove their DE&I program, followed by the need to attract and recruit a diverse workforce at 43%.

Workday’s report also found that nearly all Australian respondents, 97%, have at least one DE&I initiative in place.

Firms also noted they are seeing results, with 72% saying they have seen an increase in belonging and inclusion. In addition, 51% reported a boost in profitability.

“In recent years, DEI has gone from a ‘nice to have’ to a priority invested in by Australian businesses,” Jo-Anne Ruhl, managing director and VP of Workday ANZ, said in a press release. “Australian organisations are moving to a point of maturity in their DEI approach now that they have a strong foundation.”

Still, there’s the potential to do more by taking a tech-enabled approach and using tools such as AI to track progress, Ruhl said.

While 58% of Australian business leaders say they are making progress on DE&I, just 9% rate their performance as good.

To move to the next stage in terms of DE&I progress, 42% of business leaders said DE&I metrics should be included as a core part of corporate performance indicators, 38% called for a shared vision and understanding of the business case for DE&I and 37% cited leadership and a commitment from the top.

The global survey included 2,600 business leaders from countries around the world, including Australia.