Workforce data is poised to become the next battleground in investors’ fight for diversity disclosure as a group of investors representing $1.61 trillion in assets plans to send letters to 3,000 large global companies asking them to increase disclosures on workplace demographics and equity policies. The group, which includes 99 investors and is targeting companies with more than $2 billion in market cap, argues that the information is material and that there is a “significant divergence” between public commitments to workplace equality and the disclosures provided.

The group will also be engaging with companies “currently lagging their peers,” says Meredith Benton, a consultant to As You Sow, the lead signatory on the letters, managing its gender equality program. “The public signatories to this investor statement reflect the tip of the iceberg,” says Benton. “The last few years has made it abundantly clear that a poorly managed workforce related to the equity topic results in a significant negative outcome for shareholders.” Read Full Article - Agenda Week, July 15, 2019