With the new B Corp JEDI standards demanding deeper leadership, culture and accountability. Includability explores how organisations can navigate this shift with expert verification, micro-learning, wellbeing support and community insight.
Diversity surveys: how to collect workforce data people can trust
A diversity survey lets people share who they are, by choice, so you can see who is in your workforce and where experiences differ. The Self-ID Surveys module of the JEDI Inclusion Toolkit shows you how to run one safely, and it is free.
A quick guide to running an employee diversity survey safely and voluntarily
Published on
October 13, 2026
Table of Content
A diversity survey is a voluntary survey that invites people to share parts of who they are, such as their age, disability or ethnicity, so an employer can see who is in its workforce and whether experiences differ between groups. It is often called a Self-ID survey, because people identify themselves rather than being recorded by someone else. Done well, it gives you workforce diversity data people trust. Rushed, it can cost you that trust.
The Self-ID Surveys module of the JEDI Inclusion Toolkit shows you how to run an employee diversity survey well, and it is free.
Why is workforce diversity data so hard to get right?
Most employers hold some information about their people. Often it was collected at the point of hiring, sits in an HR system, and has not been updated since. Some of it is missing, and the gaps tend to be in exactly the areas that matter most.
Without good data, you are guessing. You cannot see where people are held back, who leaves sooner, or whether your inclusion work is reaching everyone it should.
For B Corps there is a firm reason to fix this. JEDI1, in the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Impact Topic of B Lab Standards V2, asks companies to collect workforce data, from Small companies upwards.
What goes wrong when a diversity survey is rushed?
People are asked personal questions without being told why, or who will see the answers. Many skip the questions, or skip the survey altogether.
A low response rate gives you data that does not represent everyone, and it is easy to read too much into it.
In a small team, a handful of answers can make someone identifiable, even when the survey is meant to be anonymous.
And if people share and nothing changes, fewer of them answer the next time. None of this means you should not ask. It means asking well matters.
What does the Self-ID Surveys module help you with?
Self-ID Surveys gives you a survey approach that collects workforce data safely and voluntarily. It takes you through why you are asking, how to explain that to your people, and how to protect them once they have answered.
It is easy to follow, concise and structured, whether you are doing the work or reporting on it to your teams, groups or board. If you are a small team where a survey would not keep people anonymous, the toolkit's guidance includes other routes, such as a facilitated discussion.
What do you get?
↳ A guide, Introduction to Self-ID Surveys, written in plain English
↳ Guidance that covers both running your own diversity survey and working with us to run it for you
↳ Links forward to the modules that help you analyse and act on what you find
The guidance is part of the toolkit and free. The survey itself is an optional extra.
What will you end up with?
↳ A survey approach that collects workforce data safely and voluntarily
↳ A clear reason for asking that you can explain to everyone you invite
↳ A plan your people can trust, which helps more of them take part
↳ A starting point for workforce diversity data you can build on year after year
Why does it work for any employer?
Any organisation that wants to understand who works for it, and whether everyone has the same chance to thrive, needs good data. You do not need to be a B Corp to run a diversity survey well.
The module is built on good practice first, it is self-paced, and it is free, so you can read it before you decide anything.
How is it built around the B Corp standards?
Self-ID Surveys supports JEDI1.1 and JEDI1.2, the workforce data criteria in the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Impact Topic of B Lab Standards V2.
JEDI1 asks companies to collect workforce data, from Small companies upwards. A well-run diversity survey, and a record of how you ran it, can form part of the evidence you supply. Every module in the toolkit names the criteria it supports and the evidence it produces, so you know where this work goes.
B Lab certifies B Corps. Includability supports the work you supply as evidence.
Want us to run your diversity survey?
With Self-ID Survey Option two, we build and run the survey for you, then give you structured analysis with a headline summary report.
↳ £2,500 + VAT per survey
↳ For organisations of up to 250 people
↳ Larger organisation? Book a call and we will give you a quote
You can add Option two to the full JEDI Inclusion Toolkit for £3,499 + VAT.
Where does Self-ID Surveys fit in the toolkit?
The JEDI Inclusion Toolkit follows four steps, in the order that suits you: find out where you stand, decide what to do, do the work, and show what changed. Self-ID Surveys sits in the first step, finding out where you stand.
From here, Making Sense of Your Data helps you decide what to collect, how to protect people and how to report it to your board. Gathering Worker and Stakeholder Feedback adds what the numbers cannot tell you. If JEDI or B Lab Standards V2 is new to you, start with the orientation module, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and B Corp, which is also free.
For the full requirements by company size, read our guide to the B Corp JEDI requirements.
How much does it cost?
The Self-ID Surveys module is free, and so are three others: Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and B Corp, The B Corp JEDI Knowledge Hub, and Supporting Learning Management.
More Options
What is included
Price (Ex VAT)
JEDI Inclusion Toolkit
All 13 modules
£999
JEDI Inclusion Toolkit, Committed Employer rate
All 13 modules, at the partner rate
£650
JEDI Inclusion Toolkit plus Self-ID Survey
All 13 modules and one survey with structured analysis and headline summary reporting
£3499
Committed Employer under £2m turnover, with the toolkit and cultural roadmap
£1,495 partnership plus the toolkit at £650
£2,145
Committed Employer over £2m turnover, with the toolkit and cultural roadmap
£2,995 partnership plus the toolkit at £650
£3645
Bought separately, the paid modules come to £1,900 + VAT, so the full toolkit saves £901. Introductory 2026 pricing. Prices are subject to change.
Who built the JEDI Inclusion Toolkit?
Includability is a UK B Corp workplace culture business. We partner with organisations to build inclusive, diverse, mentally healthy, evidence-based workplace cultures.
We have worked in inclusion and workplace culture for more than six years, with some of the best-known organisations in the UK, through our Cultural Roadmap and support services. Our three directors bring more than 30 years' combined experience and have helped develop toolkits for well-known brands, including sporting organisations. Between them, they cover HR, diversity and inclusion, leadership and governance, mental health and wellbeing, talent and recruitment, inclusive communications and digital accessibility.
We know B Corp from the inside, too. Our directors have been through the B Corp process three times with two different businesses, Includability is a B Corp with a score of 143.2, and the team is working towards becoming B Leaders.
Start free, or let us run it for you
The Self-ID Surveys module is free on the Includability Academy. If you would rather we ran your diversity survey, Option two takes it off your hands.
Book your Self-ID Survey https://www.weareincludability.co.uk/membership/book-a-call
Get the full toolkit, £999 + VAT https://incademy.co.uk/program/jedi-toolkit-v1
Already a Committed Employer? Get the full toolkit for just £650 + VAT. Book a call.
Not sure where to start?
Book a call and we will walk you through becoming a Committed Employer. It includes our Cultural Roadmap with a JEDI Gap Analysis, which shows where you stand today, so you can go straight to the modules that close your gaps. If you already know your gaps, the toolkit is ready to get you started and support you as you go.
The Roadmap shows the gaps. The toolkit closes them and produces your evidence.
Book a call https://www.weareincludability.co.uk/membership/book-a-call
Questions people ask
What is a diversity survey?
A diversity survey is a voluntary survey that invites employees to share parts of who they are, such as age, disability or ethnicity. It shows who is in your workforce and whether experiences differ between groups.
Is a Self-ID survey the same as an EDI survey or equality monitoring?
They are closely related. Equality monitoring and EDI or D&I surveys collect similar information. A Self-ID survey puts the emphasis on people choosing to identify themselves, which tends to build more trust.
Do employees have to answer a diversity survey?
No. A good diversity survey is voluntary, and every question should have a prefer-not-to-say option. People are more likely to take part when they know why you are asking and who will see the answers.
Do B Corps need a diversity survey?
B Lab Standards V2 asks companies to collect workforce data under JEDI1, from Small companies upwards. A diversity survey is a common way to do it. The toolkit also covers other routes for small teams, such as a facilitated discussion.
Is the Self-ID Surveys module free?
Yes. It is one of four free modules in the JEDI Inclusion Toolkit. The survey service, Self-ID Survey Option two, is an optional paid extra.
Can Includability run our diversity survey for us?
Yes. With Self-ID Survey Option two we build and run the survey, then give you structured analysis with a headline summary report. It costs £2,500 + VAT per survey for organisations of up to 250 people. Larger organisations can book a call for a quote.
Is the JEDI Inclusion Toolkit a certification?
No. Includability does not certify, accredit or verify anything. B Lab certifies B Corps, and the toolkit helps you do the work and gather the evidence.
Related resources & events
The introduction of the B Lab 2025 JEDI Standards marks a major shift in corporate accountability, moving from simple storytelling to evidence-based action. This guide explains the core principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and how companies of all sizes can prepare for new requirements like mandatory data collection and structured action plans. We also look at how Includability supports organizations through specialized verification, a 24-month roadmap, and leadership training to ensure they meet these demanding new benchmarks
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