What Inclusion Data Reveals About Employee Retention

Ennova’s 2025 benchmark data shows a clear relationship between inclusion and retention: 70% of employees who score low on inclusion also report low intent to stay. Minority groups also score up to 7 index points lower on Satisfaction & Motivation than non-minority employees in the dataset.

The implication for HR is that aggregate engagement scores can hide important retention risks. Segmenting employee feedback by relevant groups can reveal where inclusion gaps exist and help organizations identify which employees may be at greater risk of disengagement or leaving.

In this article, we look at what Ennova’s data reveals about inclusion and retention, how to identify hidden gaps, and how to turn those insights into focused action.

From Inclusion Data to Action

Many organizations measure inclusion. Few turn insights into real change.

See How It Works in Practice

Go to:

• What Aggregate Scores Hide
• How Inclusion Relates to Employee Retention
• How to Use Inclusion and Engagement Data in Practice
• Why Inclusion Gaps Can Create Retention Risk
• How to Use Inclusion Data in Your Retention Strategy
  
  

What Aggregate Scores Hide

Your overall engagement scores might look strong. But if turnover is rising in specific teams, or certain groups are quietly disengaging, you're likely missing something important.

Without segmenting your engagement data, you miss the warning signs hiding in plain sight. Adding the right questions to your engagement survey gives you the ability to surface those signs, including those from employees who identify as belonging to a minority group.

Ennova's latest benchmark data shows a consistent pattern: while overall Satisfaction & Motivation scores may look strong, minority groups, especially those identifying with mental health challenges,  score up to 7 index points lower than their non-minority peers.

On inclusion-specific questions, such as 'I feel safe and able to share my views and opinions', the gaps are even larger. This pattern appears across high-scoring teams and applies to LGBTQ+ employees, neurodivergent staff, and women in male-dominated functions alike.

These gaps can remain hidden in top-line scores. When they coincide with lower motivation or intent to stay, they may point to employee groups that require closer attention. 

The key point is that strong aggregate engagement scores do not necessarily mean every employee group is having the same experience.

How Inclusion Relates to Employee Retention 

Inclusion ranks among the top five engagement drivers across Ennova's benchmark industries. In many organizations, it outranks cooperation, pay, and learning opportunities.

The relationship with retention is particularly clear. Among employees who score low on inclusion, 70% also report low intent to stay. 

Retention starts with belonging.

Among employees scoring low on inclusion (18% of total), 70% also report low intent to stay. “Others” reflects the remaining 82% of employees, with significantly lower risk. Comparison based on Ennova 2025 data.

How to Use Inclusion and Engagement Data in Practice 

1. Identify gaps in engagement across groups. Segment your survey results by gender, tenure, role, and minority group status.Aggregate scores can mask meaningful differences between employee groups. 
2. Link inclusion data to retention metrics. Compare inclusion sentiment scores against exit data, transfer requests, and stay interview feedback. Look for patterns, not outliers.
3. Combine survey data with qualitative feedback. Numbers show where the gaps are. Conversations explain why. Both are needed before you design an intervention.
   For deeper analysis, People Analytics can help connect employee feedback with HR and business data to explore which patterns are associated with retention, engagement and other workforce outcomes. 
4. Prioritize actions based on impact. Not every gap requires the same response. Groups combining low inclusion scores with low intent to stay may warrant particular attention.

Inclusion gaps are often identified through broader employee listening. An Employee Engagement Survey can provide the data foundation needed to compare experiences across relevant employee groups. 

Why Inclusion Gaps Can Create Retention Risk

Low intent to stay matters because retention problems are often easier to address before employees decide to leave. Inclusion data can provide an additional perspective by showing whether specific employee groups experience the organization differently from the overall workforce.

When lower inclusion scores coincide with lower intent to stay, HR has a reason to investigate further. Combining survey data with exit data, stay interviews and qualitative feedback can help determine whether inclusion is part of the retention challenge and where action is needed.

How to Use Inclusion Data in Your Retention Strategy 

You can talk about inclusion, or you can measure it.

With the right questions in your engagement survey, you gain insights into how different employee groups experience inclusion. At Ennova, we help clients create DE&I reports that uncover gender gaps, track sentiment among minority groups, and map demographic representation across teams.

Here’s how to make inclusion actionable:

• Segment your data by gender, tenure, role, and other relevant subgroups. Aggregate scores can hide meaningful subgroup differences. 
• Track stay interviews and compare with inclusion sentiment scores. Patterns across both sources give you earlier warning than exit data alone.
• Add inclusion metrics to leadership KPIs. When leaders are accountable for inclusion scores and not just overall engagement, the conversation changes.
• Build an inclusion status report. A regular snapshot of where gaps exist and where progress is being made creates visibility and momentum.

Ennova can also combine survey insights with exit patterns to explore whether lower inclusion is associated with higher turnover in specific employee groups. 

Want to understand inclusion gaps in more depth? Explore how Ennova helps organizations measure and improve diversity, equity and inclusion across teams and employee groups. 

Making inclusion a consistent part of employee listening and retention analysis gives HR a clearer picture of where different employee groups may be at risk and where further investigation or action is needed.