When IROs are asked what human capital issues they find investors typically asking about, diversity tops the list while pay & compensation comes fourth. But when we ask investors themselves what issues they have discussed, the situation is reversed, with pay & compensation cited by the highest number of investors and diversity coming fourth. Safety and staff retention & hiring are consistent as prominent topics for discussion mentioned by IROs and investors alike. There is no great difference between the buy side and sell side in which HCM questions they ask, except that sell-side analysts are more likely to ask questions about safety, while buy-siders are more likely to ask questions relating to senior management.
