In today’s polarized and politicized environment, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) has become a divisive topic. DEIB initiatives have focused on equity for minoritized communities regardless of race, ability, sexuality, gender identity, age, or neurodiversity. More recently, organizations and corporations have been affected by economic uncertainty and job cuts of DEIB employees have occurred as well as campaigns focused on dismantling diversity efforts.
In June 2023, the conservative majority Supreme Court effectively reversed affirmative action, overthrowing decades of legal precedent by ruling that colleges are no longer permitted to consider race when admitting students.
Following that historic decision, a new wave of anti-DEIB sentiment is pervading the country, according to CNN. However, it needn’t be a matter of two sides and which side will “win”. Instead, organizations can shift towards a more intentional way of adopting DEIB, recommitting to diversity goals and helping workers feel valued and validated to create a fairer, more equitable future for all.
The impact of workplace diversity
As we examine examples of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, we can see that there has been progress over the past 60 years. However, there is still room for improvement.
Research by the Pew Research Center revealed that about 60 percent of US employees said their company or organization had policies to ensure fairness in hiring, pay, or promotions with more than half receiving DEIB training. Research also found that men (50 percent) and women (61 percent) say that focusing on increasing DEIB policies at work is a good thing.
However, men were also twice as likely as women to say that it was a bad thing (23 percent vs. 9 percent). About two-thirds or more of Black (78 percent), Asian (72 percent) and Hispanic (65 percent) workers say that focusing on DEIB at work is a good thing. And, in general, younger employees ages 18 to 29, more than other age groups, considered DEIB important in the workplace.
A recent survey by management consulting firm McKinsey shows that companies with diverse and inclusive workforces are 35 percent more likely to outperform their competitors. And talent is increasingly discerning about choosing where to work – a Glassdoor survey found that more than three in four employees and 76 percent of jobseekers believe a diverse workforce is an critical factor when assessing an employer.
Where DEIB began
Workplace equity has its origins in the 1960s, a time when the Civil Rights Act came into being in 1964, outlawing discrimination in the workplace based on race, religion, sex, color, or national origin. A year earlier, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, was aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act followed which prohibited discrimination for those over 40 in the workplace.
In the decades that followed, DEI policies began to include a focus on reducing discrimination against other identity groups, such as ethnic, religious, and in LGBTQ+ communities. By the late 1990s, a Society for Human Resource Management survey found that the majority of Fortune 500 companies had some diversity initiatives in place.
According to LinkedIn data, reported by Time magazine, the number of roles titled ‘head of diversity’ more than doubled between 2015 and 2020. But it was in 2020, that the ethical necessity for DEIB in workplaces was galvanized following the murder of George Floyd.
The Society for Human Resource Management reported a 55 percent rise in DEIB roles in 2020, and a Fortune and Deloitte survey found that 96 percent of CEOs agreed that DEIB is a personal strategic priority for them.
More federal equity laws were passed in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed several executive orders positioning the federal government as a model for DEIB in hiring, development, and retention of a more diverse federal workforce. However, since 2022, companies have been laying off DEIB staff and job ad company Textio reported a 19 percent drop in adverts for diversity roles, with Bloomberg reporting that wide-scale tech lay-offs were threatening the future of DEIB.
Where do we go from here?
Ideological and political polarization and a reactive approach to controversies have seen some DEIB policies considered divisive rather than uniting.
However, by reframing diversity as a strategy that benefits organizations as a whole and focusing on inclusion, equity, and belonging over just diversity, we can continue progress in this area.
In the Harvard Business Review, associate professor of business administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Laura Morgan Roberts, argues that now is a time for companies to commit to diversity programs, engaging employees with four ‘freedoms’. She outlines them as the following:
- Freedom to be, to show up as their authentic selves without the need to fit into the prevailing culture. To avoid identity suppression among minoritized groups, it is important to implement non-discrimination policies that go beyond the legal minimum. Anti-bias and inclusion programming can offer training to employees, while a system of allyship can create an open and welcoming space for all.
- Freedom to develop, based on statistics showing that 91 percent of workers say it is important to them that they have opportunities to learn and grow. She suggests strengths-based development programs that are accessible to all. She also proposes training to help leaders offer objective and constructive feedback, particularly as statistics show minoritized groups can receive less helpful performance feedback.
- Freedom to fade, which concentrates on allowing workers to take a break from performance culture, especially if they have been visible as the only representative of a race, gender, or sexual orientation in a group. Key ways to counter this are increased diversity in the hiring process and more flexible work options.
- Freedom to fail, which means meeting failure with agility and grace. Creating a safe space where people can learn from their mistakes reduces the stigma around failure, which can help diminish the punishment gap that can exist in workplaces between majority and minoritized groups.
The Forbes Coaches Council also makes an argument for helping to depoliticize DEIB. It recommends reframing goals as a shared strategic imperative and focusing on inclusion, equity, and belonging over representation.
Equally, The Center for Advanced Human Resources Studies at Cornell University, also highlighted the need for building consensus through a values-based approach to DEIB and actively engaging internal and external stakeholders, as well as assessing the impact of inclusivity programs.
With principled leadership, workplaces can still facilitate implementation of DEIB initiatives and drive long-lasting change. DEIB is a strategic necessity, not only for the sake of all employees, but for equity in the workplace and the very real business benefits it can bring.
