The DEI Challenge for 2025

This year there has been a lot of pushback on DEI initiatives. It was a big topic during the election. There were very strong opinions on both sides of the issue shared on almost media outlet. After several years of getting DE&I programs in place, potentially hiring a DE&I director, there is a lot of uncertainty about the best way to move forward so that it benefits every organization.

Historically the data is clear that there is no equal opportunity for everyone who may be applying for a position or looking to move up in a company. There is also the viewpoint that all of the focus on differences is unnecessary, and the person hired or promoted should be chosen because of their experience, expertise, educational background, and potential to contribute. Yes, we want the most qualified new hire or person being promoted to get the job. Realistically there are still biases that can keep us from doing just that.

What hasn’t worked is training and messaging that are blame-oriented. It may be very true that a select group has more access to opportunity or is unfairly seen as more capable. But blame and shame do not change prospects. There is also the scarcity issue. If more people get opportunities that are different for me, how does that impact my chances? If you are a part of a marginalized group, sometimes the thought process is "now you know how we feel." But if the goal is to create a business case for more intentional inclusion, it’s important to recognize the “what’s in it for me” approach for everyone in your organization.

It's also vital to understand how employees from all backgrounds honestly feel. We can provide training and information. However, if the employees don’t see them as leading to positive change or see it as a “check the box” approach by the company, the time and effort put into DE&I initiatives end up being a waste of time and money.

It is human nature to want to be respected and heard and have the opportunity to use our skills and knowledge. The clear business benefit is that more inclusive teams perform better, including financially. Approaching inclusion policies and initiatives from these two perspectives can make your strategy more effective.

The first step is evaluating what has been done in the past and how effective it has been. It’s important to go beyond engagement numbers in a program or training to figure out how to measure positive change. That is not always easy. However, without that measurement, there is no way to understand if training and policies are truly effective.

The second step is understanding if top leadership, your C-Suite, sees inclusion supporting the overall goals and mission of the company. If it is still viewed as a “nice to have” instead of a focus that can improve the bottom line, take the time to listen to why that feels that way.  

Third, if you do not have leadership buy-in, it may be time for a pause. That can be a difficult decision. It may be time to rethink how you want to present ways to be more inclusive and frame it in a way that leadership will understand and buy into.

So many of the DE&I initiatives were created over the past few years with the best of intentions. But like any other business initiative that requires time and a budget, those initiatives need to be seen as effective and beneficial for the organization, both by leadership and your workforce at all levels. Going into a new year is a great time to reassess your DE&I approach, make some changes, and create programs and policies that will be truly effective and valued.