The death of DEI — and 9 things HR needs to do now to bring it back

After a historic rise in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, the death of DEI feels close these days.

That’s especially close to heart for HR professionals, who helped increase DEI initiatives since the pandemic. Access to DEI programs jumped from 29% to 43% between 2020 and 2022, according to research from Glassdoor. But it has dipped to 41% in the past year.

And while DEI is closely linked to organizational success, hiring for the role of Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) dropped by almost 5% this past year, according to research from LinkedIn. That’s after the 160% increase of hiring for DEI roles in pre-pandemic and pandemic years.

“DEI has become increasingly politicized and, subsequently, it has isolated the very people it intended to bring together,” says Tulika Mehrotra, Chief Digital Officer of Peterson Tech Partners. “{Plus, we have} ‘diversity washing’ – when businesses execute DEI initiatives in a superficial, performative way to check the box. A DEI program without any teeth is doomed to be irrelevant.”

Stopping the death of DEI

And then there’s the SCOTUS ruling that downed affirmative action. While it was directed at college admission practices, it has the potential to affect DEI efforts in corporate America.

Some companies consider the ruling a yellow flag: Slow down before we’re in trouble for affirmative actions in the workplace.

“Unfortunately, when a company is facing the possibility of layoffs, diversity-focused roles have become one of the first to go as many executives believe these roles are not tied to a company’s revenue growth,” says Rita Parker, VP of Global DE&I at Access. “However, this cannot be further from the truth.

“A diverse workforce is paramount to building a culture with a variety of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Diversity fuels innovation, encourages creative problem-solving, and creates an environment where all individuals feel empowered, respected, and valued,” says Parker.

Whether you’ve pulled back on DEI initiatives or haven’t fully dug in yet, you’ll want take some steps to stop the death of DEI in the workplace.

Here are nine expert-driven ideas on how to keep DEI efforts alive and flourishing.

1. Make it communal

Many organizations handed DEI responsibility to one person — perhaps a newly hired CDO or a seasoned HR professional. And that singular effort was too much for one person.

“Organizations fail to create DEI programs that allow for true cultural improvements,” says Tiffany Patrick, Senior Consultant at Perceptyx. “When budgets get tight like they have in the past couple years, entire DEI departments are cut, irrevocably damaging programs that took years to build.”

That’s exactly why Patrick suggest you “avoid creating a separate DEI ‘department’ with a few employees who run all initiatives.”

Instead, give departments and individuals more power to be responsible for moving initiatives forward, allowing for accountability and cultural integration.

2. Get serious about measurement

You know the drill: What gets measured, gets done. While the origins and exact saying are questionable, the meaning is not. If someone is measuring results, someone is accountable to get the job done.

With DEI initiatives, you want to define clear and measurable goals such as increasing representation in leadership roles by X% or reducing turnover among underrepresented groups by X%.

“DEI leaders can then regularly survey employees to gauge perceptions and progress, and then communicate updates related to DEI initiatives against these inputs and goals,” says Parker.

Also important to maintaining DEI programs: Align them to business outcomes. For instance, set expectations for business results in the wake of intentional diversity hiring or partnerships with community organizations and their DEI efforts.

“Tracking metrics will not only prove the efficacy of the program, but also give insights into which initiatives need to be changed and/or refined,” says Patrick.

3. Create internal networks

Here’s the good news: HR doesn’t have to shoulder all the DEI weight. Instead, focus on giving employees resources that support and celebrate diversity. That shows that the company values employees for their backgrounds, experiences and perspectives — and that you want them to share those with others.

The best way: Create and support Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). First off, ask employees to help establish a protocol for suggesting, initializing and building a group. Then, give equal resources — funds, time and opportunities to share their interests — to the ERGs as they develop.

“Companies can show that they value diversity by championing diverse employees and allowing resource groups to support and address more specific concerns of the various groups,” says Mehrotra.

4. Support diversity in community

Support initiatives beyond your walls to keep DEI alive in the community. Partnering or championing local organizations that support DEI in the community can help with your diversity recruiting and hiring, too.

An example from Mehrotra at Peterson Tech Partners: “We partner with an organization called ICStars (Inner City Stars), an organization dedicated to providing networking and professional development opportunities to bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. We do this because we believe that there is a tangible benefit to supporting talent growth in our community.”

5. Hire differently

A group of Harvard Business School researchers found a unique way to take bias out of the hiring process: Hire for several positions at one time.

Most hiring decisions are singular — one person for one role at a time. In that situation, most decision-makers focus on the most practical things — technical skills, cultural fit and how quickly they can get someone in the seat.

But reserchers found, when decision-makers hire multiple people at a time they select more diversity. Why? They think about candidates as a group — perhaps a single team or a new group that will populate the organization — and diversity becomes more noticable and important.

To make it a reality, researchers suggested change from hiring a candidate monthly to hiring three quarterly, but at the same time. Same number of hires, but collective quarterly decisions broaden diversity.

6. Build mentor programs

“It’s not enough to have diversity hiring at the ground level, if it doesn’t translate to real growth opportunities in the company,” says Mehrotra.

You can create DEI sustainability and balance with mentorship programs. Connect experienced leaders with newer employees to foster growth and learning. One way to expand mentorship programs is to expand beyond your corporate walls.

For instance, the women’s executive network Chief connects female leaders across organizations to come together and collaborate on challenges and wins. Similarly, Peterson Tech Partners connects with Code Platoon, an organization to support veterans entering the tech workforce. “We believe connecting on a human level is the most important aspect of delivering long term success,” explains Mehrotra.

7. Schedule regular training

Since the rise of DEI initiatives, most companies instituted one-time training for everyone and initial training for new employees.

To keep DEI efforts alive, going forward, you’ll want to schedule on-going training to educate employees about unconscious biases, microaggressions, cultural competence and inclusive behaviors.

“These trainings can be company-wide, and HR Leaders have the option to implement leadership-specific trainings that provide company leadership with the tools they need to lead with inclusive decision-making and team management,” suggests Parker.

Even better, ask hiring managers to view a short diversity training video just before making people decisions. The Harvard Business School researchers found that also increased diversity.

8. Maintain visibility, authenticity

To maintain a successful DEI program, stay visible and authentic.

When you showcase diverse voices and celebrate unique stories, you ensure employees across the organization feel seen and valued.

“It’s not just about ticking boxes; it’s about genuine representation and involvement,” says Mehratra. “It’s about what happens when the underrepresented talent is not in the room. Managers need to step in as allies and sponsors. This will move the needle. Most critical to all of this is that DEI programs are not charity or nice-to-haves. They open the door to fresh talent who can move the business to fantastic growth and business success.”

9. Change the mindset

With effort, you can change the mindset about DEI initiatives and its impact on business results — at first, that is. Results will eventually speak for themselves, and you won’t have to rely on much more than positive data to show the organization that DEI efforts are worth it.

“Often DEI departments are considered cost centers, something you have to do for compliance or performative reasons rather than something linked to the core business that produces revenue,” says Patrick. “It is a change in mindset at the highest levels of the organization – from a ‘we’re doing DEI for compliance-only’ approach to ‘we’re doing this because we know it will benefit the company as a whole, long-term.’ If DEI is considered a core part of how business gets done, it will no longer be considered only a cost center.”