The EDI Backlash - Am I overreacting?

​@Moe DE&I is here to stay and sorry to hear about some disheartening stories.  IMO, It will always be important to companies as we continue to seek innovation through diversity of thought etc.  Sometimes it’s just difficult finding the right balance for companies, especially if small or seeking to fill niche skills. 

I watch with interest at shocking work practices currently taking place across the pond!  

​@Moe - the rollback has been something I’ve been seeing more quietly for the last few years with some who’ve been in DEI roles finding themselves restructured out of the business.

This rollback has, in the last 3 months in particular, been very visible, very rapid and increasing widespread.

The challenges arising from DEI - but particularly Diversity initiatives is often their poor design, resulting in a lack of effectiveness - which has resulted in C-suite and Boards questioning their validity.

There are 2 good articles by HBR on this by the same authors looking at how it has changed / or not.
https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail (written in 2016)

https://hbr.org/2020/11/getting-serious-about-diversity-enough-already-with-the-business-case (written in 2020)

​@SalC your point on balance is a great one. I honestly don’t envy those whose job is to run an EDI program. Operationalising such a worthy ideal, while managing all sorts of external pressures, seems so difficult to me as a day-to-day responsibility. Can’t help but respect it! 

​@JHBEM excellent article suggestions. I’m enjoying that the observations go as detailed as commenting on the negative messaging within the training material of these EDI programs. 

​@damayantichowdhury09 I’m curious if you’ve come across similar research on EDI program effectiveness during your studies? 

Also - literally announced yesterday - it’s sadly very much landing in UK…

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/12/bank-of-england-decides-against-new-rules-on-improving-diversity-and-inclusion

Bank of England and FCA - Two main FInancial Institutions in the UK have scrapped their DEI.

Hi ​@Moe - interesting thought for the week. My 2 cents for your questions:

1) Am I overreacting and the backlash is in fact not that severe?

It really depends on the size, maturity, and priorities of the companies that you are hearing from. In start-ups and scale-ups especially, the current economic and political climate has shifted focus heavily toward profitability and survival mode - which unfortunately means ED&I efforts can get deprioritised. That’s not to say ED&I isn’t critical (because it absolutely is), but we also know that impactful work in this space takes real cross-functional effort, long-term commitment, and alignment with broader business goals.

I also think some of the noise from the US is fuelling this perceived “backlash” ☹️  but from what I’m seeing in UK-based networks, the appetite and commitment are still very much alive although quieter and more considered in some spaces.

2) If I’m not overreacting, what can I do as an individual to sort of “fight back”?

Firstly, ED&I isn’t solely HR’s responsibility - and it can’t be “fixed” by hiring a Head of D&I and hoping for the best. At a previous company, I was brought in specifically to address gender diversity within Product & Tech. Yes, they had a Head of D&I, but the real success came from setting goals at board level and ensuring everyone whether it be from leaders to managers to junior team members knew what we were collectively working towards.

You’re right that individual action can feel hard, especially if the organisation isn’t ready for meaningful change. Fighting back in isolation rarely works so, it really depends on your role and influence. A good first step is to zoom out: What’s the current state of your organisation’s makeup? Where are the gaps, and what are the root causes? From there, you can identify targeted actions whether that’s setting up or supporting ERGs, building community partnerships, bringing in external speakers, or simply finding allies to build momentum.

Shameless plug...I actually recorded a podcast a couple of years ago walking through a step-by-step framework for rolling out ED&I initiatives, and much of it still stands. Happy to share if helpful!

​@xtine08 I agree with you on startups and scale ups, it just isn’t reasonable to expect them to consistently prioritise EDI if the majority of them are heads-down on just (for example) justifying their existence in the market. And yes, the barrage of terrible news in the American world of work is definitely a big factor in my overall outlook, perhaps I need a break from the news!

Your advice here is really useful. I get bogged down in details so often that it’s easy for me to forget to actually zoom out, as you said, and look at the big picture. At Personio, my colleagues (and leadership) have pushed for all of these reccomendations and made them happen. I think part of what gets me down is comparing some other, more troubling places to where I work and seeing them fall significantly short. unfortunately, I have some loved ones who work in those environments and, short of bringing them all to work with me (if only!) it has felt hard to be able to bring any useful advice to them.

However, I’ll definitely be making the point that they might start with taking in the bigger picture and understanding where there might be organisational patterns worth addressing. Thank you for that! Oh and no shame in plugging that at all - please do share that podcast! 🙏

​@JHBEM Yes, the news just keeps hitting this really negative drumbeat, but I’ll do my best to keep a positive outlook! 😅

If you want some reading then I did a short paper on it for my academic studies.
My academic short paper

It is indeed sad to see that DEI programmes are being rolled back. But not all organisations will follow this ‘trend’. I think it will actually show which organisations genuinely prioritise DEI, and which just did it as a tick-box exercise/for the employer brand.