3 1 assignment diversity equity and inclusion in the workplace

A Leadership Guide to Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace

Despite mounting evidence that demonstrates the substantial benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in organizational success (Krause, 2022), many organizations are slow to make meaningful headway on this issue (Dixon-Fyle et al., 2020).

This leadership guide is designed to help leaders identify barriers and challenges to implementing DEI initiatives and to equip them with actionable insights to leverage the advantages of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

By embracing DEI, companies position themselves strategically for enhanced innovation, improved financial performance, and increased employee engagement. They also fulfill their moral and ethical responsibilities to their employees, local communities, and society more broadly.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Leadership Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or others adopt positive leadership practices and help organizations thrive.

This Article Contains

What are the benefits of a diverse workplace, 5 strategies for leaders to foster diversity and inclusion, how to overcome challenges and address resistance, 5 key elements of successful diversity and inclusion initiatives, recommended dei books, useful resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion comprise a set of values and practices within a wider business strategy that aim to drive fairness and equity within the working environment.

Investing in DEI can be fruitful for business-related outcomes and for employee wellbeing. Krause (2022) suggests that DEI is a vital foundation from which workplace wellbeing and optimal performance can emerge.

While many organizations will inquire about the return on investment of DEI efforts, there is much more to be gained than profit maximization. That being said, evidence suggests that diverse and inclusive leadership teams are 21% more likely to outperform their peers in terms of profitability (Dixon-Fyle et al., 2020) and have 19% higher revenue due to increased innovation (Lorenzo et al., 2018).

The following list details other equally important advantages of fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace:

Increased innovation, creativity & problem solving

Reynolds and Lewis (2017) found that diverse teams solve problems faster than homogeneous teams by bringing more innovative ideas and creative solutions to challenges.

Enhanced decision-making

Diverse teams can positively influence decision-making. The inclusion of diverse voices helps to avoid groupthink, encourages critical analysis, and promotes a culture of continuous learning and improvement (Robinson & Dechant, 1997).

Improved employee performance, engagement, and reduced turnover

A diverse and inclusive environment fosters a sense of belonging and value, which can positively impact job satisfaction , retention, and engagement (Albrecht & Andreetta, 2011; Brimhall et al., 2017; Gallup, 2022).

Better understanding of global markets

A diverse workforce mirrors a diverse customer base, providing insights into different markets and cultural nuances. This understanding can be valuable for organizations looking to expand globally or cater to diverse customer needs (Robinson & Dechant, 1997).

Enhanced reputation and brand image

Companies that prioritize diversity are often seen as socially responsible and progressive. A positive reputation for diversity and inclusion in the workplace can attract customers, clients, and investors who value these principles (Rao & Tilt, 2016).

It is evident then, that building a diverse workforce that reflects the world we live in can have critical implications for individuals and businesses.

Implementing workplace DEI strategies more broadly can also have spillover benefits for society, such as more acceptance and pursuit of equal societies and greater societal and global wellbeing (Krause, 2022).

As such, it is important that organizations and leaders accept their responsibility to foster DEI in their workplace and are fully committed to seeing their strategies through, even in the face of setbacks and challenges.

Furthermore, DEI must be viewed as a long-term strategy rather than a set of short-term initiatives. A systemic approach is required to implement positive change (Zheng, 2022).

For these strategies to have a positive impact, they must be implemented comprehensively and consistently, such that diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into the very fabric of the organization. This requires ongoing commitment and proactivity from leaders and managers.

Here are five key strategies leaders should focus on to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace:

1. Lead by example

Leaders must demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through their actions and behaviors. Inclusive leadership training (Kuknor & Bhattacharya, 2020) can help leaders promote openness and transparency, build awareness of personal biases, enhance cultural competency, and empower others.

For more information on inclusive leadership, you may enjoy this TED talk by June Sarpong.

2. Create inclusive policies and practices

Organizations should establish comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, paired with practices and processes that ensure fairness and equal opportunities for all.

These policies should be regularly reviewed and updated to address evolving needs and challenges.

3. Provide diversity and inclusion training

Providing regular training sessions can help raise awareness about unconscious bias, microaggressions, and the importance of DEI. It is the responsibility of organizations and leaders to equip their employees with the skills required to challenge and overcome biases in the workplace.

4. Promote diverse hiring and advancement opportunities

It is vital that organizations audit their hiring processes and make them more inclusive.

This means expanding hiring pools and addressing bias in both job criteria and interview processes. Mentoring and sponsorship programs can be a great way to further support underrepresented talent.

5. Foster inclusive culture and communication

Leaders must look to build a psychologically safe workplace culture that values open communication and collaboration.

This can be paired with establishing employee resource groups or affinity networks and celebrating cultural events to bolster a sense of understanding, community, and support among employees.

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Resistance to DEI efforts in organizations can stem from a variety of factors, often rooted in organizational culture, individual beliefs, and perceived threats.

Despite some recent backlash against DEI (where Elon Musk spoke agains DEI; Hart 2023), it is more crucial than ever that organizations and leaders push for parity. But doing so requires hard work, oftentimes internally.

So before leaders forge ahead with their DEI strategy, it is important to identify possible sources of or reasons for opposition.

Lack of awareness and unconscious bias

Some individuals lack awareness of the benefits of DEI or the challenges faced by underrepresented groups. This lack of awareness, coupled with unconscious bias, can negatively influence decision-making and contribute significantly to resistance.

Recommendation : Provide education via training, workshops, guest speakers, and access to leadership books and video resources. Caveat: beware unconscious bias training as a cure-all. Some research suggests it does little to eradicate bias (Noon, 2018).

Fear of change

Change can always be a scary proposition, even when it is a positive change. Some employees may be concerned that DEI efforts will disrupt established norms, leading to discomfort or uncertainty about their roles within the organization.

Recommendation: A communication plan where the goals and intent of DEI programs are clearly stated can help allay fears of uncertainty. Appreciative inquiry can also be a helpful tool to galvanize hope around organizational change.

Perceived threat to power dynamics

Individuals in positions of privilege may feel that DEI efforts challenge their status or perceived advantages. Resistance can be rooted in a fear of losing power, influence, or opportunities as the organization becomes more diverse.

Recommendation: Fostering empathy through compassion training can be an effective tool to address resistance stemming from relinquishing power and control. Building compassion toward others creates understanding and reduces ego-defensiveness (Neff, 2011).

Addressing resistance to DEI efforts requires a multifaceted approach that involves a lot of deep work. However, addressing these underlying issues before starting out on a DEI journey may offer a greater chance of success.

1. Significant resource allocation

If organizations really want to make progress with DEI, they have to commit resources to the program. This should include monetary, material, time, management, and expertise/intellectual resources.

2. DEI management

Organizations must consider how to carefully manage their DEI strategy. One of the most effective approaches is to create dedicated roles and teams for DEI and hire individuals with expertise, such as organizational psychologists, sociologists, behavioral scientists, and leaders with DEI certifications (Plaut, 2010).

3. Evidenced-based targets

Data is vital for creating change because it can reveal insights into an organization’s DEI gaps and allow for real-time monitoring of progress toward goals.

It is also important that organizations create targets that are grounded in evidence, using academic research and practical positive feedback .

4. Core business leadership accountability

For cultural and organizational change to occur, there must be support and buy-in from the leadership and executive levels (Sashkin, 2012). Moreover, there must be accountability when DEI issues emerge. For example, how do leaders manage instances of microaggressions in the workplace?

5. Include diverse voices in the process

When approaching DEI, diverse voices must be central to shaping organizational values, policies, practices, and strategies.

However, this does not mean pushing the burden of fixing structural inequalities onto individuals from historically marginalized backgrounds. Rather, employees should work collaboratively to co-create inclusive workplaces that make sense and work for all.

If organizations are able to commit to these best practices, DEI programs have a greater chance of creating positive change.

Given the popularity of DEI as a movement, concept, and moral position, books on how to navigate diversity and inclusion in the workplace and support equality in society are increasing.

The following list outlines five excellent reads that provide a breadth and depth of knowledge on key topics such as bias, race, trans rights, and how to build successful DEI programs.

These books offer valuable perspectives on different aspects of DEI, providing practical insights, research-based knowledge, and tools for creating more diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

1. Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People – Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald

This book is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand and mitigate the impact of unconscious bias in the workplace and beyond.

Find the book on Amazon .

2. How to Be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi

Kendi challenges readers to move beyond non-racism and actively work against racist structures. Drawing on personal experiences and historical analysis, Kendi provides a guide for individuals and organizations committed to fostering antiracist practices.

This book is instrumental in shaping discussions around diversity, equity, and inclusion, encouraging readers to critically examine their beliefs and actions.

3. The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice – Shon Faye

Through a combination of personal narrative, social commentary, and critical analysis, Faye delves into the complexities of transgender identity, shedding light on the social, cultural, and political factors that shape the lives of transgender people.

The Transgender Issue  serves as an essential resource for anyone seeking to better understand and support transgender individuals in today’s society.

4. DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right – Lily Zheng

Critically, Zheng emphasizes the importance of intersectionality and the need to address systemic inequalities to create meaningful change.

As such, DEI Deconstructed  serves as an invaluable resource for leaders, HR professionals, and individuals committed to advancing DEI in their organizations and communities.

Find the book on Amazon.

5. I’m Not Yelling: A Black Women’s Guide to Navigating the Workplace – Elizabeth Leiba

Through personal anecdotes, interviews, and research, Leiba sheds light on the unique challenges and systemic barriers faced by Black women in the workplace.

Leiba also offers practical strategies and advice for Black women to advocate for themselves, navigate office politics, and thrive in their careers. As such, this book is an influential resource for those seeking support and guidance in their professional journeys.

For a bumper crop of useful exercises and worksheets to help leaders who are keen to build an agenda for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, look no further than PositivePsychology.com.

One good place to start is by exploring the building empathy worksheet. This worksheet is useful for groups and enables individuals to engage in perspective taking. Being able to listen and place ourselves in the shoes of others is key to fostering social empathy (Segal, 2011).

Closely linked to empathy is compassion. Leaders can benefit hugely from practicing compassion, both toward themselves and others. This compassion worksheet is focused on maintaining positive relationships with others by introducing four new ways to show appreciation and care to others.

Self-esteem is another critical psychological resource that all leaders could benefit from cultivating. This self-esteem journal helps individuals foster positive beliefs about themselves and their capabilities by reflecting on meaningful daily events. By leaning into self-acceptance and vulnerability, leaders will be in a much better position to build safe and inclusive environments for others.

Given the fact that resistance to DEI efforts can stem from a lack of awareness of one’s own biases, the Johari window exercise is a useful way to build self-awareness and shed light on beliefs and assumptions that need addressing.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others develop positive leadership skills, check out this collection of 17 validated positive leadership exercises . Use them to equip leaders with the skills needed to cultivate a culture of positivity and resilience.

Looking to the future, Van Durme et al. (2023) argue that DEI must become a top area of focus for organizations. Dismantling inequality in the workplace is not an easy task.

But taking vital steps toward creating parity is possible. By incorporating the principles and practices above into DEI efforts, leaders can play a vital role in shaping a workplace that goes beyond acceptance to active celebration of diversity and inclusion.

This commitment to DEI can transcend the organization and contribute to a broader societal shift toward understanding, tolerance, and unity. In this way, DEI can be a formidable catalyst for positive change.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Leadership Exercises for free .

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• Dixon-Fyle, S., Hunt, V., Prince, S., & Dolan, K. (2020, May 19). Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters
• Gallup. (2022, May 11). Unleashing the human element at work: Transforming workplaces through recognition . https://www.workhuman.com/resources/reports-guides/unleashing-the-human-element-at-work-transforming-workplaces-through-recognition/
• Hart, R. (2023, Dec 15). Elon Musk Says DEI ‘Must Die’ and Criticizes Diversity Schemes as ‘Discrimination’. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/12/15/elon-musk-says-dei-must-die-and-criticizes-diversity-schemes-as-discrimination/
• Krause, W. (2022). Diversity, equity and inclusion as fertile foundation for workplace well-being, optimal performance, and planetary health. In J. Marques & S. Dhiman (Eds.), Leading with diversity, equity and inclusion: Approaches, practices and cases for integral leadership strategy (pp. 263–279). Springer.
• Kuknor, S., & Bhattacharya, S. (2020). Inclusive leadership: New age leadership to foster organizational inclusion. European Journal of Training and Development , 46 (9), 771–797.
• Lorenzo, R., Voigt, N., Tsusaka, M., Krentz, M., & Abouzahr, K. (2018, January 22). How diverse leadership teams boost innovation . BCG Global. Retrieved January 23, 2024, from https://www.bcg.com/publications/2018/how-diverse-leadership-teams-boost-innovation
• Neff, K. D. (2011). Self‐compassion, self‐esteem, and well‐being. Social and Personality Psychology Compass , 5 (1), 1–12.
• Noon, M. (2018). Pointless diversity training: Unconscious bias, new racism and agency. Work, Employment and Society , 32 (1), 198–209.
• ​​Plaut, V. C. (2010). Diversity science: why and how difference makes a difference . Psychological Inquiry , 21 , 77–99.
• Rao, K., & Tilt, C. (2016). Board composition and corporate social responsibility: The role of diversity, gender, strategy and decision making. Journal of Business Ethics , 138 , 327–347.
• Reynolds, A., & Lewis, D. (2017, March 30) Teams solve problems faster when they’re more cognitively diverse . Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2017/03/teams-solve-problems-faster-when-theyre-more-cognitively-diverse
• Robinson, G., & Dechant, K. (1997). Building a business case for diversity. Academy of Management Executive , 11 (3), 21–31.
• Sashkin, M. (2012). Leadership. In W. E. Rosenbach, R. Taylor, & M. A. Youndt (Eds.), Contemporary issues in leadership . Westview Press.
• Segal, E. A. (2011). Social empathy: A model built on empathy, contextual understanding, and social responsibility that promotes social justice. Journal of Social Service Research , 37 (3), 266–277.
• Van Durme, Y., Scoble-Williams, N., Eaton, K., Kirby, L., Griffiths, M., Poynton, S., Mallon, D., & Forsythe, J. (2023, February 2). Deloitte 2023 global human capital trends . Deloitte Insights. Retrieved January 23, 2024, from https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2023/future-of-workforce-management.html
• Zheng, L. (2022). DEI deconstructed: Your no-nonsense guide to doing the work and doing it right . Berrett-Koehler.

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What Does Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Mean in the Workplace?

DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) is an ethos that recognizes the value of diverse voices and emphasizes  inclusivity and employee well-being as central facets of success. To bring those values to life, companies must implement programs and initiatives that actively make their offices more diverse, equitable and inclusive spaces.

What Is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)?

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) refers to practices and policies intended to support people who come from varying backgrounds and give them the resources they need to thrive in the workplace. A DEI framework takes into account factors like race, gender and sexual orientation, so teams can find ways to help employees of marginalized groups succeed.

DEI (or DE&I) stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. As a discipline, DEI is any policy or practice designed to make people of various backgrounds feel welcome and ensure they have support to perform to the fullest of their abilities in the workplace.

“We as employers need to make sure we’re including these individuals and that we’re giving them equity,” said Catalina Colman, former director of HR and inclusion at Built In. “We need to make sure that, not only do they have a job, but they have the same ability to get promoted, to contribute and have the same impact — in the world and in the workplace — as their peers.”

This kind of environment is created by following all three aspects of DEI:

Diversity is the presence of differences within a given setting. In the workplace, that can mean differences in race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age and socioeconomic class . It can also refer to differences in physical ability , veteran status, whether or not you have kids — all of those are  components of diversity .

Why Diversity Matters

Diversity in the workplace is important because with different backgrounds come different points of view, which ultimately  leads to better ideas and solutions .

“From a business standpoint, different perspectives directly influence a product — how it’s made, who it serves, how it functions and so on,” Colman said. “More perspectives make for a better product.” People from different backgrounds with varying life experiences will be able to provide new perspectives that help refine and enhance processes.

“The more diverse voices there are in your organization, the better your outcomes will be, purely from a business standpoint,” Colman said.

Even so, Colman urges employers to look beyond the business case: “I believe that if we give people the equitable opportunity to not only be employed, but to have employment with purpose and passion, our society can and will do great things. It’s a measurable good for everyone.”

Equity is the process of ensuring that practices and programs are impartial, fair and provide equal possible outcomes for every individual.

Why Equity Matters

In order to ensure equal circumstances for all individuals across the organization, equity requires that  employers recognize barriers and advantages. This is the crucial difference between “equity” and “equality.”

“Equity takes into account the fact that not everybody is starting at the same level,” explained Colman. “Take home ownership, for example. A bank can make the statement that the loan application process is equal and that they will not discriminate based on race, gender or ethnicity. That doesn’t take into account student loans, familial debt, socioeconomic status.”

These limitations are what define barriers and give rise to advantages, ultimately leading to an inequitable process. Inequity permeates every aspect of your business, requiring vigilance and swift action. “You’re not going to be able to build diversity if you’re not taking the steps to be more equitable,” Colman said. 

Companies that establish equitable environments not only support diverse workforces , but also incentivize employees to invest more energy and passion into their positions. “Equity is why we go to work,” explained Colman. “We want to get compensated fairly for our work, we want to be challenged, to learn and to contribute. People often choose an employer based on those things, which boil down to equity.”

Inclusion is the practice of ensuring that people feel a sense of belonging in the workplace. This means that every employee feels comfortable and supported by the organization when it comes to being their authentic selves.

Why Inclusion Matters

While the workplace does require professionalism and etiquette , an inclusive culture should not bar individuals from being themselves. 

“Employees should not worry about  code-switching or shielding part of their identity,” Colman said. “They should be able to walk through the door without feeling like something about them has to change.” 

Inclusion is what maintains diversity. Without it, employees will simply leave the organization. “If a candidate walks into a workplace and they’re the only woman or BIPOC employee, they’re going to question the employer’s authenticity and  values ,” Colman said.

“People want to belong, plain and simple,” she added. “And marginalized individuals want to know that they’re not going to be the token person to represent a demographic. They shouldn’t have to worry about that in the workplace; they should be focused on how they’re going to have an impact within the company.”

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Why DEI Is Important: Benefits of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

DEI is vital to creating and maintaining a successful workplace, one founded on the principle that all people can thrive personally and professionally. Bringing together people of various backgrounds leads to new and creative ideas. More importantly, a  DEI strategy contributes to a space where all employees feel they have intrinsic worth, not in spite of their differences but because of their differences.

Below are a few more benefits businesses can enjoy upon embracing a DEI approach. 

Strengthened Recruitment

DEI has grown in popularity among candidates and employees. In fact, three-fourths of job seekers and employees treat DEI as a major factor when weighing job offers and companies. Candidates recognize the positive effects of an environment that welcomes a range of backgrounds and want to join this kind of space.

However, employees aren’t the only ones who should be pushing for more diverse and inclusive cultures. Company leaders must also make the effort to implement DEI policies , and there are plenty of incentives for businesses to get started as soon as possible.

Higher Employee Retention

Once candidates join an organization, DEI can also play a role in convincing them to stick around. Feelings of inclusion make up as much as 35 percent of an employee’s emotional connection to their work and 20 percent of their wanting to remain with their current employer. Companies that take steps to cultivate a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace can then reduce employee turnover and enjoy a more stable workforce through the years.  

More Innovation

A Harvard Business Review survey of 79 large companies found that a 0.1-point increase in a company’s DEI ratings correlates to a 13-percent increase in that company’s ability to change . When companies construct inclusive teams, employees from diverse backgrounds can offer different ideas and perspectives. This makes it easier to solve problems, develop unorthodox approaches and craft creative solutions to help companies adapt on the fly.  

Deeper Trust 

Trust hinges on leadership building genuine relationships with employees, and DEI is a key component of this process. When companies make DEI commitments and don’t follow through, 40 percent of workers would think about leaving and 56 percent would no longer recommend their employer as a place to work. 

Organizations that recruit diverse talent must execute DEI initiatives to make employees of different backgrounds feel respected and safe in the workplace. If businesses neglect their DEI commitments, employees of marginalized backgrounds may believe the company doesn’t care about them and lose the trust they once had in organizational leadership.  

Improved Business Outcomes    

Companies that listen to DEI advocates’ demands and make changes can benefit from a diverse and inclusive culture as well. 

According to Forbes , increasing female partners’ shares by 10 percent often leads to a 10 percent rise in revenue. In addition, firms that display culturally and ethnically diverse executive teams are 33 percent more likely to lead their industries in profitability. When people feel welcomed for who they are, they perform at a higher level. It’s a win-win situation for everyone when companies take steps to diversify their workforces. 

If your industry is ever going to be a place where innovation and ingenuity thrive, diversity, equity and inclusion have to take center stage. Employers must actively work to create meaningful change in spite of the history of injustice that has marginalized underrepresented groups within the workplace. This work is often spearheaded by HR departments.

HR’s Role in Implementing a DEI Strategy and Culture

For employers and people management professionals alike, the biggest challenge is knowing where to start.

“There’s no quick fix,” Colman said. “A lot of people immediately jump to figure out how they can make their company more diverse, but you can’t underestimate the importance of inclusion and equity. Without those two pieces, you’re not going to achieve true diversity.” 

Understanding how each element of DEI builds upon the others is important to  creating a work environment that is equitable and inclusive of all individuals. Just like DEI is a multifaceted process, Colman encourages employers to lean on each other.

“It’s not going to be a single HR person that addresses the issue of DEI for a company,” she added. “Lean on your professional community. You’re not going to be able to have all the answers because you don’t have all the perspectives.”

The  focus on DEI has prompted a huge shift for HR. “I think the mindset has always been to avoid talking about these things,” Colman said. “We typically put them in the handbook and address them in training maybe once a year. We didn’t want to make people uncomfortable. I think right now, the call to action is about understanding how to navigate that discomfort and how to use that to elevate your workforce. It’s about doing the important work that is long overdue and becoming inclusive and equitable.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dei in the workplace.

DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. It is based on the idea that recruiting and supporting workers of various backgrounds is integral to a company’s success, and encompasses policies and initiatives designed to help all employees feel welcomed and equipped to perform their jobs at a high level.

What is an example of DEI in the workplace?

Intentionally recruiting workers of marginalized backgrounds, hosting DEI workshops and training sessions and offering mentorship and support to employees of diverse backgrounds are a few examples of  DEI in the workplace.

Why is DEI important?

DEI is important because it contributes to an environment where all employees, regardless of background, have fair opportunities to pursue work they’re passionate about while getting to be themselves in the workplace. By bringing in diverse perspectives, organizations also create a space where multiple voices are heard and innovation can flourish.

Great Companies Need Great People. That's Where We Come In.

A business journal from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

How to Elevate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work in Your Organization

July 20, 2020 • 8 min read.

There is a wide gap between organizations engaging in DEI work and those that are actually valuing it, according to Wharton management professor Stephanie Creary. In this opinion piece, she offers a framework for how companies can make DEI efforts count.

• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

There is a wide gap between organizations engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work and those that are actually valuing it, according to Wharton management professor Stephanie Creary. In this opinion piece, she offers a framework for how companies can change DEI work from an unrewarded side hustle to a merit-worthy practice that is valued across the company. Creary’s article originally appeared on the LinkedIn platform of bestselling author and social psychologist Amy Cuddy , as part of the #ShareTheMicNow social media campaign in which Black women scholars and activists take over the accounts of influential white women for a day in order to amplify their voices and ideas.  

To address systemic racism, many organizations are starting to create anti-racist diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) change agendas . Yet, my ongoing research into corporate DEI practices suggests that there is a wide chasm separating those organizations doing DEI work and those that are actually valuing the DEI work being done. Here is a summary of a few key issues that DEI experts and their organizations currently face:

First, DEI experts and their work have been devalued for some time. Specifically, experts often lack adequate staff and financial resources to create programs and initiatives designed to improve employees’ experiences and workplace outcomes. The lack of sufficient budget and staff also makes it difficult for experts to help their organizations address systemic racism , which has become a priority in many organizations today.

Second , DEI experts are often tasked with a seemingly impossible set of goals ; that is, not only are they expected to help their organizations view diversity as helping rather than hindering their workplaces, they also need to help their organizations create a culture where everyone feels valued and believes that processes and outcomes are fair. Yet, DEI experts often lack the power and authority to drive change processes in their organizations.

Third, in order for DEI work to matter, employees at all levels need to be committed and engaged in doing the work. Yet, this is not often the case. For example, research suggests that middle managers have long struggled to understand their role in DEI work and have been less committed to doing the work. In comparison, women — including women of color — and racial minorities more broadly have historically taken on the brunt of this work even though research suggests that they may be penalized for doing so .

“The lack of consistency in codifying and treating DEI work as a merit-worthy endeavor for all employees … threatens its success.”

When issues like these are revealed, a common recommendation has been to give DEI experts a bigger budget and more staff. While these resources are vital, there is a larger point around valuing DEI work that can become lost in organizations’ efforts to “throw money at the problem.” Hereafter, I propose a more systematic way forward.

A “MERIT” Framework for Valuing DEI Work

Merit-based practices can have objective features. Research on merit suggests that — to be fair — rewards should be distributed based on people’s actual efforts, which should be the same across groups. In this respect, actual efforts and rewards can be codified and systematically evaluated similarly across groups. However, there are downsides to merit-based practices; research has found that they can create disparities when accountability and transparency into the reward system is lacking .

Merit is also subjectively evaluated and applied. Namely, people understand and apply merit differently in the workplace based on their own personal experiences. My research interviews with corporate leaders including DEI experts suggest that people also evaluate the merit of DEI work differently – meaning that people who believe that DEI work is important willingly and actively engage in it, while others dismiss it and do not willingly participate in it.

The lack of consistency in codifying and treating DEI work as a merit-worthy endeavor for all employees — that is, worthy of investment , visibility , and other rewards — threatens its success. Claiming that DEI is important — while penalizing those who are more apt and willing to engage in it (i.e., women, women of color, racial minorities) is a racist and sexist practice . Further, penalizing those who want to do DEI work (and telling them not to do it or not rewarding them for doing it) while incentivizing and rewarding those who need to be convinced to do it is discriminatory.

To mitigate these issues and to help leaders who are serious about doing DEI work learn how to treat it as merit-worthy, I offer a “MERIT” framework for valuing DEI work, which accounts for both the objective and subjective notions of merit.

M: Make DEI goals and work actionable, measurable, and evidence-based.

A common defense against doing DEI work is that it is abstract or not practical. When it comes to race, an oft-heard defense is that we should all be “colorblind.” To chip away at these defenses, leaders need to make sure that their organization’s DEI goals are concrete and measurable . This also means that the DEI work that people are expected to do should be actionable so that it seems do-able for all. Regarding race work, specifically, leaders should provide evidence revealing the costs of racial colorblindness , which may contradict long-held beliefs about race that may be impeding leaders from progressing a DEI change agenda focused on improving racial equity and inclusion.

E :  Elevate DEI work internally and externally.

To marginalize someone or something means “to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.” In comparison, to elevate someone or something means to “raise in rank or status.” To elevate DEI work and race work specifically, the CEO should spearhead these efforts . Assuming this responsibility, the CEO should not only provide an appropriate budget and level of resources to address DEI issues and opportunities, but should also increase the visibility of this work and the people who will be needed to execute it. To accomplish the latter will require greater internal and external transparency . One option is for the CEO to commission an annual DEI report that shares the DEI work that the organization has been doing and any progress it has made toward meeting its goals.

R : Require leaders and managers to participate in behavior-based DEI trainings. 

Yes, diversity training can work . However, it cannot be only oriented toward increasing awareness or changing attitudes. It must also be behavior-based. DEI work is not intuitive. People need to be taught how to engage in the types of behaviors that organizations would like to see. To show that DEI is valued work, CEOs should require leaders and managers to attend trainings that are focused on improving their DEI work-related skills.

I :  Identify leaders and non-managerial employees willing to serve as DEI sponsors.

CEOs and DEI experts should not be the only leaders speaking up in support of the organization’s DEI goals and work. A long-standing practice in companies experienced in DEI work has been to appoint executive sponsors or “champions” to DEI initiatives. Yet, today, many newer and younger employees are passionate about DEI work and are looking for opportunities to help their companies . One option would be to create DEI sponsor roles for non-managerial employees who can work with the DEI team and their managers to implement DEI goals and work in their teams. However, they should be rewarded for doing this work (see “T” below).

T :  Treat DEI work as core rather than peripheral work.

In order to improve DEI and eradicate systemic racism, all need to shift their mindsets and their practices from treating DEI as an unrewarded “side hustle” (i.e. peripheral work) to treating it as merit-worthy work (i.e., core work). To accomplish this, DEI experts need to have titles (e.g., Chief Diversity Officer) and reporting relationships (e.g., report to the CEO) that match the importance of their work. Leaders, managers, and employees who have traditionally treated DEI work as “extra” work need to be evaluated based on their performance of this work if it is to be taken seriously. One option is for leaders to include DEI work as a section in actual performance evaluations since these tools are often used as the basis for determining other rewards, including pay, promotion, and bonuses.

Yes — everyone needs to take actions to address systemic racism and DEI. But leaders — including the CEO — need to treat the actions being taken as MERIT-worthy in order to ensure that DEI initiatives and efforts to eradicate systemic racism are sustainable far beyond the ebbs and flows of the current news cycle.

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Diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, a majority of u.s. workers say focusing on dei at work is a good thing, but relatively small shares place great importance on diversity in their own workplace.

Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand how adults in the United States think about diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the workplace. This analysis is based on survey responses from 4,744 U.S. adults who are working part time or full time, are not self-employed, have only one job or have multiple jobs but consider one their primary job, and whose company or organization has 10 or more people. The data was collected as part of a larger survey of workers conducted Feb. 6-12, 2023. Everyone who took part is a member of Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Read more about the questions used for this report and the report’s methodology .

References to workers or employed adults include those who are employed part time or full time, are not self-employed, have only one job or have multiple jobs but consider one their primary job, and whose company or organization has 10 or more people.

References to White, Black and Asian adults include those who are not Hispanic and identify as only one race. Hispanics are of any race.

References to college graduates or people with a college degree comprise those with a bachelor’s degree or more. “Some college” includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree.

References to disabled workers include those who say a disability or handicap keeps them from fully participating in work, school, housework or other activities.

All references to party affiliation include those who lean toward that party. Republicans include those who identify as Republicans and those who say they lean toward the Republican Party. Democrats include those who identify as Democrats and those who say they lean toward the Democratic Party.

Workplace diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, or DEI, are increasingly becoming part of national political debates . For a majority of employed U.S. adults (56%), focusing on increasing DEI at work is a good thing, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. But opinions about DEI vary considerably along demographic and political lines.

Most workers have some experience with DEI measures at their workplace. About six-in-ten (61%) say their company or organization has policies that ensure fairness in hiring, pay or promotions, and 52% say they have trainings or meetings on DEI at work. Smaller shares say their workplace has a staff member who promotes DEI (33%), that their workplace offers salary transparency (30%), and that it has affinity groups or employee resource groups based on a shared identity (26%). Majorities of those who have access to these measures say each has had a positive impact where they work.

Related : How Americans View Their Jobs

The value of DEI efforts at work

The importance of a diverse workforce, dei measures and their impact, how gender, race and ethnicity impact success in the workplace.

This nationally representative survey of 5,902 U.S. workers, including 4,744 who are not self-employed, was conducted Feb. 6-12, 2023, using the Center’s American Trends Panel . 1 The survey comes at a time when DEI efforts are facing some backlash and many major companies are laying off their DEI professionals .

Some key findings from the survey:

• Relatively small shares of workers place a lot of importance on diversity at their workplace. About three-in-ten say it is extremely or very important to them to work somewhere with a mix of employees of different races and ethnicities (32%) or ages (28%). Roughly a quarter say the same about having a workplace with about an equal mix of men and women (26%) and 18% say this about a mix of employees of different sexual orientations.
• More than half of workers (54%) say their company or organization pays about the right amount of attention to increasing DEI. Smaller shares say their company or organization pays too much (14%) or too little attention (15%), and 17% say they’re not sure. Black workers are more likely than those in other racial and ethnic groups to say their employer pays too little attention to increasing DEI. They’re also among the most likely to say focusing on DEI at work is a good thing (78% of Black workers say this), while White workers are the least likely to express this view (47%).
• Women are more likely than men to value DEI at work. About six-in-ten women (61%) say focusing on increasing DEI at work is a good thing, compared with half of men. And larger shares of women than men say it’s extremely or very important to them to work at a place that is diverse when it comes to gender, race and ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation.
• There are wide partisan differences in views of workplace DEI. Most Democratic and Democratic-leaning workers (78%) say focusing on DEI at work is a good thing, compared with 30% of Republicans and Republican leaners. Democrats are also far more likely than Republicans to value different aspects of diversity. And by wide margins, higher shares of Democrats than Republicans say the policies and resources related to DEI available at their workplace have had a positive impact.
• Half of workers say it’s extremely or very important to them to work somewhere that is accessible for people with physical disabilities. About three-in-ten workers (29%) say this is somewhat important to them, and 21% say it’s not too or not at all important. A majority of workers (76% among those who do not work fully remotely) say their workplace is at least somewhat accessible for people with physical disabilities.
• Many say being a man or being White is an advantage where they work. The survey asked respondents whether a person’s gender, race or ethnicity makes it easier or harder to be successful where they work. Shares ranging from 45% to 57% say these traits make it neither easier nor harder. But far more say being a man and being White makes it easier than say it makes it harder for someone to be successful. Conversely, by double-digit margins, more say being a woman, being Black or being Hispanic makes it harder than say it makes it easier to be successful where they work.

A majority of workers (56%) say focusing on increasing diversity, equity and inclusion at work is mainly a good thing; 28% say it is neither good nor bad, and 16% say it is a bad thing. Views on this vary along key demographic and partisan lines.

Half or more of both men and women say focusing on increasing DEI at work is a good thing, but women are more likely than men to offer this view (61% vs. 50%). In turn, men are more than twice as likely as women to say it is a bad thing (23% vs. 9%).

About two-thirds or more of Black (78%), Asian (72%) and Hispanic (65%) workers say that focusing on DEI at work is a good thing. Among White workers, however, fewer than half (47%) say it’s a good thing; in fact, 21% say it’s a bad thing. But there are wide partisan, gender and age gaps among White workers, with majorities of White Democrats, women and those under age 30 saying focusing on DEI at work is a good thing.

Workers under 30 are the most likely age group to say focusing on DEI at work is a good thing. About two-thirds (68%) of workers ages 18 to 29 say this, compared with 56% of workers 30 to 49, 46% of those 50 to 64, and 52% of those 65 and older.

Views also differ by educational attainment, with 68% of workers with a postgraduate degree saying focusing on DEI at work is a good thing, compared with 59% of those with a bachelor’s degree only and 50% of those with some college or less education.

Democratic and Democratic-leaning workers are much more likely to say focusing on DEI at work is a good thing (78%) than to say it is a bad thing (4%) or that it is neither good nor bad (18%). Views among Republican and Republican-leaning workers are more mixed: Some 30% say focusing on DEI at work is a good thing, while the same share (30%) say it’s a bad thing, and 39% say it’s neither good nor bad.

A majority of workers say their employer pays the right amount of attention to DEI

When it comes to the focus of their own employer, 54% of workers say their company or organization pays about the right amount of attention to increasing diversity, equity and inclusion. The remainder are divided between saying their employer pays too much (14%) or too little attention (15%), or that they’re not sure (17%).

Women are more likely than men to say their employer pays too little attention to increasing DEI (17% vs. 12%). In turn, men are more likely than women to say too much attention is paid to this where they work (18% vs. 10%).

Black workers (28%) are the most likely to say their company or organization pays too little attention to increasing DEI, compared with smaller shares of White (11%), Hispanic (19%) and Asian (17%) workers who say the same.

Views on this question also differ by party. While half or more of both Republican and Democratic workers say their company or organization pays the right amount of attention to DEI, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say their employer pays too little attention to it (21% vs. 7%). In turn, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say their employer pays too much attention to DEI (24% vs. 6%).

While a majority of workers say focusing on increasing diversity, equity and inclusion at work is a good thing, relatively small shares place great importance on working at a place that is diverse when it comes to gender, race and ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation. About three-in-ten workers say it’s extremely or very important to them to work somewhere with a mix of employees of different races and ethnicities (32%) and ages (28%), while 26% say the same about having about an equal mix of men and women. And 18% say this about having a mix of employees of different sexual orientations at their workplace.

Women are more likely than men to say it’s extremely or very important to them to work at a place that is diverse across all measures asked about in the survey. For example, there are 11 percentage point differences in the shares of women compared with men saying it is extremely or very important to them to work somewhere that has a mix of employees of different races and ethnicities (37% vs. 26%) and about an equal mix of men and women (31% vs. 20%).

Black workers are among the most likely to value racial, ethnic and age diversity in the workplace. Some 53% of Black workers say it is extremely or very important to them to work somewhere with a mix of employees of different races and ethnicities, compared with 39% of Hispanic workers and 25% of White workers who say the same; 43% of Asian workers say this is important to them. (There is no statistically significant difference between the share of Asian workers and the shares of Black and Hispanic workers who hold this view.) And while 42% of Black workers highly value working somewhere with a mix of employees of different ages, smaller shares of Hispanic (33%), Asian (30%) and White (24%) workers say the same.

When it comes to diversity of sexual orientation, 28% of Black workers and 22% of Hispanic workers say it is extremely or very important to them to work somewhere that is diverse in this way; 15% each among White and Asian workers say the same.

Workers under age 50 are more likely than those 50 and older to say racial and ethnic diversity in their workplace is extremely or very important to them (35% vs. 26%). Workers younger than 50 are also more likely to say having about an equal mix of men and women is important to them, with workers ages 18 t0 29 the most likely to say this (34% vs. 26% of workers 30 to 49, and 20% each among those 50 to 64 and 65 and older).

There are also differences by educational attainment, with larger shares of workers with a postgraduate degree than those with less education saying it’s extremely or very important to them that their workplace is diverse across all measures asked about in the survey. For example, 44% of workers with a postgraduate degree say having a mix of employees of different races and ethnicities is extremely or very important to them, compared with 34% of those with a bachelor’s degree only and 27% of those with some college or less.

Democratic workers are much more likely than Republican workers to say working somewhere that is diverse when it comes to gender, race and ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation is extremely or very important to them. In fact, about half of Democrats (49%) place great importance on having a mix of employees of different races and ethnicities where they work, compared with 13% of Republicans. And there are differences of at least 20 points between the shares of Democrats and Republicans saying it’s extremely or very important to them to work somewhere that has about an equal mix of men and women (39% of Democrats say this vs. 12% of Republicans) and a mix of employees of different ages (39% vs. 17%) and sexual orientations (27% vs. 7%).

Overall, a majority of workers say their workplace has a mix of employees of different ages (58% say this describes their current workplace extremely or very well). Smaller shares say their workplace has about an equal mix of men and women (38%) and a mix of employees of different races and ethnicities (46%) and sexual orientations (28%). These assessments do not vary much across demographic groups.

Half of workers place great importance on working at a place that is accessible for people with physical disabilities

Half of workers say it is extremely or very important to them to work somewhere that is accessible for people with physical disabilities; 29% say it is somewhat important and 21% say it is not too or not at all important to them.

Highly valuing an accessible workplace varies by gender, race and ethnicity, and party, but there is no significant difference in responses between those who do and don’t report having a disability.

About six-in-ten women (58%) say it is extremely or very important to them that their workplace is accessible, compared with 41% of men.

Black workers are more likely than workers of other racial and ethnic groups to place great importance on their workplace being accessible: 62% of Black workers say this is extremely or very important, compared with 51% of Hispanic, 48% of White and 43% of Asian workers.

A majority of Democrats (59%) say it is extremely or very important to them to work somewhere that is accessible for people with physical disabilities; 40% of Republican say the same. Some 27% of Republicans say this is not too or not at all important to them, compared with 15% of Democrats.

There is no statistically significant difference in the shares of workers who have a disability and those who do not saying it is extremely or very important to them to work somewhere that is accessible for people with physical disabilities. But workers who do not have a disability are more likely than those who do to say this is not too or not at all important to them (21% vs. 15%).

Among those who don’t work fully remotely, about three-quarters of workers (76%) say their workplace is at least somewhat accessible for people with physical disabilities, with 51% saying it is extremely or very accessible. Some 17% say their workplace is not too or not at all accessible, and 8% are not sure.

When asked whether the company or organization they work for has a series of measures that are typically associated with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, a majority of workers say their employer has policies that ensure everyone is treated fairly in hiring, pay or promotions (61%), and 52% say there are trainings or meetings on DEI where they work.

Smaller shares say their workplace has a staff member whose main job is to promote DEI at work (33%), a way for employees to see the salary range for all positions (30%), and groups created by employees sometimes known as affinity groups or employee resource groups (ERGs) based on shared identities such as gender, race or being a parent (26%).

Responses do not vary much by most demographic characteristics. However, workers with at least a bachelor’s degree are consistently more likely than those with less education to say each of these five measures is available where they work.

Workers tend to see positive impact from policies and resources associated with DEI where they work

Among those whose workplace offers each policy or resource, a majority of workers say each measure has had a somewhat or very positive impact where they work. About a third or fewer workers say each resource has had neither a positive nor negative impact, and about one-in-ten or fewer say each of these has had a somewhat or very negative impact.

Democrats and Republicans are about equally likely to say their workplace has these measures in place, but Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say the impact of each has been positive by margins ranging from 10 to 32 points (among those who say their workplace has these measures). For example, 66% of Democrats who say their workplace has a way for employees to see the salary range for all positions say this has had a somewhat or very positive impact, compared with 56% of Republicans who say this. And while about three-quarters of Democrats (74%) say having a staff member whose main job is to promote DEI at work has had a positive impact, fewer than half of Republicans (42%) say the same.

Women are more likely than men to say each of these policies and resources has had a very or somewhat positive impact where they work. This is mainly driven by gender differences among Republicans: There are double-digit differences in the shares of Republican women and Republican men who say many of these resources have had a positive impact. For example, 58% of Republican women say having a staff member whose main job is to promote DEI at work has had at least a somewhat positive impact where they work, compared with 31% of Republican men who hold this view. The same share of Republican women (58%) say having affinity groups or ERGs has had a positive impact, compared with 38% of Republican men who say the same.

Among Democrats, majorities of both men and women offer positive assessments of these resources in their workplace, but Democratic women are more likely than Democratic men to say having trainings or meetings on DEI at work have had a positive impact (72% vs. 65%).

While there are differences by race, ethnicity and age on overall attitudes about DEI in the workplace, there are no consistent differences along these dimensions in how workers with access to these policies and resources at their workplace assess their impact.

About half of workers who have participated in DEI trainings in the last year say they’ve been helpful

Out of all workers, about four-in-ten (38%) have participated in a DEI training in the last year. A similar share (40%) did not participate or say their workplace does not offer these trainings, and 21% are not sure if their employer offers these trainings.

Looking only at those whose company or organization has trainings or meetings on DEI, about three-quarters (73%) say they have participated in such trainings in the past year. And assessments of these trainings tend to be positive, with 53% of workers who’ve participated saying they were very or somewhat helpful. About a third (34%) give a more neutral assessment, saying the trainings were neither helpful nor unhelpful, and 13% say they were very or somewhat unhelpful.

While men and women are about equally likely to have participated in trainings on DEI in the past year, women are more likely than men to say the trainings have been at least somewhat helpful (60% vs. 46%).

Republicans and Democrats are also equally likely to say they’ve participated in these trainings in the past year, but Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say the trainings have been helpful (66% vs. 36%). About one-in-five Republicans say they’ve been unhelpful (19%), compared with 9% of Democrats.

While both Democratic men and women offer similar assessments of the DEI trainings they’ve participated in, there are gender differences among Republican workers. Republican women are more likely than Republican men to say the trainings they’ve participated in have been helpful (47% vs. 28%). Conversely, 22% of Republican men, compared with 14% of Republican women, say the trainings have been unhelpful.

Few workers are members of affinity groups or ERGs at work

While 26% of workers say there are affinity groups or employee resource groups (ERGs) where they work, members of these groups account for a very small share of workers overall. Just 6% of workers say they are members of an affinity group or ERG, with 58% of workers saying these groups are either not available at their workplace or that they aren’t a member. Another 37% say they are not sure if their workplace offers these groups.

When asked about the impact a person’s gender, race or ethnicity has on their ability to succeed at work, workers tend to say these characteristics neither make it easier nor harder to be successful at their workplace.

Still, when it comes to gender, workers are more likely to say being a man makes it easier to be successful where they work than to say it makes it harder (36% vs. 6%). In contrast, a larger share says being a woman makes it harder to be successful than say it makes it easier (28% vs. 11%).

Men and women have different views on the impact gender has on a person’s ability to succeed where they work. Some 44% of women say being a man makes it at least a little easier to be successful, including 24% who say it makes it a lot easier. This compares with 29% of men who say being a man makes it at least a little easier to be successful.

Similarly, 34% of women say being a woman makes it harder to be successful where they work, compared with 21% of men.

Women under age 50 are especially likely – more so than women ages 50 and older or men in either age group – to say being a man makes it easier to be successful where they work and that being a woman makes it harder. For example, 38% of women ages 18 to 49 say being a woman makes it harder to be successful where they work. This compares with 29% of women 50 and older, 25% of men younger than 50, and an even smaller share of men 50 and older (13%).

When it comes to views about how race or ethnicity affects people’s ability to succeed at work, 51% of Black workers say being Black makes it harder to be successful where they work. This is significantly higher than the shares of Asian (41%), Hispanic (23%) and White (18%) workers who say the same about the impact of being Black.

Similarly, about four-in-ten Asian workers (39%) say being Asian makes it harder to be successful in their workplace, a higher share than workers of other racial and ethnic groups who say the same about being Asian.

Hispanic, Black and Asian workers are about equally likely to say being Hispanic makes it harder to be successful where they work. A smaller share of White workers say the same about being Hispanic.

When asked about the impact of being White in their workplace, workers across racial and ethnic groups are more likely to say it makes it easier than to say it makes it harder to be successful. This is especially the case among Black and Asian workers. About half of Black (52%) and Asian (51%) workers say being White makes it easier to be successful where they work, compared with 37% of Hispanic and 24% of White workers who say the same about being White.

Previously released findings from this survey found that Black workers are more likely than White, Hispanic and Asian workers to report that they have experienced discrimination or have been treated unfairly by an employer in hiring, pay or promotions because of their race or ethnicity at some point in their careers (though not necessarily where they currently work). Women are also more likely than men to say they’ve experienced such discrimination because of their gender.

There are large partisan gaps in views of whether gender, race or ethnicity make it easier or harder to be successful at work. Some 47% of Democratic workers say being a man makes it at least somewhat easier to be successful at their workplace, compared with 25% of Republican workers. Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to say being a woman makes it harder to succeed (37% vs. 17%).

Democratic and Republican women are more likely than their male counterparts to say being a woman makes it harder – and being a man makes it easier – to be successful where they work. The differences between Republican women and Republican men are particularly striking. About a quarter of Republican women (26%) say being a woman makes it harder to be successful, compared with 10% of Republican men. And while 36% of Republican women say being a man makes it easier to be successful where they work, just 16% of Republican men say the same.

Democratic workers are more than three times as likely as Republican workers to say being White makes it easier to succeed where they work (48% vs. 13%), and they are also more likely than Republicans to say being Black, Hispanic or Asian makes it harder. About four-in-ten Democrats (39%) say being Black makes it harder for someone to succeed at their workplace, compared with just 9% of Republicans. Similarly, 30% of Democrats say being Hispanic makes it harder to succeed, compared with 8% of Republicans. And while smaller shares in both parties say being Asian makes it harder to succeed, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say this (16% vs. 6%). These partisan differences remain when looking only at Democrats and Republicans who are White.

• For details, see the  Methodology  section of the report. The analysis in this report is based on U.S. workers who are employed full time or part time, who are not self-employed, and who have only one job or have multiple jobs but consider one their primary job (99% of workers who are not self-employed have one job or a primary job). Additionally, the analysis is restricted to workers at companies or organizations with at least 10 employees as certain federal requirements such as non-discrimination mandates apply to larger workplaces. ↩
• Non-White adults include Black, Hispanic, Asian and other races besides White, as well as people who identify as more than one race. The sample sizes among Black, Hispanic and Asian workers who have affinity groups or ERGs at work are too small to analyze separately. ↩

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Table of contents, about a third of u.s. workers who can work from home now do so all the time, how americans view their jobs, the enduring grip of the gender pay gap, for today’s young workers in the u.s., job tenure is similar to that of young workers in the past, majority of u.s. workers changing jobs are seeing real wage gains, most popular.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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5 Strategies for Creating an Inclusive Workplace

• Pooja Jain-Link,
• Julia Taylor Kennedy,
• Trudy Bourgeois

Take action to build an organization where every employee can thrive.

Women of color face major obstacles to being heard, valued, and respected in their jobs. They feel their ideas aren’t heard or recognized, and they express feeling stalled in their careers. But these individuals bring diverse ideas and experiences to the table, which can help companies innovate and grow. Any company that wants to realize the full potential of its employees should be taking action to create safe and inclusive workplaces where women of color can achieve their full potential.

There are a number of strategies employers, leaders, and managers can use to help create a more inclusive workplace. First, embrace the business case for diversity and inclusion. Second, tackle bias through employee and leadership training programs. Next, practice inclusive leadership by creating a safe team environment. Then, provide sponsorship programs, so women of color can learn the ropes and have someone advocate for them. Finally, hold leaders accountable. Make sure that inclusion is a core value of the organization — not just something you do to “check a box.”

Women of color are entering the workforce in greater numbers than ever before, bringing education, ambition, and diverse ideas and experiences with them. As a result, they offer corporations a potent force of insight and innovation that will be increasingly needed to meet the needs of a diverse customer base. Yet, despite the value that women of color represent for companies, they’re rarely given leadership positions, not to mention roles in the C-suite. Presently, there are no female black or Latina CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.

• Pooja Jain-Link is executive vice president at Coqual and secondary lead researcher on Coqual’s four-part study, The Power of Belonging. She co-led, with Taylor Kennedy, research on Coqual’s Being Black in Corporate America and Wonder Women in STEM and the Companies that Champion Them , along with several other studies. Jain-Link also works with Coqual’s advisory clients on strategic action planning, culture audits, and other diagnostics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Julia Taylor Kennedy is executive vice president at Coqual , a global nonprofit think tank dedicated to workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is the lead researcher of Coqual’s four-part study, The Power of Belonging . She also co-led research on Coqual’s Being Black in Corporate America and The Sponsor Dividend , along with several other studies. Taylor Kennedy works with Coqual’s advisory clients to design and implement leadership development programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Trudy Bourgeois is the founder of The Center for Workforce Excellence and is a renowned and respected authority on leadership development. She is the author of Her Corner Office , The Hybrid Leader , and the forthcoming EQUALITY: Courageous Conversations about Women, Men, and Race in the Workplace to Create a Diversity and Inclusion Breakthrough .

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Assignments Are Critical Tools to Achieve Workplace Gender Equity

Work assignments can be a powerful means of propelling employees’ growth but — unless managed deliberately — they can also undermine efforts to build a diverse workforce.

• Workplace, Teams, & Culture
• Organizational Behavior

Facing unprecedented levels of employee burnout and historic quit rates , how can companies lead with a model that attracts and retains talent? This period of transition, and the lessons learned from the pandemic, offer organizations a unique opportunity to improve and refine their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies. 1 It is imperative that leaders consider the landscape of work assignments at their companies as a foundation for greater workforce equity.

“Assignments” can comprise work tasks, activities, or projects. Scholars have long identified a gender gap in access to the kinds of assignments — large in scope, highly visible, and strategically important — that are seen as essential to career advancement. An estimated 70% of leadership development occurs through experiential learning , especially the kind offered by these challenging stretch assignments.

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Yet women are largely overlooked for challenging work assignments. One factor is that women typically have fewer ties to influential decision makers who connect people to assignment opportunities . Biased performance evaluations also may play a role, with women seeing no gains in their performance scores for the very behaviors (such as “taking charge”) for which men are rewarded. 2 One study showed how promotability depends on having had challenging past projects — setting up a vicious cycle in which women never get ahead. 3 Women of color, tasked with the additional burden of “fitting in” at predominantly White organizations, may find channels to career-advancing work blocked entirely. 4

Historically, companies have not tracked assignment processes. In one 2010 report, when HR leaders were asked the percentage of “business-critical/important” assignments held by women, the top two responses were “1% to 10%” and “not measured.” Both career-advancing work and meaningful work are cornerstones of positive professional experiences. But leaders may know little about who has access to significant assignments, or they may be unaware of how a lack of access drives burnout, turnover, and dwindling diversity on the leadership bench. 5

These many unknowns about assignments drive an information gap that grows riskier as countless organizations head into new hybrid work arrangements. To quantify this risk, our team at the Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab ran a study of assignments, using data that many companies collect and managers review at least yearly: employee engagement survey (EES) data. We examined pre-pandemic EES results for a midsized global technology company. 6 Only one question on the survey asked about employees’ perceptions of access to career-advancing assignments.

The company did not track assignments by gender, but our analysis showed a statistically significant gender difference. Relative to men, women were 15% less likely to report opportunities for career-advancing assignments. 7 This gender difference held even after we adjusted for employee and job characteristics. That is, women were less likely than men to perceive their assignment opportunities as having career value. This was the case even among women and men in the same department and role.

We then supplemented this analysis with a descriptive look at two related survey questions on our case company’s EES: one about making meaningful contributions, and another about receiving recognition for one’s work. Of women, 39% saw greater contribution opportunities than recognition opportunities, compared with 34% of men. While this particular gender gap may seem small, limited opportunities can accumulate over the course of a career and contribute to the persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership. Imagine how these results could inform today’s leaders in an economy recalibrating during an ongoing global pandemic.

An Equity-Minded Assignment Framework

Unseen assignment disparities can destabilize efforts to build a diverse workforce all the way up the ladder, so we propose an equity-minded assignment framework for leaders and managers to implement in the short, medium, and long terms, starting today . The purpose of this framework is to better identify and strengthen the role of work assignments in meeting DEI goals.

In the short term, embed assignment conversations in the “return to office” tools for managers. Many companies are deploying managerial tools to support employees and teams in their decision-making about hybrid work arrangements. These one-on-one meetings offer a promising context for managers to discuss assignments with their direct reports. These discussions are critical, as will be the consequences of not talking about assignments: Hybrid work arrangements, where some employees are in the office while others are working from home, run the risk of creating inequality in employees’ visibility to leaders and thus who might be seen as the right person for a particular assignment.

These conversations present a unique opportunity to explore assignments and have a forward-looking career discussion. Managers may ask, for example:

• What are you currently working on that you see as critical to your career development and advancement? What work do you find especially meaningful? How do these areas overlap?
• As we return to the office, how can we align your work with your career advancement goals and your sense of fulfillment? Which assignments do you need in order to get there, and to whom do you need to be visible?
• How will your hybrid work arrangement give you exposure to the right people and workstreams?

These questions will encourage managers and employees to think through not just the where of the hybrid workplace, but the what and with what career outcomes . Answering them can push employees to think beyond work-life factors in their ideal hybrid design — and can nudge everyone in the organization to view assignments as a core tool in employee development.

In the medium term, develop a broader view of the assignments landscape in the organization. In the wake of workforce disruption and heightened attention to racism, sexism, and inequality, leaders have been called on to accelerate their DEI efforts. To achieve real change, assignments need to be embedded in DEI strategy. The first step is to get a better handle on the baseline landscape of assignments by identifying the most important assignments for career advancement and meaning. Conducting focus groups with employees across all organizational functions can help inform the strategy by identifying common assignment-related themes and persistent problems to tackle.

Once the landscape is understood, leaders can create accountability mechanisms for more equitable assignment allocations and outcomes. Leaders need to ensure that top assignments are made available across organizational functions and that supports are in place for people to execute them successfully. For example, the former CEO of Jamba Juice, James White, changed how high-profile work was assigned by deliberately giving defined strategic projects to people who were rarely selected for them and providing them with dedicated time to meet project goals. Rethinking these channels diversified the internal pipeline of people ready to advance to leadership roles .

In performance evaluation and talent calibration meetings, leaders must explicitly account for assignments — those assigned to employees who are promoted and, just as importantly, to employees who are not. Managers should consider whether promotion gaps between women and men, for instance, would shift if assignments were changed. Internal audits and assignment dashboards, which visually clarify who on which teams is doing what, can inform data-driven managerial decision-making about assignments. The goal is not to decrease managerial autonomy but rather to empower managers with a broad view of the landscape, to increase assignment transparency and build opportunities for connection.

Finally, the range of assignments needs to be balanced fairly within units and across different roles. In mapping and building on this landscape, leaders must not overlook “low-promotability” work. Linda Babcock and colleagues have shown that women are more often asked to volunteer for lower-leverage assignments than are men, and they agree to do this work more often, too. 8 Expectations about women’s propensity to volunteer for tasks that everyone wants completed but no one wants to do themselves can route women away from career-advancing work and ultimately deepen gender stereotypes and inequity in the workplace. Leaders must engage managers, HR professionals, and staff members focused on DEI efforts in building a more equitable assignment space to support the advancement of all workforce groups.

Over the long term, make assignments a core part of your employee engagement surveys, and link the results to your talent strategy. The EES has long been a tool for organizations to take the temperature of their workforces by collecting engagement data and identifying employee needs. But work assignments are rarely measured on EESs, despite their significance for motivation, engagement, and equitable advancement. (In examining EESs at four large multinational companies in various sectors, we found that, of nearly 200 total questions, only five explicitly mentioned work assignments.) Including even a few questions about assignments will allow for new insights, and running gap analyses that integrate EES data can lead to even more significant change. (A gap analysis is a tool that allows an organization to diagnose gaps between an organizational goal and an actual outcome.)

Questions included on a survey define what information leaders can know about their workforces. “What is not measured is critically important to consider,” said Molly Anderson, CEO of Exponential Talent, a diversity and inclusion consulting firm. She also noted that “companies often draw the wrong conclusions … through an error of omission.” We suggest using one question as a starting point for study: “To what extent do you have sufficient opportunities to work on assignments that are important to your career development?” Gathering information about access to critical assignments and their connections to particular employees’ goals is a good jumping-off point that organizations can track in real time.

After you ask questions, it’s crucial to examine group differences in the responses as part of conducting a larger gap analysis into which EES data can factor directly. 9 Say, for example, that an organization sets a DEI goal to increase the representation of women and people of color in leadership roles. Collected EES data might show that these groups perceive access to leadership development assignments differently than White men do. With assignment-specific EES data, leaders can then act to meet their DEI goal, equipped with information to open dialogue, inspire interventions, and course-correct.

Assignments Looking Forward

Related articles.

The best approach to incorporating assignments in your talent strategy is multipronged. As organizations prepare for hybrid work arrangements, assignments should be discussed in managers’ one-on-ones with their direct reports; embedded in DEI goals, performance evaluations, and promotion conversations; explored in focus groups; and measured on EESs and in gap analyses. When any of these approaches reveals potential disparities in the experiences or perceptions of assignments between groups, leaders should focus on revamping their processes.

Leaders don’t have to tackle all of these approaches at once. Any increase in understanding the state of assignments in an organization, and in beginning to act on these insights, will in fact be a talent differentiator. After the pandemic-driven exodus of women — especially women of color — from the workforce, companies cannot afford to lose more of them to the additional burnout wrought by unfairly allocated assignments. By keeping steady tabs on their workforces when change is both inevitable and highly uncertain, forward-looking leaders can quickly identify and intervene in emergent negative trends and drive positive changes to empower their workforces equitably.

About the Authors

Erin Macke is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Stanford University and a graduate research assistant at Stanford’s VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab. Gabriela Gall Rosa is a research data analyst at the VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab. Shannon Gilmartin is a senior research scholar at the VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab. Caroline Simard is managing director of the VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab.

1. “ Hybrid Working Is Here to Stay Post-Pandemic: Stanford’s Nicholas Bloom ,” Bloomberg TV, Dec. 30, 2020, video, 6:34, www.bloomberg.com; and J.M. Barrero, N. Bloom, and S.J. Davis, “ Why Working From Home Will Stick ,” working paper 28731, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 2021.

2. S.J. Correll, K.R. Weisshaar, A.T. Wynn, et al., “Inside the Black Box of Organizational Life: The Gendered Language of Performance Assessment,” American Sociological Review 85, no. 6 (December 2020): 1022-1050.

3. I.E. De Pater, A.E.M. van Vianen, M.N. Bechtoldt, et al., “Employees’ Challenging Job Experiences and Supervisors’ Evaluations of Promotability,” Personnel Psychology 62, no. 2 (May 2009): 297-325.

4. T.M. Melaku, “You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer: Black Women and Systemic Gendered Racism,” (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019).

5. P.T.Y. Preenan, I.E. De Pater, A.E. van Vianen, et al., “Managing Voluntary Turnover Through Challenging Assignments,” Group & Organization Management 36, no.3 (April 2011): 3088-344; C. Maslach and M. Leiter, “Early Predictors of Job Burnout and Engagement,” Journal of Applied Psychology 93, no. 3 (June 2008): 489-512; and J.M. Hoobler, G. Lemmon, and S.J. Wayne, “Women’s Managerial Aspirations: An Organizational Development Perspective,” Journal of Management 40, no. 3 (March 2014): 703-730.

6. This EES data was collected in 2015 from over 4,000 respondents at this company.

7. For this analysis, we calculated predicted probabilities (57% for women and 67% for men, p<0.0001) from a logistic regression in which the dependent measure, agreement with “having opportunities,” is dichotomized into levels of agreement: “great/very great” and “very little/some/moderate.” A series of ordinary least squares regressions on a nondichotomized dependent measure yielded similar results.

8. L. Babcock, M.P. Recalde, L. Vesterlund, et al., “Gender Differences in Accepting and Receiving Requests for Tasks With Low Promotability,” American Economic Review 107, no. 3 (March 2017): 714-747.

9. It is worth noting that we could not conduct our case study analyses by employees’ race and ethnicity because this information was not collected on the company’s EES, so our analyses cannot speak to both gender and race assignment inequities. While legal and privacy considerations in different geographies may constrain what can be measured, companies should strive to examine such data by race and ethnicity, geography, and other social dimensions based on their diversity strategies.

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5 Easy Ways to Recharge Your Corporate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Efforts for 2024

The work of inclusion is evolving. Here's how you can stay ahead and make your year a success.

We've made it to the new year. The year 2023 was extraordinarily difficult for many inclusion practitioners as we continued to navigate the many headwinds facing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work.

In the two years following George Floyd's murder, companies made major strides in delivering on the promise of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace. With great progress comes great resistance. A major effort to diminish the successes of DEIB work took place, with many companies reducing, or eliminating, the initiatives they had previously championed.

We know DEIB, when properly implemented, measured, and supported, works to increase the representation and inclusion of marginalized individuals in the workplace. It's good for people and it's good for business .

If you are reading this, I know that you're committed to justice for all. Let's keep your organization on board as well. Here are my five tips for recharging your diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work for 2024.

1. Assess your current DEIB efforts.

Take a moment to celebrate and reflect on your wins from last year. Now take a critical look at your current DEIB initiatives and policies . Ask yourself, are they effective? Are they meeting the needs of your employees? If not, it's time to reevaluate and make changes.

2. Create/utilize DEIB committees.

Engage employees from all levels of the organization to form a committee responsible for reviewing and improving DEIB efforts. Consider keeping core leaders on the committee but have rotating committee members in the organization so the DEIB work is shared among teams across divisions.

3. Foster an inclusive culture.

Encourage belonging in all aspects of your workplace culture. Yes, this does include celebrating different cultures and holidays, but it also includes providing greater accommodations for disabilities and creating a safe and respectful workplace for all employees. The key is intentionality. To make a real impact, you must be thoughtful and deliberate in your actions and practice.

4. Hold leadership accountable.

Hold leadership accountable for DEIB efforts. Ensure that they are actively engaged and supporting DEIB initiatives and that they are held responsible for progress and results. What should that accountability look like? Carrots or sticks or both--which works best for your culture?

5. Provide training and education.

Provide regular training and education on DEIB topics to all employees. And make it practical. I will always give actions, scenarios, and takeaways--in addition to explanation and inspiration--when I talk about authenticity, belonging, unconscious bias, allyship, communicating across differences, and inclusive leadership. A good story makes people think differently; good training makes them act differently. That's our goal. Real change that lasts.

The work of inclusion and belonging is an ongoing process and it requires continuous effort and commitment from everyone in your organization. It's a new year and another opportunity to drive meaningful change. Use these tips and do the work to bring everyone on board to get the support you need to make diversity matter for good.

This post originally appeared at inc.com .

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