Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Training Fails and What Companies Can Do About It
By Sebastian Morgan
At the time, 2020 felt like a turning point for workplace diversity.
Following the George Floyd and Stop AAPI Hate protests, thousands of corporations made diversity statements and increased funding to tackle related internal issues through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Yet three years later, progress has stalled. Job ads for DEI roles on Indeed fell by 19% in 2022 and corporations are shrinking their existing staff — particularly in the sluggish tech sector.
It's safe to say that the timing of these cutbacks is pretty poor. A vast majority of young Americans (84%) say that businesses should be investing in DEI. More importantly, 57% of all workers in a Pew Research study on the Great Resignation named "feeling disrespected at work" as one of the reasons for leaving their last job.
DEI programs are essential to both worker well-being and employee retention, but why does DEI training so often fail? Furthermore, what can you do to ensure that your DEI training program makes a meaningful contribution to your company culture?
Read on to start building better initiatives for your workplace.
