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Ask Marguerite: How Do I Persuade My Boss Not To Abandon DEI?

Writer's picture: Fletcher ConsultingFletcher Consulting

“Hi Marguerite, I am an HR Director at a privately held company. Part of my responsibility has been to offer DEI programs to our employees. Given the current climate, my leadership is less enthusiastic about continuing the programming this year. How do you suggest I persuade them that it is still important?”


I can’t imagine you’re the only person with this question. These are certainly challenging times for people who care about DEI.


You won’t get far in the conversation if the anxiety of current events is an elephant in the room. If you’re able to, I recommend taking time to ask a couple of questions to address your leaders’ fears. Acknowledge that there are unknowns and risks, and that you share their commitment to protecting the organization’s legal and reputational integrity. 


With this common emotional ground established, focus on the advantages to the organization. If you’ve been doing DEI work in the past, go back to the “why.” Why did you start doing it? What were your goals? And what have the benefits been? 


Studies show the business value of diversity, inclusion, and equitable access. But make the case as specifically as you can. Show them evidence of systemic improvements—survey data about employee engagement, for instance—and highlight stories that make the data come to life. What great decision was shaped by input from diverse stakeholders? What high-performing hire might not have come on board but for new recruitment methods and a more inclusive culture?


Remind your leaders that these results are just as important as they have ever been, if not more so. With the discourse and news cycle as uncertain as it is, employees are stressed and afraid too. It’s time to invest more in helping them build skills for interpersonal interactions, open discussion, and mutual respect—not cut those supports. 


And if it helps assuage some fears, consider rebranding the programs. Words like “DEI,” “inclusion,” and “implicit bias” have been twisted. You can be clear about what it is without triggering people’s fears—or hiding the ball.


If what you’re doing is team-building, call it that. Teaching managers to lead their diverse teams can be called “Developing Leadership Skills.” Diversity, inclusion, and equity have always benefited everyone in the organization. It’s not deceptive to broaden the nomenclature. 


Now, if you can keep naming things with DEI terminology—or if your mission is explicitly about equity or justice—don’t change the names. In fact, you may have an opportunity to stand with Costco and others and defend the work publicly.. 


Either way, that’s my advice: name the fear, make tactical adjustments, and then continue to do things that are good for your employees. Good luck—and let me know how it goes.

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