C-suite Support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts Declines by 18% in Two Years, Reports DDI and Glassdoor

I’m going to pull right from CIO Dive.

C-suite endorsement of companywide diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts has decreased by 18% in the past two years, according to an April 19 press release from research firm DDI.

The report reflected an increase in companies that did not offer DEI programs: From 2020 to now, the number jumped from 15% to 20%.

This decline in support for inclusion and belonging work “has left many leaders, especially those who are women and from minority racial and ethnic backgrounds, questioning their company and role,” DDI Center for Analytics and Behavioral Research Director Stephanie Neal said.

 A Glassdoor report released in late 2022 suggested that DEI progress has stalled. 

By Glassdoor’s count, the number of diversity and inclusion initiatives cataloged jumped from 29% in 2019 to 43% in 2021, but that rate dipped slightly to 41% in 2022.

Similarly, a Gartner report released in January suggested that leaders are lackadaisical in adopting inclusion-focused values, with DEI leaders expressing exasperation at the lack of buy-in from business leaders.

To address this trend, labor experts have confirmed to HR Dive that business leaders’ hands are slipping off the wheel regarding DEI. 

The solution? HR managers can draw out how inclusion and belonging are tenets of employee engagement — a key battleground in the ongoing war for talent.

This investment can offer a competitive advantage in a world of tight labor, as highlighted here. Combining the right thing to do with the smart thing to do for that opportunity is a clear path, and I encourage leaders to see this as an advantageous move.      Why wouldn’t you want to be better at employee engagement and, thus, retention when labor is at such a premium?