Hays Article: Now’s the time to step up on DE & I

Posted on09 August 2024

Some companies are downgrading on DE&I – but at what cost?

8 min read | Trisha Brookes | Article | DE&I Leadership | People and culture

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) has been high on organisations’ agendas for several years now, and it’s clear that candidates value employers who make the effort to develop welcoming workplaces. So why are some companies dialling back on DE&I?

Despite the laudable goal of driving DE&I across the workplace – and the associated attraction and retention benefits – a number of Fortune 100 companies have reportedly scaled back their DE&I programmes and budgets. What’s more, one major HR association has even dropped the ‘equity’ from the DE&I term – arguably the most important, albeit hardest to achieve, element.

We’ve considered the reason behind this shift in focus – and why organisations who continue to make DE&I a priority have much to gain.

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