It’s a Reckoning for DEI

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“Diversity is a reality and inclusion benefits organizations,” says Psychology Today. Like many things in life, this is true — but only to a point. Multiple voices representing multiple viewpoints are a definite plus for companies and any organization. But to make “diversity” and “inclusion” the end-all and be-all of company operations is madness. 

Donald Trump’s election victory has given America a chance at a DEI reset. And Trump has put people in place who will insist on rolling back many of the more outrageous DEI initiatives that demonize white people, force hiring practices based exclusively on race, and create artificial performance standards that promote “equity” rather than excellence.

“I do think some companies are going to start to use the rhetoric we’ve heard from Trump over the last year to step away from some of these things,” Paul Wolfe author, and former CHRO at Indeed, Match.com, and Conde Nast. “I think this is another thing that will only get harder for DEIB professionals and HR professionals to deal with.”

Indeed, DEI is not going quietly into that good night. Numerous court challenges are expected on issues ranging from affirmative action to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles in business. Ripping these policies from the body politic is not going to be easy, nor is it going to come without howls of outrage from the radical left.

Nevertheless, Trump’s appointments reflect his efforts to attack DEI at the source. 

Axios:

The “anti-woke” crusade’s best chance to enact society-wide changes could come through the Justice Department, which Trump has nominated Gaetz to lead.

Gaetz, a flame-throwing loyalist who has labeled DEI “racist and dangerous,” would oversee a purge of career officials and the renovation — or potential shuttering — of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

Trump transition official Mark Paoletta accused career DOJ officials this week of blocking efforts to sue Yale University for alleged anti-Asian and anti-white discrimination during Trump’s first term, and warned staff against “sabotaging” the new administration’s agenda.

“The American people overwhelmingly want to end DEI, ban boys from playing in girls’ sports and using girls’ locker rooms, secure our border, and deport illegal aliens,” Paoletta wrote on X.

Paoletta has tremendous respect for the career employees at the Justice Department. But he points out that some career Justice Department employees will try to sabotage Trump’s agenda and suggest “they should leave or be fired.”

As for the private sector, there’s already a welcome reevaluation of DEI underway at many companies and other firms are looking to de-emphasize DEI as part of their corporate culture.

Fortune:

Companies who are still considering DEI as part of their larger business strategies might shift the way they present and implement those changes. That could include doing away with standalone teams and chief diversity officer titles, and integrating those roles into other functions. 

“I do not believe that people are doing a mass retreat, but a lot of institutions are getting rid of their D&I Director,” Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO and president of GLAAD, a non-profit LGBTQ+ organization, tells Fortune. She adds that she has spoken with hundreds of CEOs who want to integrate DEI “more into the fabric of the company, so that it’s not a standalone part of the company.”

Integrating DEI principles into the corporate culture is far better than setting up a DEI bureaucracy that has to justify its existence by issuing ever more ridiculous guidelines and pronouncements. 

In this way, DEI can become what it should have been from the start: a voluntary part of a corporate community concerned with maximizing efficiency and including voices with different perspectives.