‘Put your money where your mouth is’: Employers stumble on what’s next for DEI

Do employers understand what a diverse and inclusive workplace really looks like? From employees’ point of view, the answer is no.

Employers say they are dedicated to revamping their DEI strategies in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and other racial justice initiatives, yet discrimination is still rampant in the workplace. Exclusive research from Arizent, the parent company of Employee Benefit News, found that 74% of BIPOC and Hispanic women have experienced discrimination in the workplace, followed by 57% of white women, and 52% of BIPOC and Hispanic men.

The most common forms of discrimination listed by respondents include being passed over for a promotion, being passed over for a job, or receiving a reduction in pay. More extreme were instances of being fired or being removed from projects.

Read more: How to prevent your DEI efforts from losing steam

That discrimination has wide-ranging consequences on the health of both employees and the organization as a whole. The Arizent research found that employees who exprienced discrimination reported decreased satisfaction with their jobs, and 33% reported feelings of depression and anxiety after a discriminatory episode.

“There’s this increased sense of hypervigilance, and that extends into our workplace environment,” Dr. Milo Dodson, senior manager for diversity and inclusion and community outreach at Belkin International, previously told EBN. “We know that racial battle fatigue is a real thing, and it impacts health. Employees are not going to be able to perform at regular productivity levels.”

While 73% told Arizent they are involved in their company’s initiatives to evaluate and advance DEI, just 28% of employers have clearly defined diversity targets in place when it comes to their recruiting and hiring practices, and 29% have no system in place to receive feedback from employees on their DEI efforts.

With a toxic workplace culture and murky DEI plans, employers are going to struggle to bring on new talent, the Arizent report found. Sixty-four percent of those surveyed would be less interested in working for a company that shows evidence of a lack of diversity and 15% have left a company due to a lack of DEI.

The silver lining? Employers are still willing to try. More than a third of employers said communicating their DEI efforts and continuously evaluating them is extremely important. But employers need to look at the full employee experience and take action, Daniel Oppong, founder of the Courage Collective, a DEI consultancy firm, previously told EBN.

“Employers need to put their money where their mouth is and hire experts who can actually help them on the journey. Take an honest assessment of where you are and what you don't know, and then find partners who can help you grow,” he says. “If you only think about getting them in the door, as opposed to what their experience is like once they get here, they're not going to stay.”