Author: Suzie Farthing
With Donald Trump’s inauguration as President taking place on Monday, there have been a flurry of news reports about several US-headquartered corporates, including Meta, Amazon, Walmart and McDonalds, “rolling back” from their DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programmes or even “eliminating DEI” in a bid to curry political favour.
As Co-founder of a strategic inclusion-focused communications consultancy (Untapped) and disability-focused market research and insight business (Untapped Opinions) should my business partners and I be worried?
I say, “hell no!” And here’s why . . .
Look behind the headlines
In a recent Forbes’ article about the leaked Meta announcement a section of the leaked internal statement is included. It says, “The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”
The statement goes on to share Meta’s ambitions, “At Meta, we have a principle of serving everyone. This can be achieved through cognitively diverse teams, with differences in knowledge, skills, political views, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Such teams are better at innovating, solving complex problems and identifying new opportunities which ultimately helps us deliver on our ambition to build products that serve everyone.”
It sounds suspiciously like an organisation which values having a diverse team and wants to build an inclusive culture to me! Maybe it’s just the term ‘DEI” which is being retired . . .
McDonald’s was also name-checked by the media as one of the multinationals ditching DEI. Yet a quick LinkedIn search shows that they’re currently hiring for roles which focus on accessibility (in Europe at least), no doubt because McDonald’s understands that disabled customers are an important market. And Bloomberg reports that Amazon’s vice president of global diversity, equity and inclusion has had a role title change to vice president of inclusive experiences and technology. To me, this doesn’t imply that inclusion is being side-lined but rather that it’s a strategic priority.
I’m not saying all is rosy within these major global multinationals. If I worked at Meta, I’d certainly be questioning what prompted my CEO to claim that, in his view, businesses would benefit from “more masculine energy” (as well as his leadership credibility overall!!).
But let’s not lose hope. Inclusion remains a business growth opportunity. You just have to go about it in the right way.
Be authentic – NO “INCLUSION-WASHING”!
When it comes to “DEI” facing a backlash and the term becoming “charged” (as Meta has stated), I believe that poor communications and bad marketing practices have a lot to answer for. In the same way that there has been a backlash against “greenwashing” – the practice of over-claiming progress towards Net Zero targets by organisations who do a lot of “green” comms campaigns about projects with no real substance or tangible outcomes behind them, “diversity washing” or “inclusion washing” is a real thing. It’s inauthentic and highly damaging to a brand’s reputation.
It got me thinking about the AbilityNet TechShare Pro Advertising and Media Summit, which I attended in November. According to a representation whitepaper from event partner, Valuable 500, up to 98% of disabled consumers don’t see their experiences consistently depicted in media and marketing. Yes, there are standout exceptions, but when disabled people are represented on our screens in ads and marketing campaigns it often feels – and could actually be – tokenistic.
This is a BIG MISTAKE.
Tokenism doesn’t serve anyone. It’s detrimental to making progress towards true, authentic, embedded inclusion. I can’t stress enough how bad it is for business – it risks damaging reputations – a lesson that brands need to learn, quickly.
Commit to meaningful and authentic inclusion
Forget the term “DEI” for a second and think about the best place(s) you’ve ever worked and why. Now think about the products you use every day and love, or the services that have left you smiling rather than tearing your hair out in frustration.
I guarantee that inclusion plays/played a part in why those answers came to you just now.
Working for a company that values inclusion and inclusive experiences for employees and customers alike means being part of an organisation where you and your colleagues have zero barriers to fully participating, collaborating and doing your jobs to the best possible standard. Where you feel that your ideas and opinions matter. Where there’s space to talk openly and where people do so, and often. That’s inclusion.
And when companies truly value inclusion internally AND for their customers, they ensure it’s front of mind from the outset of product and service development and throughout the process – from research and development, innovation, testing, refinement and further development, right through to go-to-market, including sales, marketing, communications. It’s not just having a diverse mix of actors in your final ad or marketing campaign. It’s engaging with diverse voices and opinions throughout the journey. It means that your products and services will have universal appeal. Your market is open to anyone and everyone, with no barriers. Your audiences – your employees and customers, suppliers, partners, and stakeholders – will have an authentic experience of your brand.
That’s the true power of inclusion.