Five years ago, the word “diversity” was everywhere. Businesses wanted to be seen as supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. And if they weren’t, it was a huge red flag. Now…what’s even happened to that word?
Pretty much overnight, it vanished from company websites. Not just in the US, but globally.
Yet it still has big benefits for attracting and retaining top talent. It’s also key to business profitability and growth.
For instance, companies that are diverse outperform their competitors by 35%. When companies are diverse, they’re 70% more likely to capture new markets. Gender-diverse companies see 15% higher financial returns. And 63% of employees prioritize DEI programs when applying for roles.
There is plenty more evidence where that came from.
So here’s how you can continue to champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace in 2026 and beyond:
Actually talk about diversity and inclusion in the workplace
When something isn’t discussed, it becomes the monster under the bed. It’s there, it’s big and scary, and you don’t know how bad it’s going to be. So you close your eyes, hide under the sheets, and hope it goes away.
But this is business. That doesn’t happen.
Talking about diversity and inclusion in the workplace and why it still matters helps remove some of the misinformation that has appeared about it. It reminds people of why diversity benefits businesses—and society—as a whole.
Educate employees on why diversity and inclusion in the workplace matters
Employee training around diversity and inclusion in the workplace still matters. Especially when it comes to making people feel welcome.
I was in a café the day I wrote this. An older patron said something that would be seen as cringey at best by millennials and Gen Zers, and offensive at worst. In any modern workplace, they would’ve gotten a verbal warning.
As society and times change, what is or isn’t appropriate to say changes, too. The internet influences a lot of cultural trends and not everyone is aware of them.
Employee training can help people to not put their foot in it—or worse, get fired for saying something offensive. It protects them, their colleagues, and your business from these situations. It helps prevent them from happening in the first place and gives people the tools to know how to handle them when they do occur.
Show how you support diversity and inclusion in the workplace online
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: those copied and pasted diversity statements at the end of job descriptions are meaningless.
Most companies that post those statements have zero experience actually supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Do you have a policy to help you close the gender pay gap?
What about supporting a blind employee when your business doesn’t have a screen reader?
Or preventing racial bias in your hiring process?
These are important things that employers need to know. Yet few do.
If you’re going to say that you’re a diverse place to work, show how you truly champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Give examples in your company social media content (internally and externally).
I don’t mean half-baked videos about “why I work here” with employees from different backgrounds. Let it evolve organically. Include different people in videos because they reflect your business. Ask for their opinions and show their expertise.
Don’t use a flashy neon sign. Just say you’re supportive and actually be supportive. It’s that simple.
Be mindful of AI’s impact
This definitely isn’t an issue you can blindly toss to AI to resolve. For instance, double-check your AI content to ensure it’s inclusive. A human is far more likely to spot if it isn’t.
AI imagery, for example, loves white people. But most of the world isn’t white, so what happened to every other skin color?
It can also lean more masculine and prefer men. And it writes in US English, in terms of its vocabulary, grammar, and the phrases that it uses.
Human oversight is more important than ever when you put something out into the world. More done faster doesn’t necessarily mean better. It could be detrimental.
The more human you make your content feel, the more successful you’ll be at supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Set an example
Things like using inclusive language, asking people their pronouns, and calling colleagues out on any questionable comments all help to set an example and boost diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
It could start with leadership using “they” for a person whose pronouns they don’t know or opening a door for a wheelchair user. Leadership needs to be the ones to step up first. Everyone else will follow.
Create a culture of psychological safety
Employees will only feel comfortable pushing back on their colleagues saying offensive things if the environment you’ve created allows them to. That means they should feel able to speak up and challenge the status quo. Even if the person saying something offensive is in a more senior position than them.
Embrace your employee groups
Your employee groups are one of your most powerful ways to champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace. They enable employees from different backgrounds to come together and support one another, whether they’re veterans, people with disabilities, people of color, etc.
This gives them strength and safety, helping them not only navigate your business but the world as well.
Using Workrowd, you can create the perfect setup for your employee groups. Keep everything in one place, make it easy to find, and get more from these communities. You can also use the platform to manage all your other employee initiatives. Get in touch today to find out more.
Send a survey
Employee feedback surveys are key tools to help you understand what your employees need from you next. They can help you measure your business’s progress over time or against competitors.
Questions might include how comfortable employees feel challenging the status quo, if they’ve ever experienced discrimination or microaggressions, or what leadership could do to improve.
The answers won’t always be easy or comfortable, but no one ever grew through staring at themselves in the mirror. You have to get a range of perspectives to truly understand your employees and your business.
Conclusion
It’s more important than ever to champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace. That’s the only way we continue to understand, and experience, its benefits for business and beyond.
