As some companies pull back from their diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs, others are discovering organizations that stick with DEIA aren’t just doing what’s right. They’re making better business decisions and consistently show better financial results than those without them.
Since 2020, American corporations made commitments to address workplace inequality. DEIA programs expanded rapidly across corporate America, opening new opportunities for underrepresented groups and transforming hiring practices. But by 2022, this progress began to slow, and today, some companies face pressure to abandon these initiatives altogether.
Yet the evidence for DEIA’s business value continues to grow. While critics portray these programs as purely social initiatives, research shows they deliver concrete benefits, including higher innovation, better decision-making, and stronger financial performance. As some organizations step back from their diversity commitments under political pressure, it’s clear that maintaining these programs gives them a real advantage in today’s competitive market.
Understanding DEIA’s True Purpose in the Workplace
Misconceptions often cloud the conversation about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). At its core, DEIA isn’t about quotas or preferential treatment—it’s about creating workplaces where everyone can contribute their best work. These practices have their roots in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which first banned employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and other criteria.
Each component of DEIA serves a specific purpose. Diversity embraces the unique characteristics that make each employee valuable to an organization. This goes beyond race and gender to include different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that can drive innovation and better decision-making.
Equity focuses on creating fair access to opportunities. This means identifying and removing barriers that might hold back certain groups, such as pay gaps, flexible work hours for parents, or ensuring everyone has access to career advancement. It’s about leveling the playing field so that talent, not background, determines success.
Perhaps the most crucial element is inclusion, which builds a culture where every employee feels valued and heard. This means creating environments where people can bring their whole selves to work without fear of discrimination. It’s about building a great team, treating that team well, and retaining the employees that contribute to the teams in these environments.
Often forgotten but just as important, accessibility is ensuring that the environment, policies, and systems that your employees use are not only inclusive but usable for everyone, particularly those with disabilities. By ensuring that your culture promotes accessibility, you allow equal opportunities and eliminate barriers, including allowing for physical accommodations such as ramps, elevators, and accessible restrooms, as well as digital accessibility such as closed captioning, screen readers, and alternative images. Not only does providing accessibility align with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but having an accessible workplace and culture encourages universal design principles, allowing for innovation around product and service design that is accessible and functional for everyone.
Despite recent pushback and some companies retreating from their DEIA commitments, these programs don’t compromise merit; rather, they enhance it. When implemented effectively, DEIA practices help companies tap into wider talent pools, reduce turnover, and create more innovative teams.
Recent DEIA Trends in Corporate America
Employee attitudes toward DEIA programs remain overwhelmingly positive. A striking 72% of workers, according to Glassdoor, view their company’s diversity initiatives as a benefit—up from 68% in 2019. Only about 15-21% consider them a drawback. This support varies by demographics:
- 80% of workers aged 18-34 prioritize DEIA when job hunting
- Millennial men and women equally value DEIA (79%)
- Women overall place higher importance on DEIA than men (76% vs 72%)
- Black, Hispanic, and Asian American workers consistently rate DEIA as more important than white employees
Notably, the generational divide in DEIA support is closing. While Baby Boomers show the largest gender gap in DEIA support (70% women vs 56% men), younger generations demonstrate more unified views—with Generation Z men and women valuing DEIA almost equally.
The Business Case for DEIA
A survey done by Bridge Partners of 400 C-suite and HR leaders reveals that 88% of large employers consider their DEIA initiatives essential, with 80% reporting positive outcomes. This is backed by concrete performance metrics. Furthermore, 73% of C-Suite executives planned to expand DEIA initiatives in 2023.
DEIA initiatives proved more effective than other social programs at driving business success. Research from Bridge Partners showed that an astonishing 96% of large employers rate DEIA as their most impactful social initiative, surpassing sustainability and environmental programs in recruiting, hiring, and retention outcomes. Companies with inclusive cultures report employee retention rates 5.4 times higher than their non-inclusive counterparts.
For younger workers, particularly Millennials, Gen Z, and the emerging Generation Alpha, a company’s commitment to DEIA often determines their employment choices. Importantly, with 67% of senior leadership and nearly half of board members at large companies actively championing these initiatives, support for DEIA spans all levels of the corporate hierarchy.
The DEIA Pushback and the Reality Behind the MEI Alternative
Despite proven benefits, DEIA initiatives face growing resistance. New research from The Conference Board shows over half of executives find the current political climate for DEIA extremely challenging, leading to widespread program cuts. Investment in DEIA among U.S. companies has dropped significantly—from 77% prioritizing these initiatives in 2023 to 66% in 2024.
Major corporations are retreating from their commitments. Ford, Toyota, and Lowe’s have announced plans to scale back DEIA programs, while Tractor Supply Company has eliminated DEIA programs entirely. This pullback stems partly from misconceptions about DEIA’s purpose. Critics often wrongly assume these programs lower standards or give unfair advantages to certain groups.
In response, some companies promote “merit, excellence, and intelligence” (MEI) metrics as an alternative. Scale AI’s founder Alexandr Wang garnered attention by announcing his company would “hire only the best person for the job” using MEI, explicitly removing diversity considerations from hiring decisions. While this sounds objective, research reveals serious flaws in this approach.
The National Bureau of Economic Research found that bias often begins with a name on a job application. White candidates are 1.5 times more likely to get hired, while referred candidates—who are disproportionately white—are 4.5 times more likely to secure positions. MEI’s colorblind approach ignores these systemic barriers and can reduce workplace diversity by limiting the candidate pool from the start.
How Leaders Can Build an Inclusive Culture That Works
The success of DEIA initiatives depends on committed leadership and systematic implementation. Inclusive leaders drive remarkable improvements, accounting for 70% higher employee belonging, 17% better team performance, and 29% stronger collaboration. But, achieving these results requires moving beyond surface-level diversity programs to create fundamental cultural change.
First, organizations need to redefine leadership. The old model of the infallible executive who never shows weakness actively undermines inclusion. Real cultural change starts when leaders demonstrate vulnerability, admit mistakes, and actively encourage opposing voices. This creates psychological safety, the foundation for innovation, and honest feedback.
Second, companies must examine their everyday practices through a lens that considers diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. This means questioning policies that might seem neutral but create barriers, such as dress codes that penalize cultural expression, promotion criteria that disadvantage working parents, or vague “culture fit” requirements that perpetuate homogeneity. Removing these barriers doesn’t necessarily mean lowering standards—rather, it helps recognize and eliminate hidden biases that keep qualified people from contributing fully.
Third, DEIA must become part of the organization’s operational DNA. This happens through consistent, measurable actions, such as mandating diverse candidate pools, tracking promotion rates across demographics, and holding leaders accountable for developing talent from all backgrounds while increasing leaders’ self-awareness for conscious and unconscious bias. When inclusion metrics become as important as other business KPIs, behavioral change follows.
Finally, companies must recognize that creating an equal playing field sometimes requires unequal support. First-generation professionals may need additional mentoring, and employees from underrepresented groups might benefit from targeted leadership development. The goal is not to offer preferential treatment—it’s to address specific obstacles that prevent talented people from reaching their full potential.