Navigating Changing Language And Attacks On DE&I Programs

At its root, DE&I (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in the workplace are meant to foster a diversity of thought and experience across cultures and identities that help the organization mirror the makeup of its audiences and stakeholders.

But in a time when politicized accusations of “going woke” and “DE&I hires” have caused some companies to abandon their DE&I work entirely, others are understanding how the language they use to describe the work can change while they stay the course.

Gone are the days when a canned intranet post about Juneteenth can be received as sincere or having any real impact. In that same vein, generalized language usually isn’t going to hit the mark either.

A refocus on specificity in comms

 As with many things in the business world, shifting DE&I language is natural and necessary as its scope and purpose have changed. This reflects a more thorough understanding of the systemic issues that DE&I communications seek to address —more apt language helps make actionable change easier to accomplish.

Continue reading at Ragan.

Sean Devlin

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and ’90s trivia night.

https://www.ragan.com/author/sean-devlin
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