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.

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