That’s a question echoing across boardrooms, political debates, and social feeds, especially this Black History Month, when the tension between celebration and reality feels sharper than ever.
Well, I hope we can agree that DEI isn’t dead - but I do believe it is being tested, in some cases hollowed out, and very definitely reshaped. Across the Western Hemisphere, nationalism is rising, racism is more visible, and DEI has become a political lightning rod. In the US, regulatory bodies are shifting their posture, lawsuits are increasing, and organisations are quietly scaling back DEI roles. In the UK and Europe, culture‑war narratives are reframing inclusion as ‘ideological’ rather than essential to high performance and healthy workplace culture.
This year’s Edelman Trust Barometer indicates that ‘seventy percent are unwilling or hesitant to trust someone who has different values, facts, problem-solving approaches, or cultural background’.
In this context it’s easy to lose sight of progress and the organisations who have held fast to their values and seen the impact on their culture when working on DEI in a meaningful way.
Tested
We are seeing our clients grapple with new topics and new legislation that in some cases seems to counter progressive practice, and in others helps employers focus on improving behaviours top down with a legislative and punitive impact if ignored.
“What do I do if my colleagues share they’ve been at a far-right rally at the weekend.” Is a legitimate question we’ve been asked. We’re seeing politics at work in a way that ironically means we need impactful DEI strategies more, not less, despite nationalist movements positioning DEI as anti‑majority or anti‑national identity.
And social media also makes discrimination more visible and often more normalised. From online hate to public policy, racism is resurfacing in ways that make DEI work feel both more urgent and more contested. The visibility of racism creates fatigue: organisations feel overwhelmed, while global majority colleagues can feel increasingly unsafe.
Hollowed out
Black History Month should be a catalyst for systemic change. Instead, it often becomes a mirror reflecting how shallow many DEI commitments really are. Like many other awareness campaigns and celebration days, many organisations continue to treat this month as a “tick‑box” exercise with posters, food events, and celebratory panels, enjoyable yes - but mask the absence of structural change.
Here in the UK every October (and every February for the US), organisations amplify Black excellence but often without addressing the structural inequities that make DEI necessary in the first place. When DEI becomes performative, it becomes easy to dismiss and easy to attack.
It’s also easy for employees to go one of two routes when they see progressive communications despite disproportionate people outcomes. The first is to become disengaged and quiet as they lose trust. The second is to be seen as ‘activists’ as they increasingly grow frustrated and demand to see more impactful work done, but don’t have the context or remit to influence or drive impact.
Reshaped
Across our client base we are seeing strategies being revisited, improved and strengthened. So many of our clients are delivering impactful work that demonstrably enhances culture and performance – showing that investing in DEI was the right call in 2020 and it’s the right call now.
What else are we seeing?
1. DEI is being embedded into people strategy, risk and governance frameworks
Global organisations are embedding DEI into people or culture strategies or shifting DEI into ESG, ethics, and compliance structures. Not because they care less but because they need DEI to be defensible, measurable, and insulated from political volatility. Embedding inclusive practice and measuring equitable outcomes in people processes or social impact ensures DEI is not a side activity or initiative and budget cannot be diverted.
2. The workforce still expects equity but wants proof, not posters
Employees (especially Gen Z and younger millennials) are fatigued by performative DEI. They want transparent data, fair systems, and leaders who behave inclusively and a culture that lives up to the website branding.
3. Investors are asking harder questions
DEI is increasingly tied to governance, workforce stability, and long‑term value creation. Investors don’t want slogans; they want evidence. Likewise winning work across many industries requires demonstrable commitment to inclusive culture, equitable outcomes and social impact.
4. Leaders are being forced to choose courage over convenience
The DEI backlash is exposing who truly believes in equity and who only believed in the optics. The leaders that aren't making genuine, sustainable, structural change will see and feel the impact to culture, engagement and business metrics over time. In our culture work we can spot the high-performance leaders really quickly – it’s always reflected in their data.
So, no DEI isn’t dead. But it has changed. This is DEI growing up, moving from culture‑war rhetoric to evidence‑based practice. The Edelman Trust Barometer tells us that 76% believe that ‘insularity must be addressed’ and that ‘employers are best positioned to broker trust [and bridge divides], as they have the best performance score.’
So the real question for leaders is not 'Is DEI dead?' But “Are we brave enough to build the version that actually works?”
Because in a world where nationalism is rising, racism is visible, and social cohesion is under strain, DEI isn’t a ‘nice‑to‑have’, it’s integral to performance, a strategic necessity and a key leadership competency, without it they’ll lose trust, talent, and relevance.
Written by Emma Nicholls, Director at the Clear Company