Addressing the vocal minority with clarity and connection: Two keys to greater employee support for inclusion

We’ve all been there. Months, even years, of dedicated inclusion strategy planning, thoughtful initiative design, broad communication, stakeholder buy-in campaigns, careful resource management, and, ultimately, positive impact for employees and the business. And yet, some employees are struggling to see the value of inclusion work, or worse, actively pushing back against it — creating tension, inviting risk, and even stalling progress.

Universal support for any organizational initiative is difficult to achieve. But with fairness, inclusion, and talent diversity work under increased scrutiny, people who don’t buy in can gain traction as a vocal minority, putting the success of your initiatives at risk. And ultimately, inclusion work should include everyone — so finding ways to appeal to employees on the sidelines is a critical strategy for true inclusion success.

Our research shows that employees overwhelmingly support the principles associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).¹ At the same time, 16% of employees believe programs built to promote these principles have little or no value. And while this group of employees is relatively small, organizations would be remiss to write them off.

We surveyed 2,500 employees in the United States² and found two actions that organizations can take to most effectively address the concerns of potential detractors:

1. Provide clarity around the goals and outcomes of DEI (or similarly named) programming.
2. Build connections to ensure everyone feels included.

With these actions as a roadmap, organizations have an opportunity and strategic imperative to speak directly to employees who are opposed to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. By bringing these potential detractors on board, DEI efforts are better able to attain their goals by creating workplaces that are truly inclusive of everyone.