What Comes After DEI? A Different Future For Race, Work, And Policy

As an academic whose research focuses on racial and gender inequality in professional occupations, I spend a lot of time studying black workers and the problems they face in these jobs. Their challenges range from the obvious (stereotypes, discrimination, difficulty moving up the career ladder) to the less obvious (isolation from other black employees, alienation from employers and companies, overextending in and out of the workplace). As a result of a career dedicated to studying these issues, I have also thought a lot about policies that might help overcome some of the obstacles and challenges that black workers face. In a recent article for the American Sociological ReviewI to write that in their most recent iterations, many diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies were not as effective as one might think.

The gaps in DEI

It may seem shocking for someone who extensively studies racial and gender disparities in the workplace to conclude that DEI wasn’t working. But the data and figures about leadership in business raise uncomfortable questions. DEI was a multi-billion dollar industry, enjoying, until recently, widespread support from executives in various sectors. As recently as 2020, many companies openly pledged their support and resources to end systemic racism, and made lofty promises of redirecting funds, partnering with new organizations, and concrete steps they planned to take to achieve a more racially equal society. Yet just six years later, when we look at the upper echelons of many industries (technology, education, healthcare, etc.), they remain very homogenous and overwhelmingly led by white men.

How could this happen when industry after industry has loudly proclaimed its commitment to inclusion, opportunity and, more generally, DEI? To begin, it is helpful to examine how DEI has been misinterpreted. Opponents often suggest that DEI allows unqualified minorities into jobs they did not earn and do not deserve, thereby compromising company quality, results, and goals. As a result, tragedies like the Ohio train derailment in 2023, the Frances Scott Key Bridge collapse in 2024, and the Los Angeles wildfires in 2025 can be attributed to DEI rather than more complex causes like diminishing public sector resources, regulatory structures that improve public safety, and collective commitment to combating climate change. When DEI becomes such a catch-all villain that he can be blame When there are fires, accidents and bridge collapses, it’s probably easier for businesses to give up under the pressure.

Additionally, it’s useful to consider how companies integrated DEI in the first place. An analysis of the legal and regulatory structures of post-civil rights organizations found that many companies engaged in “symbolic compliance.” On a daily basis, this means companies have done what is necessary to follow new rules and regulations around diversity and affirmative action. However, they have not put in place policies that would necessarily achieve these results. Therefore, companies could show that their DEI apparatus complied with the law and protected them from lawsuits, even if the DEI initiatives themselves achieved virtually nothing. Additionally, when it comes to DEI, many companies do what’s popular rather than what works. This helps explain the emphasis on mandatory diversity and bias training, despite the fact that these tools have limited effectiveness in increasing the number of underrepresented workers at senior levels. When companies integrate DEI in a way that ensures they will avoid lawsuits but get little else, it’s not hard to understand how and why these programs are easily abandoned.

What could be different?

In This work, I’m trying to think about what might replace DEI in the next foray into workplace politics. And I’m trying to be clear and face the fact that when it comes to creating more diverse representation among the top ranks of most industries, it’s clear that DEI has not achieved that. What if a different approach to work, organizations and policies could help not only create more diversity, but also improve the work of individuals? all workers?

We know that for many workers, employment has become difficult, exhausting, demoralizing and, in some cases, even harmful. Americans work more but rarely see gains from this increased productivity. High-wage earners report burnout, overwork, and job insecurity, while low-wage earners describe the constant rotation of unpredictable schedules, difficulties paying for health insurance, child care, and other essentials, and the impossible choices that arise from this dilemma. But we also know that policies like paid leave, shorter work weeks, and increased support for collective bargaining could help alleviate these problems. And if we implemented Solutions like these in conjunction with public policies designed to address the specific issues facing underrepresented workers?

This would require a global overhaul of our working methods. But it would also involve reshaping work in ways that benefit a wide range of workers. My research has primarily focused on the challenges Black workers face in professional occupations, but women of all races, other groups of color, veterans, LGBTQ, and neurodivergent workers also face issues of bias, discrimination, and exclusion in modern work environments. Policies that take into account the experiences of these workers would help offset invisible biases that can exclude or marginalize these groups. And when companies start from this awareness, it creates an opening to overcome the specific obstacles faced by many workers. Steps in this direction could include funding the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), expanding anti-discrimination laws to include contract workers, cross-training workers, and providing flextime opportunities to all.

Initiatives like these provide a broad segment of workers with protections that make work safer, more dignified and more rewarding. DEI may be achievable, but businesses and policymakers can still take advantage of the opportunity to create a better environment for all workers.