Today I’m kicking off my annual look at “What’s scary about DEI work” to coincide with Halloween. All month, I’m going to be talking about a topic that's been brewing in corporate boardrooms across the nation: the evolving landscape of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives. I find the trend in companies that are deprioritizing this work to be very scary for the workplace.
In recent years, we've witnessed a curious shift within the corporate world. It's a shift that has seen some companies shying away from the very term that once dominated their HR agendas: diversity. In some instances, they've even gone so far as to change the title of Chief Diversity Officer or even eliminate such positions entirely.
So, what's behind this trend, and what does it say about the prevailing attitudes towards diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives among the five generations currently making up our workforce?
Let's start by looking at these generations – The Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Each has a unique perspective on the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion, shaped by their experiences and the world around them.
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