DEI Is the Work: Why Inclusion Isn’t a Side Project, It’s the Strategy

How embedding equity into culture builds smarter, stronger, more human organizations.
In a world where business moves at lightning speed and technology reshapes the way we connect, one truth about the workplace remains unchanged: people matter most. How they are treated, heard, supported, and seen defines not just a company’s culture, but its capacity for growth. That’s why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) aren’t fringe initiatives—they’re foundational to doing business well.
When DEI is sidelined or treated as a luxury, organizations miss more than just a moral mark—they miss opportunities for innovation, talent retention, and long-term relevance. It’s no longer enough to claim inclusivity in brand language or mission statements. DEI has to live in hiring practices, compensation structures, leadership development, and daily decision-making. In short, DEI is not “extra” work—it is the work.

1. DEI Is the Work: Why Inclusion Isn’t a Side
Project, It’s the Strategy
How embedding equity into culture builds smarter, stronger, more human
organizations.
In a world where business moves at lightning speed and technology reshapes the way we
connect, one truth about the workplace remains unchanged: people matter most. How they are
treated, heard, supported, and seen defines not just a company’s culture, but its capacity for
growth. That’s why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) aren’t fringe initiatives—they’re
foundational to doing business well.
When DEI is sidelined or treated as a luxury, organizations miss more than just a moral mark—
they miss opportunities for innovation, talent retention, and long-term relevance. It’s no longer
enough to claim inclusivity in brand language or mission statements. DEI has to live in hiring
practices, compensation structures, leadership development, and daily decision-making. In
short, DEI is not “extra” work—it is the work.

2. DEI Is the New Business Intelligence
Gone are the days when DEI was a niche responsibility parked within human resources. Today,
DEI is business-critical. The most successful companies now see inclusion as a source of
intelligence. Diverse teams bring broader perspectives. Equitable environments foster
psychological safety. Inclusive cultures lead to higher engagement, fewer blind spots, and better
decisions.
This is not theory—it’s measurable. McKinsey’s research shows that diverse companies
outperform non-diverse peers in profitability, while Deloitte reports that inclusive companies are
more likely to be high-performing and innovation-driven. But it’s not just about numbers. When
people feel valued for who they are, they bring their best ideas and their full selves to the table.
Shane Windmeyer, a longtime advocate for workplace equity, often reminds leaders that DEI
isn’t about “fixing” people—it’s about redesigning systems so people can thrive. When systems
are built for inclusion from the start, companies become more agile, resilient, and competitive.
Inclusion is Culture, Not Optics
Inclusion doesn’t happen in PowerPoint slides. It happens in team meetings, performance
reviews, onboarding experiences, and hallway conversations. It’s in who’s mentored, who gets

3. promoted, and who feels comfortable speaking up. If an organization only talks about DEI in
April and October, it's not a strategy—it’s a marketing effort.
Truly inclusive workplaces aren’t just diverse in headcount—they’re inclusive in practice. That
means building feedback mechanisms that actually influence change. It means holding leaders
accountable for inclusive behavior, not just for hitting KPIs. It means questioning who gets
opportunities and why.
Organizations that consult with equity strategists like Shane Windmeyer often begin this
journey by auditing how inclusion—or exclusion—manifests in daily operations. These insights
reveal what most companies miss: that DEI isn’t something separate from performance—it’s
directly tied to it.
The Cost of Retreating from DEI
Despite the progress made over the last decade, DEI initiatives are under growing scrutiny.
Political backlash, economic uncertainty, and misinformation have caused some companies to
hit pause—or worse, roll back efforts entirely. But pulling away from DEI doesn’t make an
organization neutral. It makes it complicit in reinforcing the very barriers that DEI was designed
to dismantle.
When organizations retreat from DEI, they risk more than negative headlines. They lose
employee trust. They lose top talent. They lose the chance to create workplaces where people
feel safe to contribute, challenge, and lead. Disengagement, increased turnover, reputational
damage—these are real costs.
As Shane Windmeyer has written in his commentaries, inclusion is about presence.
Abandoning it sends a loud signal that certain people—certain voices—don’t belong. And that
message lingers long after the announcement is made.
Inclusion Demands More Than Good Intentions
Most companies don’t lack the desire to be inclusive. They lack the structures. They don’t
always know how to operationalize inclusion, so they rely on events, statements, or
unconscious bias training. While those things are helpful, they’re not enough.
DEI must be embedded into how things get done—from how teams are built to how decisions
are made. This includes reviewing policies with an equity lens, removing barriers in hiring, and
ensuring transparency in compensation and promotion. It also means investing in leadership
that reflects the communities served.
Effective leaders today must know how to lead diverse teams, not just manage them. They must
build cultural competence, listen across lines of difference, and act with equity in mind. That’s
why leadership development programs increasingly turn to DEI-informed models. Organizations
that work with advisors like Shane Windmeyer often report more confident, capable leaders
who know how to create environments where people want to stay—and grow.
DEI Is the Future of Work

4. As new generations enter the workforce, expectations are rising. Gen Z employees, in
particular, are vocal about wanting to work for companies that care—not just about profit, but
about people. They evaluate organizations based on their values, and they demand
transparency and action around DEI.
This cultural shift isn’t a threat—it’s an opportunity. Companies that respond by deepening their
DEI commitments will be the ones that succeed in attracting next-generation talent. They’ll build
teams that mirror the diversity of the world outside their walls. And they’ll do more than survive
market changes—they’ll lead them.
The future of work is one where people don’t have to leave parts of themselves at the door. It’s
one where equity is expected, and inclusion is instinctive. And leaders who understand this—
leaders who study the insights of pioneers like Shane Windmeyer—will shape the workplaces
we need next.
Final Thoughts: This Work Is Worth It
DEI is not always easy. It brings up hard questions, asks organizations to reflect honestly, and
requires patience and persistence. But the outcomes—trust, performance, innovation,
community—are worth the effort.
There is no endpoint to inclusion, no final box to check. But there is progress. There is learning.
There is the daily choice to build workplaces that are safer, smarter, and more just.
Shane Windmeyer once wrote that equity isn’t a project—it’s a principle. And that principle,
when fully embraced, can guide companies not just toward success, but toward significance.
Because the real measure of an organization isn’t just how it performs—it’s how it includes.