UK businesses are quietly rebranding their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes to avoid political backlash, following similar trends in America.
Instead of ‘DEI’, companies are now using terms like ‘wellbeing’, ‘belonging’, and ‘culture’ - essentially doing the same work but without the labels that seem to trigger certain folk…
This shift comes five years after George Floyd's murder sparked widespread corporate commitments to racial equality. However, rightwing attacks on DEI initiatives, particularly from Trump's administration and the UK's Reform party are creating a chilling effect. Some US firms have already scaled back commitments, and ethnic minority professionals report feeling muzzled about speaking out on race issues.
Despite the rebranding, many UK organisations remain committed to inclusion work, partly due to legal protections and employee pressure. Trade bodies and public sector employers continue to champion these values.
What are the implications for the future of work? While DEI work will almost certainly survive its ‘rebranding’, particularly in the UK, political pressure from those seeking division and to stoke culture wars may create turbulence and slow progress on workplace equality and discourage open conversations about discrimination in the shorter to medium term.