Beyond politics: Diversity and inclusion best practices

Meta has ended its DEI programs, following Ford and McDonald's. As Trump has returned to the White House, more companies are quietly rethinking inclusion.

But here's what our research shows: Diverse teams make better decisions. Companies embracing inclusion are more likely to outperform competitors. The data is clear - but the old playbook needs updating.

We've found successful companies focus on what matters: practical behaviors that make every team member feel valued and empowered to contribute. No grand statements. No checkbox exercises. Just proven strategies that boost both belonging and business results.

Ready to build an inclusive culture that lasts? Let's explore what works in 2025.

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Strip away the buzzwords and here's what matters: Every team has differences. Some you can see (like ethnicity or age), others you can't (like thinking styles or life experiences). That's diversity - the natural mix of perspectives in your workplace.

But having a diverse team isn't enough. The magic happens with inclusion - when people feel safe bringing their whole selves to work. Think of it like this: If diversity is having different instruments in your orchestra, inclusion is getting them to play together beautifully.

The best teams focus on three elements:

• Diversity - Who's on your team
• Equity - Making sure everyone has what they need to succeed (not just giving everyone the same thing)
• Inclusion - Creating an environment where differences drive innovation, not division

As diversity advocate Vernā Myers famously puts it:

Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.

Here's what doesn't work: Hiring for diversity without building inclusion. Teams that do this often see higher turnover and lower engagement. People might join your company because of its diversity stats, but they'll leave if they don't feel they belong.

You might see various acronyms floating around - DEI, EDI, DEIB. Don't get hung up on the letters. Focus instead on the core goal: building a workplace where different perspectives make your team stronger, not just more diverse.

Why inclusion matters beyond the bottom line

The business case is clear:

• Teams including diverse perspectives make better decisions 87% of the time
• Racially and ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to perform better
• Gender-diverse organizations 15% more likely to outperform competitors

But let's talk about what really drives these numbers: human connection.

We're wired to seek belonging.² When someone feels they can't be themselves at work, performance suffers. Take Alex, a brilliant developer who happens to be neurodivergent. Without an inclusive environment, they might struggle in an open office with bright lights and constant noise - not because they can't do the work, but because the environment wasn't designed with them in mind.

Or consider Jamie, who brings unique cultural perspectives to problem-solving but stays quiet in meetings because they don't feel their accent will be welcomed. Both scenarios waste talent and hurt innovation.

The best teams don't just accommodate differences - they actively design for them. This means:

• Flexible work environments
• Multiple ways to contribute ideas
• Clear paths to ask for what you need to succeed

Put simply: When people feel they belong, they do their best work. Everything else - the performance metrics, the innovation, the competitive edge - flows from there.

How to promote diversity and inclusion best practices in the workplace: a framework

D&I is not a 'one and done' activity but rather, a range of different initiatives, policies, and programs that work together to create more inclusive teams. Some examples of best practices to consider incorporating into your organization are:

Employee resource groups: These groups offer a platform for underrepresented employees to voice concerns and share their lived experiences. This helps provide support and a sense of community for individuals with varied backgrounds.

Mentorship programs: These programs mitigate biases in the candidate pool by offering guidance, encouragement, and insight to underrepresented individuals, ensuring fair access to professional growth.

Training programs and education: These programs equip HR teams and organizational leaders with the tools to recognize and counteract biases, enhancing job postings to attract a more diverse pool of candidates.

Exit interviews: By providing a valuable platform for departing employees (particularly those who are from minority groups) to express their experiences, you can shed light on areas that need improvement.

Sponsorship programs: These initiatives involve pairing junior, underrepresented employees with more senior leaders who can share mentoring, guidance, and coaching. In doing so, they support career advancement opportunities.

Recruitment initiatives: Reducing hiring bias is crucial for diversifying the talent pool within organizations. These efforts, focusing on attracting and hiring individuals from various backgrounds, play a crucial role in developing a more inclusive workplace.

Leadership and management training: A supportive and inclusive executive team sets the tone for the entire organization, influencing the company culture and practices that promote workplace diversity.

Diversity activities and initiatives: Inclusion efforts ranging from cultural celebrations to educational programs encourage understanding and appreciation of diverse perspectives.

Performance metrics: By tracking key metrics (such as employee retention and turnover rates), companies can check the effectiveness of their current initiatives and make adjustments to reach their diversity and inclusion goals.

Diversity and inclusion: stories of transformation

There are plenty of organizations, both large and small, that exemplify the business success that can be achieved through building an inclusive culture.

One such example that we work with at Marlee is Canva, the world's leading online graphic design platform. Founded in 2012, diversity and inclusion aren't buzzwords for Canva. These values are at the core of who they are as an organization and how they engage with their millions of users across more than 190 countries.

One example: Since its start Canva has been translated into more than 100 different languages.

‘At Canva, we recognize that while English may be one of the most universally used and commonly spoken languages, it is just another language,’ the company explained.

The translation initiative was made possible by the breadth of the Canva team and their diverse backgrounds. The team was a driving force for the inclusion of languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, and other right-to-left languages delivering an essential offering to the millions of users on Canva every day.

This inclusive approach is integrated into Canva's employee experience, too. For example, Canva doesn't simply build diverse teams, they use Marlee's technology to empower them to understand what makes each of their team members tick.

We use Marlee to understand people’s drivers and that allows us to be more inclusive,’ says Canva co-founder Cliff Obrecht. ‘If you understand what motivates someone, you understand the whole person and can support them to be their best selves. You can also help build a diverse team who works well together, rather than building a team of all the same behaviors and skill sets.

Additionally, with a globally distributed team, Canva uses Marlee's culture maps to map out their team’s:

• collective work motivations
• communication preferences
• shared blind spots
• potential friction points across their many teams.

They’ve even tracked the cultural changes they’ve experienced as they’ve grown, by analyzing their Marlee culture map results over many years.

Canva isn't the only D&I success story you can draw inspiration from.

• Project F has helped many top tech organizations create better gender diversity from the ground up through its accreditations and training programs.
• Australia Post has an excellent track record for its inclusivity efforts and diversity initiatives at all levels, including gender balance and actively welcoming LBTQI+ people, those with disabilities, and the culturally diverse.
• In addition to the innovative client projects they work on in the D&I space, Melbourne-based human-centered design Portable joined the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion Pledge.
• Global tech company Atlassian has many progressive diversity initiatives to foster a more inclusive organization, including a 'diverse slate' approach to hiring and professional development programs to provide growth opportunities for underrepresented employees.

What are the challenges and barriers to workplace diversity and inclusion: overcoming resistance

In an ideal world, all employees would be enthusiastically on board with your new workplace diversity initiatives, however, this won't always be the case. Some potential barriers include:

• Accusations of tokenism: That is, hiring people from minority groups for the sole purpose of filling slots. You can mitigate this by incorporating Marlee hiring features early into your process to reduce bias and ensure you continue to make job offers based on the best fit for the role.
• Fear of change: As humans, it's our instinct to resist the unknown. To reduce this resistance, consider rolling out a change management plan so employees are equipped with all the necessary information.
• Loss aversion: Some employees may believe that by giving other groups their slice of the pie, there will be less for them. While this signals the need for a reality check, it helps to remind them that this simply levels the playing field.³
• Resistance from minority groups: Nobody wants to feel patronized, so it's important to emphasize that your D&I initiatives exist to celebrate differences across the entire organization, not to single out specific groups.

What's the role of leadership?

While D&I initiatives are often driven by HR departments, there must be buy-in and involvement from upper management. Leaders set the tone, expectations, and values of the company, and it's difficult to build a culture of diversity and inclusivity if this is not in alignment.

The unfortunate reality is, that it's not always possible to achieve true D&I when your C-suite is dominated by those in positions of privilege. Sometimes, this requires sacrifice and one inspiring role model in this area is Alexis Ohanian, founder of Reddit.

As a white, cis-gender male, he put his ego aside and was able to acknowledge the limitations of his worldview. In 2020 (in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing by police) he stepped down from the company's board and requested his position be filled by a black person.

This isn’t to say that you have to fire your entire C-suite and intentionally hire from minority groups.  However, it serves as a reminder to ensure you have a diverse range of perspectives represented in leadership roles (as these values will cascade through the rest of the organization).

How to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Even if your leadership team is yet to fully embrace diversity and inclusion, this doesn’t mean you can’t change the status quo. Here are some simple strategies you can use to champion a sense of belonging inside your organization.

• Establish clear goals and expectations: It can be challenging to get people on board if there's no clear destination in sight. Having a D&I vision statement and roadmap is a great way to ensure the entire organization is working towards the same aligned goal.
• Bring your initiatives to life through storytelling: For many people, especially those who do not have lived experience as a minority, D&I can feel quite theoretical. Try using innovative tools such as Marlee to contextualize concepts and data more tangibly. For example, our Culture Map tool illustrates cultural nuances across various regions for global companies, while our team performance features help employees understand what makes their colleagues tick.
• Encourage open dialogue: As with any new company initiative, it’s important to keep channels of communication open so that employees (particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds) can share their feedback and suggestions for improvement.
• Strengthen employee engagement: Your employees are busy, and it's important that participating in D&I initiatives doesn’t feel like another task on their never-ending to-do lists. To gain buy-in from people, find ways to incentivize them, such as running events and workshops or participation challenges.
• Foster psychological safety: Research shows that psychological safety plays an important mediating role in the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion.⁴ This is the extent to which employees feel safe to be themselves and share their ideas and feedback without fear of negative consequences. You can begin to build psychological safety long before you have any official D&I initiatives in place, by celebrating differences in perspectives inside your team.

A Marlee team comparison Board showing similarities and differences

🌟 Discover Marlee's Spaces: Where teams come together to grow

How to foster empathy in your workplace

Empathy connects people across different walks of life, cultures, and creeds like nothing else. This is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of another human being and understand how they might be feeling.

Recently, a viral video documented a heartwarming exchange between an older white woman and her young, male African-American neighbor. The woman turned up at her neighbor's door to complain that his flood lights were shining into her bedroom window, preventing her from sleeping.

The man patiently explained that they had already been through this, as she had called the police previously and they had confirmed his lights were not shining into her window. However, he offered to meet her halfway by turning his lights off at 10 pm and invited her to come over for a drink and a chat whenever she was lonely.

The man had the emotional intelligence to understand that this older woman, like many others, was likely lacking social connection and looking for an excuse to speak to her neighbor. Touched, the woman softened and nearly burst into tears. It was clear the gentleman had hit the nail on the head.

While this interaction did not occur in the workplace, it's an example of what can happen when you look beyond your immediate reality to consider different perspectives. The woman may never understand what it's like to deal with the police as an African American, and the man cannot understand (yet) what it's like to experience social isolation as an older person. However, they were able to find common ground to reach a solution.

Inside your organization, you can use Marlee's team insights to understand the inner motivations and drives of the people you work with no matter how different they may seem from you.

Resources and tools

Diversity and inclusion best practices are complex and ever-evolving, so it's important to stay updated. To further your education, here are some of the best books, websites, podcasts, and organizations in this area:

• The Harvard Business Review: Regularly posts in-depth and nuanced guides covering D&I topics.
• TED talks: A catalog of creative and innovative talks about achieving progress on diversity.
• Ernst & Young: The consulting firm often shares valuable insights and studies on the latest developments in D&I.
• The Society For Human Resource Management's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement: A useful template for creating your own D&I vision statement.
• The Diversity Gap book by Bethaney Wilkinson: A practical guide and framework for those seeking to improve racial and ethnic diversity inside their organizations.
• reWorked: the Workplace Inclusion Podcast: An eye-opening podcast from EW group that explores what an inclusive workplace looks like in the post-COVID and BLM movement era.
• The Marlee blog: We share case studies and practical guides that showcase how to use our collaboration and performance tools to create a more inclusive work environment.

Final tips and strategies

It's important to note that diversity and inclusion look different depending on the size and type of organization. If you're a small, remote startup, you may begin to build connections by utilizing the 'Donut' integration on Slack, which pairs employees from different teams and countries for a virtual coffee. If you're a large corporation, you might begin by forming an Employee Resource Group which can champion the initiative.

It's also essential to abide by the specific anti-discrimination and equal-opportunity legislation in your region. For example, in Australia, organizations are bound by a series of federal laws, including The Age Discrimination Act 2004 and The Racial Discrimination Act 1975. To ensure your organization is compliant, the United Nations is a great resource to stay updated with the current laws in your country.

Finally, the best diversity and inclusion policies aren't static. They continue to grow, improve, and evolve with your organization. It's a great idea to establish a maturity model for your D&I initiatives, so you can understand where you're currently at, and track your progress towards your desired destination over time.

Start for free with Marlee today to build resilient inclusion that works.