- An EY report has underlined that DEI strategies can help boost workforce innovation and improve productivity.
- The report provides recommendations for businesses on how to best implement DEI initiatives.
- It comes a week after President Trump cut federal DEI programs and pushed the private sector to follow.
A new report from the Big Four professional services firm EY has underlined the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies in improving productivity and workforce innovation.
The report, titled “DE&I interventions that deliver,” considers the impact of inclusive policies in the context of the “economic slowdown and uncertainty” that have characterized the past few years.
Developed in partnership with leading diversity campaigns and DEI specialists in the UK, it recommends the top approaches for improving DEI in the workplace.
The recommendations include taking a data-driven approach to workforce analysis, targeted recruitment strategies to attract diverse candidates, and providing flexibility on when and how roles are performed.
EY’s report comes a week after President Donald Trump rolled back DEI programs for federal government workers during his first week in office. In his executive order, the president encouraged private-sector companies to do the same.
The president wants federal agencies to identify “the most egregious and discriminatory DEI practitioners” across public companies and nonprofits for possible civil investigations.
Target, Meta, Walmart, and other major US companies have been altering or cutting their DEI programs, in line with Trump’s messaging.
Others like Costco and JPMorgan are standing by DEI and have publicly defended their diversity initiatives. 61% of Americans support DEI practices, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll last April.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are not just ethical values — they are critical drivers of innovation, productivity, and economic growth,” said Anna Anthony, EY’s UK & Ireland Regional Managing Partner.
Creating inclusive workplace cultures and amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups creates a business environment “where creativity flourishes, individuals thrive, and everyone benefits,” Anthony said.
She said that the findings aimed to provide insight to UK companies, as well as to EY itself.
“The fact that there are questions being asked about the value of diversity and inclusion programmes is a sign, not that we should do less, but that we should do more — and do better,” said Sir Trevor Phillips, Chair of Change the Race Ratio, one of the groups that contributed to EY’s report.
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