The demand for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives surged in recent years. Organizations vowed to increase representation and create inclusive workplaces. Yet, despite good intentions, many approaches to DEI fell short. According to Revelio Labs, by 2023, one in three DEI professionals lost their positions, and job listings for DEI roles dropped by 44% after peaking in 2020. These numbers raise critical questions about sustainability and the effectiveness of identity-based hiring.
While the intention behind identity-focused hiring was to address underrepresentation, it often became more about optics than meaningful, systemic change. Hiring based solely on identity can tokenize individuals, making their success seem contingent upon their demographic rather than their qualifications and potential. It also leaves DEI initiatives vulnerable to skepticism and criticism, as their outcomes often fail to address actual systemic barriers. To create lasting progress, we must rethink our strategies.
Why Identity-Based Hiring Falls Short
At its core, identity-based hiring assumes that increasing headcounts from underrepresented groups alone can solve systemic inequities. This approach leaves the deeply rooted issues that perpetuate exclusion largely untouched. Acting as a surface-level fix, it prioritizes short-term visibility over long-term improvement.
For example, hiring a few individuals from a specific demographic without addressing biased hiring algorithms, unpaid internships, or rigid credentialing requirements means those barriers remain intact for future candidates. Worse, this approach can backfire, dismissing the skills and lived experiences those hires bring to the table, while also fostering resentment among other employees. Instead of creating inclusivity, it risks alienating both the new hires and the existing workforce.
A Better Way Forward
Advancing diversity and equity requires focusing not on who gets hired, but on dismantling the systemic barriers that exclude certain groups in the first place. Systemic change prioritizes fair access, safe workplaces, and advancement opportunities. When organizations remove structural barriers, their workforce demographics will naturally become more inclusive and aligned with broader societal representation.
Examples of systemic barriers include unpaid internships that exclude individuals without financial privilege, hiring algorithms that perpetuate bias, and job descriptions with unnecessary qualifications that filter out underrepresented talent with lived experience. Addressing these issues fosters an ecosystem where everyone has equal opportunities to succeed.
Barriers Over Optics
To truly advance equity, companies need to reframe DEI in terms of dismantling structural disadvantages. This means asking key questions like:
- Who is being excluded from entering our hiring pipeline?
- Which obstacles disproportionately impact individuals from historically marginalized groups?
- How do we create sustainable systems that ensure fair access and opportunity for all?
For example, instead of simply increasing the number of women hired into leadership positions, organizations should evaluate and recalibrate processes like mentorship availability, internal promotions, and leadership training pipelines. Creating equitable access to these opportunities ensures women leaders aren’t an exception but the norm.
Tackling systemic barriers often involves changes that are less visible but more impactful. These might include developing equitable pay scales, implementing inclusive performance evaluations, or ensuring hiring processes are free from biases. Such changes are more difficult to reverse and have a lasting impact on the organizational culture.
What True Progress Looks Like
Progress begins when DEI efforts focus on measurable, structural outcomes rather than superficial diversity metrics. Some practical steps organizations can take include:
- Removing credential-based bias: Accept lived experience and transferable skills alongside formal education requirements.
- Auditing hiring pipelines: Pinpoint where and why underrepresented talent is dropping out during the application and interview process.
- Paying interns: Offer competitive pay to ensure economic barriers don’t deter highly capable candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Inclusive networking: Develop formal mentorship and networking programs to provide historically excluded groups with access to valuable professional relationships.
- Training and awareness: Equip hiring managers and teams with tools to recognize and mitigate unconscious biases.
These actions go beyond representation to create a workplace where equity is embedded in the organization’s DNA. With these systems in place, diversity becomes a sustainable result, not a one-off effort.
The Role of Leadership and Accountability
For DEI to succeed, strong leadership and accountability are essential. Organizations need leaders who actively champion systemic change and visibly demonstrate their commitment to equity and inclusion. This involves dedicating resources, revisiting entrenched practices, and holding themselves accountable for progress. Transparent communication, setting measurable goals, and regular reporting on DEI efforts can reinforce trust with employees and stakeholders.
Moving Beyond the Past
For many organizations, the setback of seeing identity-based hiring backfire might feel disheartening, but it offers an opportunity to do better. The next chapter in DEI isn’t about simply hiring for diversity; it’s about building workplaces designed for inclusion and equity from the ground up. By focusing on removing barriers rather than counting heads, companies can ensure fair access, create lasting change, and finally, live up to the promise of true equity in the workplace.
The conversation around DEI is evolving. Organizations must evolve with it. It’s time to stop relying on quick fixes and start taking systemic action. The future of work will belong to organizations that understand one fundamental truth: authentic equity isn’t about who you hire, but what you build.
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