Dive Brief:

• Business leaders failing to take ownership of DEI progress remains the top challenge for DEI leaders, according to a Gartner report published Jan. 25.
• DEI leaders report they have to “continually coach business leaders” on why DEI matters to the organization and why it’s critical for company success.
• DEI practitioners also feel limited by a lack of decision-making power, ineffective coordination of DEI programming across units, limited staff and employee resistance, the report said.

Dive Insight:

Reports continue to identify company leaders as key to implementation of DEI programming. Role modeling by leaders, especially, is a best practice touted by various analysts, meaning front-line managers may be particularly important to DEI success.

But even as various studies point to the importance of DEI in company success, such efforts stalled in 2022, Glassdoor research showed — and concerns over a potential recession may stall them even further.

According to survey data from Monster, 11% of employers surveyed said DEI programs are “the first to go” when a company needs to cut costs, and only 5% of recruiters said DEI was a top priority despite increased candidate interest in it.

“DEI leaders can no longer afford to take a reactive approach to DEI,” Chandra Robinson, director in the Gartner HR practice, said in a statement. “As both business and labor market disruption remain the norm, DEI leaders must be proactive in uprooting workplace inequities and purposefully advocate for their function.”