As we enter into President Donald Trump’s second term, there are many questions surrounding the future of DEI initiatives in the workplace. During his first week in office, President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Since then, many other major companies nationwide have also decided to roll back their DEI initiatives. We sat down with our CEO, Alberto Monserrate, to talk about what this will mean for businesses across the country and why, despite pressure from federal leaders, companies should continue to advance initiatives that promote equity and inclusion.
1. Why/how is diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace being challenged right now and why is it essential for successful businesses and organizations?
If we want to succeed as a nation, valuing diversity, equity and inclusion is necessary. How we name these efforts may change over time, but these values and efforts will persist.
While most organizations continue to be committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, some of these programs have faced backlash. Conservative activists who consider these DEI programs to be discriminatory or disagree with the content of some of these programs, rallied effectively against them.
In the first week of his second term, Trump announced that he was putting Federal DEI staff on leave with plans to lay them off. Trump also signed executive orders shutting down DEI programs and mandating that federal agencies identify companies, foundations and schools that have diversity programs, and target them for civil enforcement actions. The agencies that enforced anti-discrimination laws are now being told to put enforcement of these laws on hold and that they could start taking action against private DEI programs.
Many organizations were already nervous about a recent Supreme Court decision that ruled against affirmative action in colleges and universities. This caused some organizations and their legal departments to fear that their DEI programs may confront legal backlash. Other organizations, or their leaders, also fear backlash from the Trump administration.
At the same time, there are very compelling statistics that highlight the importance of business and organizations prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion. Close to a quarter of Minnesotans and midwesterners are people of color. Close to 10% of Minnesotans and 14% of the U.S. population are foreign born. Close to 40% of Americans are people of color. When you look at populations under 35, close to a third of people are of color in Minnesota and the Midwest, and close to 50% are of color nationwide.
Whether you work in or lead a government agency, nonprofit or a large or small business, a very significant number of your current or future employees or coworkers are or will be of color. They are essential communities that you must serve and communicate with effectively if you want to succeed. It is not only a moral imperative, but also essential to the mission of almost every organization.
Some companies like Apple, COSTCO, JP Morgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs, have bucked the anti-DEI tide. Many others have felt forced to eliminate these programs while at the same time communicating that they will still prioritize diversity and inclusion but in different ways.
There are great programs that seek to improve diversity, equity and inclusion and there are also ineffective DEI programs. The same applies to DEI consultants. Some programs have not been effective in reaching their goals. We’ve heard too often of DEI training programs that have not connected with those being trained. This may have contributed to some of the backlash we’re facing. It has become more important than ever to determine which DEI programs are successful in reaching an organization’s goals and which are not.
2. How can leaders and organizations continue to create inclusive spaces in this challenging environment?
As I mentioned before, valuing diversity, equity and inclusion must be a priority for any organization. You can’t support your employees, clients or the people you serve effectively if you don’t prioritize those values.
It’s important to ignore the latest trend noise. You must find ways to effectively listen to, get to know and understand ALL your employees, clients and those you serve, and make sure that your engagement is genuine. Many of your staff or clients may be from a different generation as you, were born in a different country, spoke a different language at home, or may have different customs around religious holidays. Get to know them and learn how to value them as individuals. Learn to delight them when you interact with them and they will choose to work for you or buy from you. Make sure these essential clients or employees are included in important decisions you make as an organization. It is important to be genuine in your decisions and interactions if you want to succeed.
Your workplace should reflect the communities you serve at all levels of your organization. That will be the best way to truly understand those you serve. You should then equip everyone in your organization with the resources they need to succeed. Team members should be valued for the unique contributions and backgrounds they bring.
Efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion should be measurable and tied to your organization’s strategic goals. They should show how they impact progress in your organization’s goals. If not, you will lose the trust of essential internal and external stakeholders. These efforts should be about building healthy environments for everyone, not just those who have been historically marginalized. They should be about building bridges among communities instead of polarizing them.
These values of inclusion must be integrated not only internally, but also as part of your sales, marketing and communications strategy. Essential diverse audiences must be part of the prospect targets for any truly cohesive and robust brand building effort.
3. How is NewPublica committed to furthering Diversity Equity and Inclusion?
NewPublica is fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. It is at the core of our existence. Our vision is to serve as a compass to an inclusive and prosperous society. Our mission is to be a full-service public relations and strategic communications firm uniquely poised for a rapidly changing world. We are a multilingual and multicultural-led firm, driven and based in community, with a belief in creative responses that meet society’s needs. Our company values are inclusion, excellence, client focus, teamwork, innovation and integrity.
Both internally and in our consulting work we use a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to everything we do. We are not DEI consultants. That’s not our area of expertise. We have partnered with great DEI consultants in the past to help clients reach their goals, but our own expertise is in strategic communications, marketing, public affairs, and public engagement.
Our consulting helps our clients reach all audiences but we have special expertise in reaching what we prefer to call essential communities. They include communities of color, immigrants, those under 35, LGBTQ+ communities and rural communities. They are essential to our success as a society or nation. They represent over a quarter of all Minnesotans and Midwesterners and close to 40% of the U.S. In under 35 populations, they represent over a third of the Midwest and close to half of the U.S.
We help clients communicate and serve essential communities. We don’t follow the latest trends. We advise clients on what works and what will make them successful. We specialize in helping clients navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing social, economic and political landscape. We are fully committed to and highly value diversity, equity and inclusion!
