A Year In Review: 9 DEI Stories from 2023
A roundup of key events that tell us how orgs fared w.r.t fostering safety, belonging, inclusion, and justice in the workplace last year
2023 will go down as the year we witnessed unprecedented climate change disasters and never-ending genocides across the world. It was also a time when DEI made more headlines than before — largely due to political and corporate backlash against inclusion efforts in large organizations.
Tech giants made big cuts to DEI programs despite lofty promises to make their workplaces inclusive. While Wharton began offering a DEI Major for MBA students, Harvard saw the resignation of its first Black president. Employees at work faced harsh consequences for standing in solidarity with Palestine.
While Seattle banned caste discrimination in workplaces, a Dalit employee in India ended his life due to caste-based violence. India’s women and child development minister opposed paid menstrual leaves, making life difficult for menstruators, especially those with chronic menstrual pain and disabilities.
A Randstad report revealed that a majority of Indian workplaces continued denying basic facilities to People with Disabilities. Lack of workplace safety in the world of sports came to light when Indian wrestlers took to the street to speak up against sexual harassment by powerful Indian politicians.
Read on to learn about what happened and why the context behind these stories matter in the larger fight to build diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just workplaces.
1) Tech giants make big cuts to DEI programs
What happened: Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 in the US, large corporations made vocal commitments to DEI in the workplace. However, in 2023, DEI programs in the tech industry faced big cuts. Both Google and Meta cut staffers and downsized programs that fell under DEI investment. In early January, the DEI team at X (formerly Twitter) was down to just two employees from 30. Some companies laid off leaders of diverse employee resource groups, downsized learning and development programs, and cut budgets for external DEI groups by as much as 90% in 2023.
Why this matters: In the age of automation and AI, it is crucial to ground organizational cultures in our shared humanity and collective liberation. DEI offers a meaningful path towards that, but companies need to be willing to walk the talk.
During periods of economic downturn, people who lead diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in organizations are often the first to go. Companies engage in DEI discourse to level up their brand reputation, but are not willing to put money where their mouths are.
These mass DEI layoffs and cuts also come after significant backlash against corporate DEI programs from US conservative leaders as well as billionaires such as Elon Musk (who tweeted that “DEI must DIE”).
Although a 2023 DEI report by Pew Research Centre revealed that 54% of workers in the US said their organisation “pays about the right amount of attention” to increasing DEI efforts, these layoffs are stark reminders that DEI is often only seen as a “hot” topic by leaders and not as something that is essential to the growth and wellbeing of all stakeholders.
2) Indian wrestlers speak up against sexual harassment at work
What happened: India’s top wrestlers took to the streets to publicly denounce their federation’s chief in January 2023. The athletes accused Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — a lawmaker of the ruling BJP — and other coaches of sexual misconduct spanning several years. In December 2023, wrestler Sakshi Malik — who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics — announced she would quit the sport in protest after India’s wrestling federation replaced Brij Bhushan with his close ally. She said, “If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling.”
Why this matters: We cannot address sexual harassment without examining how political and social power dynamics manifest in the workplace
Workplaces in India and around the world are conducting Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) trainings for employees during induction week, but rarely go beyond those mandatory training sessions to deeply examine how and where power is consolidated in the workplace and how those in positions of power (often white/upper caste cis-het men) abuse that power through sexual harassment and assault.
Ensuring physical, emotional, and psychological safety is one of the core tenets of personal and organizational wellbeing in every workplace. How can people from oppressed genders survive in their workplaces (be it in an office as an employee or in a wrestling ring as a sportsperson) when their safety is threatened at every turn?
Workplaces need to establish stringent consequences and take action against authority figures who abuse their power by sexually harassing/assaulting employees. There is no DEI without legal and social justice in the workplace.
3) Over 75% Indian workplaces lack basic facilities for PwD: Randstad survey
What happened: Three out of every four workplaces in India lack basic facilities for People with Disabilities (PwD), a report released in February 2023 revealed. The basic facilities in the report include accessible toilets, technical aids, and appropriate seating arrangements. According to the "Embracing All Abilities" report released by HR services firm Randstad India, over 67% of respondents from Indian public sector companies and 55% from Indian private sector companies mentioned that inclusion is present, but not mandated in their goals. The study also revealed that when it came to conscious hiring of PwD, most of these happen at the junior (29.84%) and middle levels (23.27%). Their presence in the organizational structure of the company diminishes in senior and management roles.
Why this matters: PwD should not be hired for tokenistic purposes and later on, be treated as an afterthought throughout their tenure
PwD deserve access to basic facilities that all able-bodied people enjoy everyday as employees. Accessible toilets, technical aids, and appropriate seating arrangements are not luxuries but essential necessities for PwD in the workplace.
PwD are often hired for tokenistic purposes and to convey to the world that an organization is “inclusive”. However, many PwD are treated as an afterthought throughout their tenure. They are rarely in positions of power and do not have opportunities to influence organizational policies and strategies. PwD need to be on leadership teams and have a seat at the table because they are uniquely positioned to lead DEI initiatives and foster employee wellbeing through systemic shifts.
4) Employees face retaliation for standing in solidarity with Palestine
What happened: Workers from around the world lost their jobs and/or experienced bias after criticizing Israel and expressing support for Palestine amid the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Two instances of note: An employee of Israeli tech company Wix was fired after she called Israel a “terrorist state” on social media. An Apple employee was also fired after she spoke up against Israel’s genocidal actions in Palestine.
Why this matters: Employees around the world have a right to free speech; targeting them for their advocacy outside of their jobs is cowardly and exclusionary
According to a report by Prism, complaints of employer retaliation against workers supporting calls for Palestinian liberation have increased dramatically. Complaints filed with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights advocacy organization in the U.S. show that Muslim people have had their careers and livelihoods targeted for speaking up in support of a free Palestine.
CAIR reported that Muslims in the U.S. filed 774 requests for help and reports of bias incidents between October 7th and 24th. Corey Saylor, CAIR’s research and advocacy director, said that in a comparable 16-day timeframe, the organization received an average 274 complaints last year.
Employees, especially those from oppressed communities, have a right to express their personal and political opinions outside of their workplaces. Targeting them for their advocacy outside of their jobs by firing them or making their workplace hostile is cowardly and exclusionary, and goes against everything that DEI stands for.
5) Harvard’s first Black president resigns following antisemitism and plagiarism accusations
What happened: Harvard University’s first Black president Claudine Gay resigned from her position in December 2023. Gay, who will continue to work as a professor at the university, faced a heated congressional hearing about antisemitism in higher education, allegations of plagiarism, as well as conservative backlash against DEI efforts. In early December 2023, Gay testified before Congress about how the university was handling antisemitism on campuses amid the ongoing Israel-led genocide in Palestine. Harvard is one of the few schools that is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for complaints of discrimination.
Why this matters: People from historically oppressed communities are often recruited as “diversity hires” but are not allowed to thrive due to a culture of political hostility
In her congressional hearing, Claudine Gay — when asked about antisemitism on campus, said — “We do not sanction individuals for their political views or their speech. When that speech crosses into conduct that violates our behavior-based policies, bullying, harassment and intimidation, we take action."
Gay’s refusal to openly support Israel and the Zionist movement’s genocide of Palestine has played a big part in the hostility and violence that she received from Zionists, who control a majority of political, cultural, and educational institutions in the US.
6) Smriti Irani opposes paid menstrual leaves
What happened: India’s Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said menstruation should not be treated as a “handicap” in the workplace and should therefore not warrant paid menstrual leaves. In December 2023, she said: "As someone who experiences menstruation, I don't see it as a handicap; it's a natural part of a woman’s life journey…Proposals should not be made that deny women equal opportunities simply because someone who doesn't experience menstruation has a particular viewpoint towards it."
Why this matters: Denying period leave to menstruators is cruel and inhuman, and often causes harm to those from oppressed gender identities
Cis-het women aren’t the only ones who menstruate. People from the queer community (genderqueer, non-binary, transgender folks) also bleed on a regular basis. Calling this a “a woman’s journey” excludes menstruators who are queer.
The intensity of period pain is different for every menstruators. Some are able to carry on with their daily activities during menstruation without discomfort or difficult. However, there are many menstruators who experience extreme pain during their menstruation - especially those with conditions such as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), Endometriosis, Fibroids, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). The extreme pain (known as dysmenorrhea) makes it impossible for them to perform daily tasks.
Asking menstruators to grit their teeth and show up for work on days when they are experiencing extreme period pain is inhumane, cruel, and wrong. Asking for menstrual leave in the workplace is not a sign of weakness, nor does it mean that menstruators are getting in the way of gender equality. Gender equality can be achieved only when we acknowledge existing challenges that people from oppressed communities face (in this case — menstruators) and create supportive systems that actively accounts for how these challenges play out in daily life.
What do menstruators who experience extreme period pain actually need: Paid unlimited menstrual leave in the workplace, flexibility (eg: working from home), and non-menstruating co-workers (eg: cis-het men) pitching in to pick up the workload when menstruators are away on period leave.
7) Seattle becomes first US city to ban caste discrimination
What happened: Seattle became the first American city to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of caste in February 2023, after a vote by the city council amended the city’s municipal code to include caste as a protected class along with categories like race, religion and gender identity. The law bans caste discrimination in workplaces, housing, and public spaces such as transport, hotels, public restrooms, and retail establishments.
Why this matters: Outlawing caste discrimination in the workplace is a crucial step in cultivating an intersectional, socially just, and inclusive work culture
Caste-based discrimination is not unique to India. A United Nations report in 2016 said at least 250 million people worldwide still face caste discrimination in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Pacific regions, as well as in various diaspora communities.
Nearly 4 million Indian Americans reside in the US, with many reporting instances of caste-based discrimination in the workplace. In 2020, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Cisco Systems because two dominant-caste Indian American employees discriminated against a Dalit employee.
A 2016 Equality Labs survey of 1,500 South Asians in the U.S. showed 67% of Dalits who responded reported being treated unfairly because of their caste. (Source: Seattle Times)
In a country where Indian Americans make up the second-largest immigrant group, banning caste-based discrimination in the workplace is a foundational step in cultivating a safe, just, and inclusive work culture.
8) Dalit man in Bengaluru ends life after facing caste discrimination at work
What happened: A 35-year-old Dalit man from Uttar Pradesh ended his life in June 2023 after filing a police complaint about caste discrimination in his workplace. Vivek Raj was employed as a visual merchandiser at Lifestyle International Private Limited. In a video that he had uploaded before ending his life, Raj said he was being harassed by his colleagues. An FIR filed after Raj’s complaint mentioned that he had faced mental harassment for months and his coworkers had hurled casteist slurs at him. The FIR said that the company did not take any action even after Raj approached his seniors.
Why this matters: Casteism at work is widely prevalent in India and organizations have willfully failed to protect the lives and dignity of employees from oppressed castes
The Indian labour market is split into formal and informal sectors based on closely mirrored hierarchies and discriminations of caste, religion and gender (Naskar, 2020). Azim Premji University’s State of Working India 2018 report says that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were over-represented in low-paying occupations and severely under-represented in high-paying occupations, especially among professionals and managers. (Source: India's Policy Response to COVID-19: A Reality Check focusing on Dalits and Adivasis)
Getting a job in the formal sector is only half the battle for employees from Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi communities. Because once they enter the workforce, upper caste employees constantly discriminate against them due to their caste identities, appearance, skin colour, language, and cultural backgrounds.
Corporate India continues to engage in surface-level DEI dialogue without truly examining and dismantling caste supremacy — which is often baked into its organizational culture and hierarchy — and has failed to protect the lives and dignity of employees from oppressed castes.
9) Wharton MBA Offers New DEI Major
What happened: In Fall 2023, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School began offering a new diversity, equity, and inclusion undergraduate concentration and MBA major. The university’s website said that the major will prepare students to “face the challenges involved in creating and maintaining organizations that are diverse, inclusive, and rooted in equity… [Students] will also be prepared to be leaders of change in any organizational role.”
Why this matters: Training leaders in inclusive leadership needs to start early because it takes time to unlearn years of harmful and exclusionary mindsets
Wharton is one of the world’s leading B-schools; the inclusion of a DEI Major in their coursework sends a message to the industry that learning how to be an inclusive leader and build a socially just company is as important as learning business fundamentals at a B-school.
MBA graduates from B-schools like Wharton often go on to lead large corporations around the world. They need to learn that DEI is not meant to be relegated to HR and L&D departments but needs to become the foundation for every organization’s culture, strategy, and ways of being.