Across the US, both government and corporate sectors are quietly scaling back their diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. These programmes were once seen as essential, but they have since become costly, divisive and ineffective. One of Donald Trump’s first moves after returning to office was to restore merit-based hiring in aviation, reversing policies that prioritised DEI factors over skills and experience. The message was clear: when identity-based hiring overrides competence, performance suffers, and in some industries, that can have real consequences.
Read more: HR responds: Does DEI need to be reset?
This isn’t an argument against inclusion. In fact, true inclusion – the kind that encourages opportunity and fairness – should be a natural part of good leadership. But that’s very different from the DEI industry that has taken hold in recent years.
DEI roles have made inclusion someone else’s problem
A major flaw in the rise of corporate DEI roles is that they unintentionally shift accountability away from leadership. Instead of inclusion being an expectation for every manager and team, it becomes a separate department’s responsibility. As a result, leaders feel less pressure to create inclusive environments because they assume someone else is handling it.
Read more: What’s driving DEI pushback, and how can we get it right?
Even the CIPD’s Peter Cheese has acknowledged that DEI has become “politicised and fragmented”, often losing sight of business priorities. Inclusion shouldn’t be a siloed initiative, it should be embedded in company culture and everyday decision-making.
If managers need a DEI officer to tell them how to treat people fairly, they shouldn’t be managers in the first place.
The death of meritocracy hurts everyone
A diverse team can be a major asset – but only when built on merit, not quotas. When hiring and promotions are driven by identity rather than ability, it leads to resentment, disengagement and lower overall performance.
Take the aviation industry. Under the previous administration, the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] deprioritised merit-based hiring in favour of DEI criteria, sparking real concerns about safety and competence. Trump’s decision to reverse this policy and reinstate meritocratic hiring reflects an obvious truth: in fields where precision and expertise matter, identity should never take precedence over skill.
This isn’t just about high-stakes industries like aviation, however. Across businesses, employees are growing frustrated with hiring and promotion practices that feel more like social engineering than talent selection. High performers who are overlooked for opportunities based on identity feel alienated, while those hired under DEI-driven policies face the stigma of being a token hire. This isn’t inclusion – it’s a recipe for division.
DEI’s focus on appearances over impact
One of the biggest problems with today’s DEI efforts is how success is measured. Instead of looking at concrete outcomes like performance, innovation or retention, businesses focus on diversity statistics, unconscious bias training attendance and public-facing commitments to DEI ideals.
Read more: DEI backlash: Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
The question companies should be asking isn’t 'How many diversity events have we hosted?' but instead: 'Are we hiring the best talent? Are we creating a workplace where everyone can thrive? Are we actually improving business outcomes?'.
The backlash is real – and growing
It’s no coincidence that companies are quietly cutting DEI budgets and laying off DEI officers. As the business world faces economic pressure, companies are realising that these roles often don’t deliver tangible returns.
At the same time, the growing frustration among employees – many of whom feel that DEI has become an ideological exercise rather than a functional business priority – is becoming impossible to ignore.
Final thoughts
Creating fair, high-performing workplaces should always be a priority. But DEI as an industry has lost its way, prioritising messaging over merit and structure over substance.
It’s time to move past the corporate DEI machine and refocus on what actually works: strong leadership, hiring the best people for the job and creating genuine inclusion – one that isn’t forced by policy but earned through culture and performance.
By Charlie Coode, founder of Culture15
