Culture Corner #3: The Inclusion Illusion: When Diversity Efforts Actually Backfire

When your best intentions create the very problems you're trying to solve - and what to do about it instead.

Let's talk about something a bit uncomfortable. You know those diversity and inclusion initiatives that looked brilliant on paper? The ones that got everyone nodding in meetings and made the board feel properly progressive?

What if I told you some of them might be making things worse?

When your D&I efforts work so well that people forget they're D&I efforts.

I'm not having a go at anyone here. We've all been there. You spot a problem, you want to fix it, you implement what seems like a sensible solution. Job done, pat on the back, move on. Except sometimes - and this is the awkward bit - our solutions create new problems we didn't see coming.

The Good Intentions Trap

Let me paint you a picture. Your company decides it needs more diversity in leadership. Brilliant! So you create a "fast-track programme for underrepresented groups." Sounds reasonable, right?

But here's what might happen next. Sarah, a POC in your marketing team, gets promoted through this programme. Fantastic news! Except now some of her colleagues are muttering about "diversity hires" and questioning whether she "really earned it." Sarah knows they're thinking this. She starts second-guessing herself too.

You've just created exactly the opposite of what you wanted.

This isn't about Sarah's qualifications - she might be the most talented person in the building. But the way the programme was positioned has accidentally undermined her achievement and made her feel like a token rather than a valued team member.

The Tokenism Trap

Here's another one I see far too often. Companies proudly announce their diverse interview panels or showcase their multicultural team photos on LinkedIn. All good stuff, right?

But if you're the only person of colour on that panel, or one of three women in a company of fifty, you might start feeling like a box-ticking exercise rather than a proper contributor. You become the go-to person for "the diversity perspective" on everything, which is exhausting and reductive.

I once worked with someone who told me she dreaded being asked to be on interview panels because she knew she was only there to make the numbers look good. That's not inclusion - that's just putting people on display.

The Backlash Effect

Perhaps the most frustrating outcome is when well-meaning initiatives create resentment among the very people they're supposed to educate.

You know those mandatory unconscious bias training sessions? The ones where everyone sits there thinking "I'm not biased, this doesn't apply to me"?

Research shows that some of these programmes can actually increase bias rather than reduce it. People get defensive, they switch off, or worse - they start resenting the groups the training is supposed to help. It becomes "us versus them" instead of "all of us together."

So What Actually Works?

Before you throw your hands up and abandon all your D&I efforts, take a breath. The answer isn't to give up - it's to be smarter about how we go about it.

Focus on systems, not just people

Instead of creating special programmes that single people out, look at your existing systems. Are your job descriptions full of unnecessary requirements that exclude people? Do you always recruit from the same universities? Are promotion criteria clear and fair for everyone?

Fix the systems and the diversity often follows naturally.

Make it about everyone

The best inclusion work I've seen doesn't treat it as something you do "for" certain groups. It's about creating an environment where everyone can do their best work. That benefits absolutely everyone, including straight white men who might be struggling with mental health, or have caring responsibilities, or come from working-class backgrounds.

Skip the special treatment

Rather than fast-track programmes that make people feel singled out, focus on removing barriers that shouldn't exist anyway. Flexible working, clear progression criteria, fair recruitment processes - these help everyone and don't make anyone feel like they're getting special treatment.

Listen more, announce less

Some companies are so keen to be seen doing the right thing that they spend more time publicising their initiatives than actually checking if they're working. Have quiet conversations with people from different backgrounds. What's their actual experience? What would genuinely help them?

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here's something that might make you squirm a bit: sometimes the most effective inclusion work is invisible. It's the manager who makes sure everyone gets heard in meetings without making a big song and dance about it. It's the recruiter who questions why they're not seeing diverse candidates rather than blaming "the pipeline." It's the leader who creates psychological safety so people can bring their whole selves to work.

It's much less Instagram-worthy than a shiny new programme launch, but it's what actually changes people's day-to-day experience.

What This Means for You

If you're reading this thinking "crikey, we might have got some of this wrong," don't panic. Most of us have. The key is being willing to adjust course when something isn't working.

Start by asking better questions. Instead of "How do we look more diverse?" try "How do we create an environment where everyone can succeed?" Instead of "What programme can we launch?" ask "What barriers can we remove?"

And please, for the love of all that's holy, stop measuring success purely by representation numbers. Yes, they matter, but if people don't feel valued and included once they're there, you've just created a revolving door.

The best inclusion work happens when people stop noticing it's happening - because it's just become the way things are done.