Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Reimagined: Beyond Tokenism to Belonging

 

In today's workplace, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can no longer be treated as a compliance exercise or superficial initiative. Employees expect more than simply being hired; they want to feel they belong, that their voice matters, and that the organisation values their unique contribution. As HR professionals, when we move from token representation to genuine belonging, we unlock significant benefits: higher engagement, improved innovation, and stronger business performance.

This shift matters because the world of work is changing rapidly. With global supply chains, remote teams, and increasingly diverse workforces, organisations that maintain outdated, uniform DEI programmes risk falling behind. It is not merely about recruiting diversely; it is about creating inclusive cultures, equitable processes, and environments where everyone can thrive. When HR leads DEI with intention, belonging becomes a strategic advantage that drives performance and sustainability.

From Diversity to Belonging

DEI has evolved significantly over time. In earlier decades, companies focused on representation, ensuring women or minority groups were present in the workforce. Over time, the focus shifted to inclusion, ensuring those groups had access and a voice. Today, the next frontier is belonging: the feeling that you are valued, safe, and fully part of the organisation. This evolution matters because organisations increasingly understand that diversity without inclusion or belonging can create negative outcomes. People might feel isolated, tokenised, or disengaged (Great Place to Work, 2023).

HR theories such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs remind us that belonging and esteem are fundamental for motivation. You can hire representation, but unless you build culture, you will not gain commitment. In modern workplaces, therefore, DEI is not simply about quotas or resource groups. It involves designing experiences, policies, and leadership behaviours that achieve genuine inclusivity and belonging.

Building Effective DEI Strategies

How can HR build DEI programmes that go beyond tokenism and truly foster belonging? Here are practical approaches:

Embed DEI into leadership and culture: Executive sponsorship and visible leadership commitment are essential. Leaders must model inclusive behaviour, not just discuss it.

Move beyond quotas to insights: Use data on representation, advancement, pay equity, and sense of belonging. Research indicates that organisations with inclusive cultures have 5.4 times higher retention and greater innovation outcomes (Great Place to Work, 2023).

Design inclusive processes: Recruitment, onboarding, promotions, and succession plans must be equitable and transparent. HR can provide unconscious bias training, build inclusive job postings, and track advancement across groups.

Focus on belonging: Belonging means employees feel safe to be themselves, contribute, and collaborate. HR should create safe spaces, mentorship programmes, and belonging indicators.

Localise DEI approaches: One size does not fit all. In Sri Lanka, for instance, inclusion might involve language, caste, socio-economic background, and religious diversity as much as gender or ethnicity. The European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL, 2024) emphasises that businesses must design DEI strategies that consider these broader complexities to deliver meaningful impact.

Belonging in Practice

This video explores how organisations are shifting DEI efforts from meeting diversity targets to building cultures of belonging, highlighting leadership roles and measurable belonging outcomes.

Organisational Best Practices

Organisations across Sri Lanka and internationally are demonstrating that effective DEI drives business results. In Sri Lanka, South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT) received a DEI Champions Award in 2025 after increasing female representation in shift roles and establishing anti-discrimination and paternity leave policies in a traditionally male-dominated port environment (SAGT, 2025). Asia Securities emphasises that inclusion is a continuous practice, implementing bias training, mentoring, and partnerships to support diversity. Nestlé in Sri Lanka goes beyond representation by providing training on unconscious bias, supporting differently-abled hiring, and tracking inclusion metrics to build genuine belonging (Nestlé, 2024). Furthermore, research by the International Finance Corporation found that over 50 Sri Lankan companies that proactively advanced diversity and inclusion saw measurable improvements in productivity, employees feeling safer at work, and enhanced business operations continuity during crises (IFC, 2023). These cases demonstrate how HR can shift DEI from policy to practice and from representation to belonging.

Why DEI Matters

DEI matters not only because it is ethically right but because inclusive, belonging-focused workplaces generate genuine business value. Employees who feel they belong are more engaged, innovative and likely to stay. Research by Great Place to Work (2023) found that inclusive workplaces were 5.4 times more likely to retain diverse talent. Belonging also drives creativity: when people feel safe to share ideas and challenge norms, innovation thrives. The ECCSL (2024) report further notes that DEI serves as a strategic imperative for both business success and social harmony, linking inclusive practices directly to organisational performance. From an HR perspective, DEI becomes an engine for retention, talent attraction, brand reputation, and growth.

Conclusion

DEI has evolved from simply hiring diverse people to creating belonging, where every employee feels valued, safe, included, and able to contribute fully. HR's role is now to design inclusive systems, measure belonging, and ensure leadership demonstrates commitment. When we do that, organisations do not just include diversity; they unlock its power. Belonging becomes a strategic asset, not an afterthought.

References

• European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL) (2024) Unlocking the Power of DEI: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a Strategic Imperative for Business Success and Social Harmony. Available at: https://eccsl.lk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Unlocking-the-Power-of-DEI.pdf (Accessed: 15 November 2025).

• Great Place to Work (2023) Why Is Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace Important?. Available at: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/why-is-diversity-inclusion-in-the-workplace-important (Accessed: 15 November 2025).

• International Finance Corporation (IFC) (2023) Over 50 Sri Lankan Companies Experience Business Benefits by Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace. Available at: https://www.ifc.org/en/pressroom/2023/over-50-sri-lankan-companies-experience-business-benefits-by-promoting-diversity-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace (Accessed: 15 November 2025).

• Nestlé (2024) Promoting Decent Employment and Equal Opportunities – Diversity & Inclusion in Sri Lanka. Available at: https://www.nestle.lk/communities/promoting-decent-employment-diversity (Accessed: 15 November 2025).

• South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT) (2025) DEI Champions Award Recognition. Available at: https://www.maritimegateway.com/sagt-wins-inaugural-dei-champions-award-2025 (Accessed: 15 November 2025).

• YouTube (2023) Belonging, A Critical Piece of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jK0gyQCoTs (Accessed: 15 November 2025).