Reset the DEI Narrative, and Other Actions for?Allies

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better?ally.

1. Reset the DEI narrative

While there have been reports of some companies pruning some DEI initiatives in response to investor activism, Costco has decidedly bucked the trend.

When the Costco board received a shareholder proposal to evaluate and publish business risks associated with maintaining its current DEI roles, policies, and goals, they pushed back. Instead of accepting the argument that DEI increases risk for shareholders, the board disagreed, explaining that diversity is foundational and key to their business success and that it ultimately rewards shareholders. They also went a step further, saying that the investors who requested they end DEI are not doing so in the interest of Costco, but as part of a larger political agenda. Source: HR Dive

Costco is not the only large company staying committed to their diversity initiatives. Boeing, Citigroup, Cigna, Coca-Cola, MGM Resorts, PepsiCo, and Progressive received anti-DEI proposals, identical to the one submitted to Costco. All recommended that their shareholders vote against them. Source: Mr. CorpGov Substack

As better allies, we can also aim to reset the narrative within our spheres of influence, and focus on how DEI helps deliver customer, client, or shareholder value.

For example:

• Connect Employee Resource Group (ERG) goals to business objectives.
• Align DEI initiatives with corporate values.
• Identify the return on investment (ROI) for any DEI-related budget request. (A straightforward approach I’ve used successfully is to point out that if a woman’s leadership program helps retain just one person, the company will save the cost of replacing an employee, which experts estimate to be between 50%-200% of their yearly salary.)

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2. Avoid unnecessary adjectives

After reading one of my newsletters where I recommended using neutral language when describing larger people, subscriber Caroline emailed me,

“Can I propose another way of describing fat people? Just use the word ‘people.’ We get stigmatized for being ‘different from normal.’ I’m normal. I just happen to be on the larger end of ‘normal.’ So I’d like to point out that in many contexts, there’s no need to mention someone’s weight?—?any more than mentioning their height or hair color. If the context actually creates some advantage for heavier people, that’s a different matter. But it’s almost never considered by anyone.”

Similarly, another subscriber told me that when he sees social media posts about “old guys” doing something non-inclusive, he’s concerned about how it reinforces a negative stereotype, especially when a young person might do the same thing.

Folks, to reduce othering people, let’s skip unnecessary adjectives when sharing examples or stories.

3. Write helpful alt?text

In Alt Text: What to Write, Emma Cionca and Tanner Kohler explain that alt text, or alternative text, is a brief description of an image that enables screen readers to describe it out loud. It’s essential for ensuring web accessibility and usability.

But not all alt text is created equal.

Cionca and Kohler include a series of tips for writing helpful alt text, including:

• Only mention the identity of the people pictured if it’s relevant.
• End alt text with a period to ensure the screen reader pauses after reading it.
• Never reuse alt text for the same image without analyzing the new context in which the image is placed.

Many thanks to subscriber Jill Finlayson, who referred me to this article.

4. Don’t pry?(again)

Last month, I wrote about not asking someone why they aren’t drinking alcohol. Subscriber Nicole Exe urges us not to pry on other personal topics, too. She wrote,

“Thank you so much for including the tip about not asking people why they don’t drink. I think this can be expanded to asking about anything seen as not average behavior. For example, I don’t have a driver’s license, and almost everyone I tell asks for an explanation. It’s not such a problem when I’m disclosing this by my choice, but there are times, such as job interviews or being assigned new projects with travel requirements, when it’s required to disclose even if I don’t want to give an explanation. I can imagine this is even more problematic for people who may feel shame around this disclosure or don’t have a license for reasons that are either difficult to explain or influence other aspects of their work where they haven’t chosen to disclose.”

I heartily agree.

5. Community Spotlight: Ask about diversity before agreeing to?speak

This week’s spotlight on an ally action from the Better Allies community is from Andy Jennett, who told me,

“When I was invited to be on a panel at a company event, I double-checked that it would not be all male or all white. Fortunately, neither was the case.”

Thank you, Andy!

And for those of us who are frequent public speakers, consider mentioning that we value diversity in speaker lineups via our online bios. For example, “I won’t speak on all-male panels” or “I won’t speak on all-white panels.”

If you’ve taken a step towards being a better ally, please leave a comment and tell me about it. And mention if I can quote you by name or credit you anonymously in an upcoming newsletter.

That’s all for this week. I wish you strength and safety as we all move forward.

— Karen Catlin (she/her), author of the Better Allies? book series

Copyright ? 2025 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.

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