DEI. Simply put, diversity is being invited to the party, equity is making sure everyone can dance, and inclusion is playing everyone’s favorite song.
Without that, workplaces risk becoming spaces where people are present in body but absent in spirit. Healing begins when people don’t just belong—they thrive. And employees know it. According to CNBC, three in four employees want to see diversity and inclusion in action before saying yes to a job.
At MercerCarter, we believe that going beyond DEI is essential: it’s how organizations become resilient, ethical, and high-performing. Here are the best ways to make your workplace DEI-ready.
What Does “DEI” Mean in the Workplace?
DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In practice:
- Diversity means representation: different identities, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences.
- Equity means fairness: removing barriers and ensuring everyone has what they need to succeed—not just treating everyone the same.
- Inclusion means belonging: creating a culture in which all people feel valued, heard, safe, and able to bring their full selves to work.
These three pillars are necessary but not always sufficient to create environments that truly support healing. Healing goes further: acknowledging past harms, giving space for voices to be heard, creating psychological safety, taking reparative action, and embracing ongoing adaptation.
What Are Top DEI Initiative Examples to Implement in 2025?
Talking about DEI is one thing—living it is another. Here are some simple yet powerful DEI strategies making a difference in 2025:
- Rethinking Hiring
- Blind recruitment: Removing names, schools, or other identifiers from resumes to minimize unconscious bias.
- Diverse interview panels: More perspectives at the table lead to fairer hiring decisions.
- Inclusive job descriptions: Language should be clear and bias-free, with a clear invitation for all to apply. See how Mercer’s DEI consulting services emphasize analytics and experience equity.
- Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) Think of ERGs as built-in support circles. They:
- Create networks for employees who share backgrounds or experiences.
- Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities.
- Act as advocates for change—whether that’s racial equity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, or disability access.
- Mentorship with Intention Pair senior leaders or top talent with newcomers and trainees to inspire better performance and learning. This builds competencies, increases visibility, and diversifies leadership pipelines.
- Equity Action Plans More organizations are documenting their commitments instead of keeping them vague. These plans often include:
- Pay equity audits
- Clear diversity hiring targets
- Progress updates employees can actually see
- Inclusive Benefits & Policies Healing workplaces go beyond paychecks. Forward-thinking employers are:
- Offering gender-affirming healthcare, adoption assistance, and caregiver support
- Ensuring people with disabilities have the tools, accommodations, and respect they need
- Creating policies that protect against discrimination and champion fairness
- Learning That Sticks DEI training works best when it’s ongoing—not a one-time slideshow. The best programs cover:
- Unconscious bias and microaggressions
- Cultural competency
- Leadership skills for managing diverse teams
- Supplier Diversity & Community Partnerships DEI isn’t just an “inside the office” thing. Companies are also:
- Partnering with minority-owned and women-owned businesses
- Investing in community programs that build opportunity
- Strengthening ties with the neighborhoods where employees live and work
Creating a healing workplace inside the organization naturally impacts how people experience your brand outside. We share more on this in our latest blog on enhancing customer and user experience in the life sciences.
What Is a Real-Life Example of DEI?
One powerful example comes from Mercer’s own approach: Mercer works with organizations to advance “experience equity,” which means not just equal opportunity but ensuring that every employee—from entry-level to executive—has a fair chance to thrive financially, health-wise, and in career growth.
Another example is pay transparency. Mercer’s work shows that when firms are transparent about pay and analyze disparities by gender, race, or other identity lines, trust increases, perceptions of fairness improve, and retention strengthens.
How Do You Include DEI in Your Workplace?
Demonstrating DEI—and moving toward healing—means taking concrete actions:
- Speak up and act: If you notice bias or exclusion, raise it, intervene, or escalate appropriately.
- Embed DEI in day-to-day business: In hiring, project assignments, performance reviews. Don’t silo DEI as only HR’s job.
- Provide meaningful inclusion opportunities: Diverse voices at decision-making tables; mentoring programs; sponsorship for underrepresented talent.
- Support wellness holistically: Mental health, financial wellness, caregiving support, inclusive benefits, accommodations.
- Follow through on commitments: If you commit to pay equity or increasing diversity in leadership, track it, publish updates, and adjust your strategy. Discover how Bevin Carter’s partnership with Prosetta Biosciences is shaping the future of oncology research, where science meets bold innovation.
Why DEI Initiatives Drive Organizational Benefits
Moving beyond just inclusion to healing workplaces pays off in many ways:
- Stronger employee engagement & retention: People stay where they feel seen, supported, and trusted.
- Increased innovation & creativity: Diverse teams with psychological safety lead to better ideas and problem-solving.
- Higher performance & productivity: Equity and inclusion improve morale, reduce burnout, and foster collaboration.
- Better reputation & employer brand: Talent wants to work for organizations that live their values.
- Risk reduction: Fewer legal and reputational risks when discrimination or exclusion are addressed proactively.
Measuring and Improving DEIA Outcomes
To ensure DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility / Accountability / Action) becomes more than buzzwords, measurement is crucial:
| Metric | Why It Matters | How to Track / Improve |
| Demographic data at all levels (race, gender, disability, etc.) | Understand representation and identify gaps (senior leadership, middle management, front line) | Regular workforce surveys, HR reporting dashboards, disaggregated data |
| Pay equity & compensation audits | Reveals if people with similar roles and performance are being paid fairly | Use statistical tools, remediate gaps, and be transparent |
| Employee experience & sentiment | Tells you how included and psychologically safe people feel | Use surveys, focus groups, exit interviews |
| Promotion, career growth & retention rates | Shows whether opportunities are equitable | Track career paths, mentorship access, ensure fair processes |
| Health, well-being, financial wellness outcomes | Hidden inequities often appear here first | Compare utilization of wellness benefits, leave, mental health resources |
| Accountability & transparency | Keeps initiatives from stalling or becoming symbolic | Public reporting, dashboards, leadership tied to outcomes |
Continuous improvement means using those metrics to adjust strategy: shutting down programs that don’t work, scaling ones that do, incorporating feedback, and being willing to admit missteps and repair.
Healing, Not Just Including: The Commitment MercerCarter Champions
At MercerCarter, our mission is not just to help organizations include—but to help them heal. That means partnering to develop equity-driven strategies with measurable outcomes. It means guiding leaders to align DEI with business goals and purpose. It means crafting policies and cultures that restore dignity for all.
If you’re ready to move beyond inclusion and build a workplace that heals—not just accepts—reach out via our Contact Us page. Explore our Services and Insight blogs to see how organizations are transforming: moving from DEI in theory to DEIA in action.
Takeaway
Always remember: “People don’t leave jobs—they leave environments where they don’t feel valued.”
Thus, DEI work is essential, but it’s just the beginning. Gone are the days when jobs were only about making money. Today, they’re cultures where people come to learn, grow, and belong. Employees want to feel valued, seen, included, and celebrated for their contributions. Organizations that do this don’t just survive—they thrive. They set examples for others to follow. Are you ready to build one?
