New report finds an intention-impact gap when it comes to DEI efforts in Australia
Nearly four in 10 employees across Australia said they would leave an organisation if diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts aren't prioritised.
This is according to Rippling's Workforce Dynamic Report 2025, which surveyed 1,000 Australian workers to look at employee sentiments, including on DEI.
The report found that 39% of employees may leave if DEI isn't prioritised in their organisation, with the sentiments stronger among younger employees.
According to the survey, 55% of Gen Z workers would leave a company that fails to implement DEI policies. This is also the stand of 32% of Gen X workers and 17% of Baby Boomers in the workplace.
By gender, men were found to be 56% more likely than women to say that they would stay at a company even if it failed to advance DEI efforts.
The results reflect differing lived experiences between those who feel affected by DEI efforts, according to Rippling.
"For women and younger employees in particular, inclusion isn't a nice-to-have, it's part of the baseline for a healthy workplace," it stated. "Those who feel directly affected by a lack of diversity are far less tolerant when DEI stalls."
The findings come amid a gap between intention and impact when it comes to DEI efforts in Australia. According to the report, only 37% of employees feel that their company has meaningful or impactful DEI initiatives.
A third of employees even noted that they're not aware if there are any formal DEI policies or tools at all.
"A gap between policy and execution is often to blame; employees need to see tangible efforts – like equitable promotion pathways or mentorship programmes – to believe DEI is more than a checkbox," the report read.
"Companies that invest in real change build stronger cultures and draw talent that values diversity and inclusion."
DEI efforts in some parts of the world have been under intense scrutiny over the past months. In the United States, a number of organisations have scaled back or altered their DEI initiatives in the wake of a shifting legal landscape.
US President Donald Trump, in one of his first executive orders, also terminated DEI mandates, policies, programmes, preferences, and activities, as well as put on leave all federal employees working in DEI offices.
In Australia, there have been organisations that are also making changes to their DEI efforts, such as a "redistribution of resources" across DEI efforts.
But DEI advocates have been firm on the importance of these policies in the workplace.
"We are a multicultural country. DEI is in our DNA," Mary-Beth Hosking, DEI advocate and founder of Quantum Transformation, previously told HRD. "To sit back and say: 'No, we've done enough' or 'We're not going to do any more' is an absolute mistake."
