Employee networks and Employee Resource Groups (ERGS) to me are the heroes of workplace inclusion. Led by volunteers from underrepresented groups, these communities have driven cultural change from the inside out, helping organisations move beyond performative statements and take meaningful action on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). In many cases, they’ve been the reason companies have earned credibility as inclusive employers in the first place.

And yet, as DEI programmes are being reframed, scaled back or scrapped altogether, network members must be left wondering what this means for them. What does it mean to have spent years building inclusive cultures, only to see your hard work deprioritised?

Barclays’ employees hit back

In the same week the UK celebrated National Staff Networks Day, current and former Barclays employees have gone online to express disappointment at the bank’s decision to ban trans women from using female toilets, citing compliance with the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Some have questioned whether previous commitments to the bank’s LGBTQ+ Spectrum Network were genuine, or simply performative.

For communicators, changes in policy and direction presents a challenge. How do you communicate changes in inclusion messaging, while maintaining employee trust?

To me, it starts with listening to your employees and employee network members. Not as a one-off tactic, or damage control strategy, but as an ongoing commitment to putting people at the centre. Failure to listen — especially to colleagues most affected by decisions — risks disengagement, disenfranchisement and can potentially lead to reputational risk as employees voice their grievances externally.

Tips on communicating a change in DEI

If your organisation’s approach to DEI is changing, the first step isn’t to draft a carefully worded announcement — It’s to ask questions. Engage the network members who’ve helped to build your inclusive culture and ask how they are feeling. Listen carefully to what they say. Even if it’s uncomfortable. What support do they need? Communicate what you’ve heard, and how this will be fed back to leaders.

Some other practical ways to involve employee networks as you communicate across your organisation:

• Create structured spaces for two-way dialogue. Listening sessions, roundtables or open forums facilitated by network leaders or sponsors can offer psychologically safe spaces for employees to share concerns and ask questions.

• If your stance on DEI is shifting, say so clearly. Avoid euphemisms like “realignment” or “evolving our thinking.” Vagueness erodes trust. In your messaging explain what’s not changing. Will you continue support for networks? Is there a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination? Network leaders and members can offer vital insight into messaging.

• Provide leaders and managers with the tools and language to navigate difficult conversations with empathy. Again, your network leaders will be able to advise on language and tone.

Ultimately, employees don’t need to agree with their organisation’s decisions, but they do need to understand, feel respected, and be given the opportunity to have their voices heard. Listening is crucial.

Trust is hard-won and easily lost. In times of change, it’s how we communicate with our people that determines whether we keep it.