Inclusion & Belonging
Topic Notes from Our Executive Director
September 2025
Despite longstanding evidence that DEI initiatives boost employee engagement and corporate financial performance, 2025 has seen intensified legal, political, and reputational pressure against these programs. As many pivot to focus on inclusion, opportunity, and workforce engagement, here are some key trends to watch:
- Political and legal risks (Organizations face a complex and fragmented landscape, with some regions scaling back DEI initiatives due to changing federal regulations, investor pressure, and legal challenges)
- The risk of silence (For many, a lack of visible commitment can negatively impact engagement, loyalty, and brand reputation)
- The path forward (To maintain progress, companies must move beyond public-facing messaging and embed inclusivity into the business strategy itself. This involves focusing on systemic changes)
Some good resources for getting different business departments aligned on this topic—videos, Center reports, peer-reviewed studies, and more—can be found below. I would also urge you to take advantage of the Center's interactive resources, including the Online Member Community (a forum where you can pose and answer questions) and our free research support services. Finally, please don't hesitate to reach out to your account manager for help finding the tools and guidance you need to advance your work.
Ask or Answer Questions on Disclosure
Visit the Online Member Community to crowdsource answers and opinions from your peers, many of whom are doing the same work you're doing at leading companies around the world.
Free Research & Benchmarking Support
Ask BCCCC's Research Team to help you find the data or examples you need to get your job done.
Learn About Custom Advisory Services
Need more robust, ongoing help? Let's talk about working together to get you the guidance and direction your organization needs.
Catch Up on the Latest Research on Inclusion & Belonging
Takeaway: Adopting and encouraging active measures to address race discrimination (seeking supervisor intervention, filing a formal HR complaint, etc.) may improve employee satisfaction with, trust in, and commitment to their employers.
Researchers conducted an online survey of more than 450 full-time U.S. employees who self-identified as racial/ethnic minorities...
Executives love stories and they need facts. Each month BCCCC publishes summaries of peer-reviewed research that supports and shapes your work. As a BCCCC member, you have access to hundreds of these program-defining studies. Dive in!
WATCH: The Latest Videos on Inclusion & Belonging
BCCCC maintains a robust video library on CSR and ESG topics like environmental sustainability. Most of these videos—including main stage sessions from our annual Conference and monthly webinar recordings—are available to BCCCC members only. Enjoy!
WEBINAR: A Discussion on DEI
This critical moment presents both challenges and opportunities to strengthen workplace cultures where every employee truly belongs. Below you will find a discussion with several BCCCC member companies on how they are navigating these changes.
Does your team have corporate citizenship stories and insights to share?
Member Voices | Inclusion & Belonging
Our rapidly evolving global economy demands that we take thoughtful, forward-looking action. Technological advancement, changing industry needs, and global competition are transforming what skills, experiences, and knowledge will be valued in the com-ing years. By working together—business leaders, educators, employers, community organizations, and policymakers—we can create pathways that enable all individuals to develop the capabilities we need to thrive, to access opportunity, and to co-create inclusive workplaces for our diverse population.
Does your work focus on inclusion? How about joining BCCCC's Advisory Board on Inclusion, Opportunity & Workforce Engagement?
DISCUSS: Opportunities to Engage with Inclusion & Belonging Peers
Our roots in one of world's leading business schools is one advantage we can offer the corporate citizenship community. Our membership—comprised of 10,000+ professionals from companies around the world—is another. Executives come to BCCCC for opportunities to discuss, share, ideate, collaborate... We offer a variety of formats and forums for this purpose.
What's next on the webinar calendar? Check it out, so you and your colleagues can join us live!
FEATURED ARTICLE
The Widespread Benefits of Disability Inclusion
Companies with well-run disability community outreach programs benefit both the employees and consumers. U.S. Bank has committed to helping colleagues, customers, and the community through their disability inclusion practices.
Recommended Reading on Inclusion & Belonging in Business
IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Helpful When: Strategizing on how to continue advancing inclusion and opportunity in the workforce
EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP TOOLKIT
Access: Members Only; Non-Members May Request
Reading Time: 60 minutes
Helpful When: Planning or launching employee resource groups (ERGs) at your company
INCLUSION/WORK ENGAGEMENT BULLETIN
Access: BCCCC Members Only; Non-Members May Request
Reading Time: 30 minutes
LEARN: Grow Your Knowledge of Inclusion, Belonging & Workforce Engagement
BCCCC aims to help corporate citizenship professionals know more, do more, and achieve more. Learning is a key piece of what we offer. And because we are housed in Boston College's prestigious Carroll School of Management, you can trust we are well-positioned to help you grow your knowledge—whether you choose to take a course, earn your certificate, or explore custom team training options.
Take a Course
BCCCC offers nearly two dozen self-paced, online courses, including Opportunity, Inclusion, & Workforce Engagement. Browse all our online course options.
Earn Your Certificate
BCCCC offers globally recognized credentials in Corporate Citizenship Practice, Management, or Leadership . Ask us how inclusion and belonging, as well as workforce engagement, are woven into these learning programs.