We're standing by DEI
A lot has changed since Donald Trump became US President last month. If you’ve been following the news, you may have picked up on his attacks on diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) policies.
DEI definition and purpose
DEI policies are government and employment guidelines designed to improve equal opportunity by recognising people’s differences – such as gender, race, culture, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity, age – while valuing them equally, so that nobody is marginalised or discriminated against, and everyone feels welcomed and respected.
DEI policies support safe, diverse and inclusive workplaces and communities. Not only do they offer protection from discrimination, they also make good business sense for companies.
Why are companies dropping DEI?
There has been a conservative backlash against these ideas. Even before he took office, big US companies were beginning to dial down their DEI policies. Day one in the White House, its DEI and gender equality pages were deleted and replaced with Presidential Actions including the abolition of nonbinary gender terminology and the explicit termination of DEI initiatives within the US Federal Government.
In Trump’s America, you’re either born male or female, and that’s what you stay. In Trump’s America, DEI policies are perceived as merely a wasteful diversion and a barrier to meritocracy. And many corporations have jumped on the bandwagon.
It may be that the term DEI itself has become politically loaded. Perhaps it needs a new name – but whatever you want to call it, Future Super will NOT be ditching our DEI commitments. They are embedded in everything we do at Future Super. We don’t rely on our DEI policies, we live them.
Where does Future Super stand on DEI?
As a proudly progressive organisation that values diversity and inclusion, we’re not going to stop talking about DEI and applying its principles to all our operations. At Future Super we will continue to invest and advocate in line with our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
All of the investments in your super are screened to ensure they align with our shared values, including screens for gender representation on the boards of publicly listed companies. The investments in your super are screened to ensure gender representation on the boards of publicly listed companies, and we actively engage with companies on DEI issues.
What are the benefits of DEI?
While critics of diversity and inclusion argue that it distributes opportunity unfairly, this doesn’t take into account the unconscious bias that tends to underpin our perception of merit.
Meritocracy assumes an equal starting point that doesn’t necessarily exist.
We live by a commitment to merit-based opportunity, which thrives on fairness and the celebration of different strengths. We proudly stand with those who feel threatened, unsafe, or simply opposed to this regressive ‘anti-DEI’ sentiment.
We also find that our progressive workplace policies help us. Our staff report high levels of engagement and loyalty. Providing a safe space for self-expression encourages many different perspectives, which boosts problem-solving, collaboration and productivity. There are times when a different cultural or neurodiverse perspective has helped create some of our best work.
Our commitment to use the power of capital to build a more sustainable and equitable future is upheld by our commitment to positive change. We believe the old-school ‘jobs for the boys’ mentality has no place in the 21st century workplace and we we’ll fight it every step of the way.
Your super investments with us give us the platform to advocate for what matters. Thank you for your continued support of a more equitable future.