Workplace Experience vs. DEI: Why They’re Complementary (and Both Matter)

Hello Trailblazers & Changemakers,

Happy New Year!

I hope your 2026 is off to a strong start, and that you’re feeling eager and equipped to continue creating positive change in your workplace.

Today, I want to explore a topic that’s becoming increasingly relevant as policies continue to shift. As more companies restructure, rebrand, or “reframe” their DEI efforts, we’re seeing a rise in another term: “workplace experience” (WX). Some teams are shifting budgets, titles, or entire strategies from DEI to WX.

And while that’s not necessarily a bad thing—because the work is still getting done, right?—it can end up being counterproductive. When you treat workplace experience and DEI as separate lanes or competing priorities, you end up missing what makes either of them work.

Let’s break down how these two disciplines can and should work together.

DEI Without Experience Design Falls Flat

DEI strategies often focus on policies, programs, and representation. All of these are essential, but none are enough on their own.

You can (and should) hire more women, launch a new affinity group, or host inclusive leadership trainings, but if your onboarding still leaves new hires feeling lost, your events are exhausting to run, or your workspaces don’t reflect psychological safety, then the day-to-day experience actually undermines the inclusion you're trying to build.

That’s where experience design comes in. It’s the tactical work that makes inclusion tangible.

What Workplace Experience Actually Does

At its best, workplace experience is about designing the environment (physical, digital, and cultural) where employees show up and thrive. That includes:

• How people are onboarded and welcomed

• How teams gather, collaborate, and communicate

• What rituals and systems shape daily culture

• How space, time, and flexibility are structured

And when it’s done with equity in mind, WX becomes the operating system that brings DEI to life. 

Where many companies go wrong is in treating DEI as a standalone program and WX as purely an HR function. In the most effective organizations, DEI sets the intent while WX delivers the experience. DEI says, “We want people to feel like they belong here.” WX asks, “How do we design our rituals, spaces, and systems to make that happen?”

They’re two sides of the same coin.

You can’t create equitable outcomes if the lived experience of your workplace still reinforces bias, burnout, or exclusion.

If you really want to build belonging, you have to think about how someone feels on a Monday morning when they open Slack or walk into the office. Experience design is how you make sure your values show up in practice.

What This Means for ERG Leaders

As the org evolves, you might find DEI gets rolled into People Ops or Employee Experience. If that happens, don’t panic. Lean in.

• Advocate for ERGs to be part of WX planning conversations

• Offer insights from your community that can inform how programs and policies actually land

• Push for design that centers the most marginalized members of your organization

Workplace experience and DEI aren’t at odds. In fact, one without the other is incomplete.

Experience makes inclusion real, and inclusion makes the experience worth having.

I’m here to support you in building both.

Onward and upward,

Dumebi

If you're interested in exploring how Chezie can enhance your Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), I invite you to schedule a demo. We also offer a wealth of resources to support your ERG initiatives:

• ERG Toolkit: Comprehensive guides and templates to help you establish and manage effective ERGs.

• Blue Pages: A collection of articles and thought pieces on best practices for ERGs.

• ERG Leaders Community: Join discussions with ERG and DEI leaders to share experiences and strategies.

Lastly, connect with me on LinkedIn for more insights and updates.