How do we keep EDI work going when everything feels stretched?

‍Globally and politically, we are seeing resistance to work that supports fairness, dignity, access and belonging. At the same time, many organisations are under very real financial pressure with smaller teams and stretched capacity. Leaders are making difficult decisions about what can continue, what has to be paused and what can no longer be afforded.

‍So where does that leave EDI work?

For many organisations, the commitment has not disappeared. The belief that workplaces, sectors and communities should be fairer and more inclusive is still there, but the practical reality of keeping the work moving has become harder.

This is something we have been thinking about a lot at Spotlight Inclusion.

‍How do we keep inclusion work going in a way that is meaningful, financially sustainable and realistic for the organisations we support?

If the only way to do EDI work is through large consultancy projects, expensive interventions or repeated one-off training sessions, then many organisations will be forced out of the conversation, and the people most affected by exclusion will continue to be marginalised.

We need to move away from short-term fixes

Training has an important place in EDI work. We deliver training and we know the value it can have when it is well designed, properly facilitated and connected to wider organisational change.

However, training on its own is rarely enough.

A workshop might introduce new ideas. It might help people understand language, behaviour, bias, systems or safety differently. It might create useful discussion and reflection. But what happens afterwards? Who takes the learning forward? Who translates it into policy, practice, decision-making, leadership behaviour and governance?

‍This is often where EDI work gets stuck, not because people do not care, but because there is a gap between learning and implementation.‍ ‍

We have seen organisations energised by training or a strategy, but then struggle to keep that energy alive. People feel like a failure, and it isn’t failure, it is a sign that the model is not strong enough.

If we want EDI work to be sustainable, we have to think beyond the single intervention.

Sustainable EDI needs rhythm

‍EDI work needs regular points of reflection. ‍

It needs places where leaders can return to the work, not just when something has gone wrong, but as part of normal organisational life. It needs learning that builds over time, and space for people to ask questions and get support.

EDI work needs to sit within a realistic context of change in terms of language, society, politics, staffing and organisational priorities. Therefore, a flexible and evolving system is necessary to keep up with change and support organisations to do the same.

If EDI work only happens once a year, or only when something has gone wrong, we will always be trying to catch up.

A more sustainable approach is to build structures that help organisations keep moving in small, consistent ways. Effective EDI work doesn’t have to be a major project. In fact, it is better when it is smaller and focused with a proper mechanism for measuring whether it worked in the way it was intended.

Over time, activities and habits like these build capacity and make change.

Capacity is one of the biggest barriers

When we carried out research and development around how we could support organisations differently, capacity came up again and again.

People wanted to do the work and really felt it mattered, but they were genuinely worried about taking on “another thing”.

Sustainable EDI work has to meet organisations where they are and shouldn’t be overwhelming.

That means practical resources, clear structures, scheduled touchpoints, opportunities to ask questions and get support that can be used when a decision needs to be made. Sustainable EDI also means people need something they can pick up, adapt and use rather than reinventing the wheel.

Return on investment is necessary

I know that some people feel uncomfortable talking about return on investment in relation to EDI work because this is values led work that often challenges capitalism.

The reality is that organisations do have to make decisions about money, they have to justify spend, especially when budgets are tight.

So perhaps the question is not whether we talk about ROI, but how. Return on investment can of course be about the bottom line and retention for example, but can also be measured in attendance, improved confidence, stronger governance and less time spent on issues that could have been anticipated. ROI can also be about leaders having access to good guidance, effective trustees, EDI leaders having energy and drive, and organisational consistency.

We cannot afford to work in silos

Another thing we heard clearly through our research and development was that people did not just want resources. They wanted connection.

EDI work can feel lonely. People are often dealing with complex questions about identity, power, harm, accountability, culture and change, and sometimes this all intersects with their own identities.

Support and reflection are key to the longevity of those working in EDI leadership roles.

When organisations learn alongside others, they are reminded that they are not the only ones facing these challenges. They learn from others, hear what others are trying, test ideas out in their own settings and build confidence through sharing.

Questions around access, leadership, recruitment, representation, funding, governance, safeguarding, class, race, disability, gender, sexuality and power do not sit neatly within one organisation, they are often sector-wide issues and benefit from collective thinking.

What might sustainable support look like?

This question led to the development of Spotlight Essentials.

We wanted to create something that responded to the real barriers organisations were naming: budget, capacity, implementation and the need to evidence progress.

Spotlight Essentials brings together learning, supervision, practical resources, governance support and access to advice across the year. The intention is to avoid overwhelm by offering a rhythm, structure and source of support that helps organisations make progress in ways that are realistic.

It is also designed with financial sustainability in mind. The tiered pricing reflects our commitment to equity, because we know that organisational size and resources vary significantly. It’s important to us that cost is not something that prevents smaller or more stretched organisations from accessing meaningful inclusion support.

We have built it around structures that help people return to EDI commitments and activities regularly, so that this work becomes part of how an organisation thinks, plans and governs, rather than an extra task sitting on the side.

If your organisation is trying to maintain momentum with EDI work, but is navigating limited time, budget pressures or uncertainty about where to focus next, you can find out more about Spotlight Essentials here:
https://spotlightinclusion.co.uk/spotlight-essentials

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