From increased innovation and profits to a better overall customer experience, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs can have a beneficial impact on retail businesses. But disparities in upper management, along with underlying racism that still exists in some store locations, show those efforts still have a long way to go.
For a better understanding of just how important the role of DEI is in the retail sector, here’s a look at some recent studies and research on the subject:
Representation in Upper Management Remains Unbalanced
With more than 52 million workers representing every possible race, gender and ethnicity, America’s retail workforce is the most diverse and inclusive of any business sector in the country. But while the people filling stockrooms, running cash registers, counting inventory and ensuring all the other day-to-day necessities of a retail operation are getting done, that broad level of diversity doesn’t always carry through to upper management and corporate levels.
