Values | 3 in 5 UK workers threaten to quit if employers rollback DEI

Employers who dilute their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies risk triggering a talent exodus, new research suggests.

A nationally representative study of 1,000 working adults by HR tech firm IRIS Software Group found that three in five (60%) of UK workers would consider quitting if their employer backtracked on DEI commitments. Two in five (39%) said they’d seriously consider leaving, while one in five (20%) said they would “certainly” walk.

Gen Z is the generation most likely to threaten to quit (68%), followed by Millennials (64%) and Gen X (47%). More than a third (36%) of those in Gen X say that a rollback of DEI policies would not influence their decision to join or stay with a company.

The data also reveals a racial divide in workplace expectations: 70% of respondents from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds say they would quit or consider quitting if DEI policies were rolled back, compared to 56% of respondents who identified as white.