DEI Isn’t Dead. It’s Just Been Badly Done.

April 24, 2025. On April 10th 2025, we hosted The Power of Inclusion, sponsored by Greenhouse Software and hosted at OLX HQ in Berlin. 100+ people showed up to co-create.

A lot of DEI work over the past decade has felt performative — fancy titles, shiny statements, little follow-through. That's not how we do things at Talent Crunch. Here is what was said, what we learned, and how you can use this today.

The Setup

Three short, punchy talks:

1. The First Ripple — Sarah Harnett on what changed when her team used data to expose gender gaps in engagement.
2. A New Perspective — Oana Iordachescu on how her temporary disability revealed the absence of inclusive design in the workplace.
3. The Ripple Effect — Mark Ivan Serunjogi on the evolution (not death) of DEI.

Angela Ndagire moderated. We used Mentimeter live, then ran 3 workshops on belonging in the workplace.

5 Real Insights From the Room

1. Inclusion dies in the details

No accessible bathroom. No remote option for an interview. Onboarding built for extroverts. Inclusion is undermined not by intent, but by oversight.

“If your default processes exclude people, your values don’t matter.”

2. Accountability means consequence, not only intention

Sarah’s story showed how transparency about broken systems, combined with leadership support, moved the needle. KPIs were added to manager scorecards.

3. Disability is still treated as a ‘special case’ — make it Inclusive by Design

Inclusivity by exception (“we’ll accommodate if you ask”) puts the burden on the individual. Most people don’t ask — because of shame, fear, exhaustion. If 20% of the population lives with a disability, this isn’t a niche.

4. We don’t need more DEI awareness, we need better systems

People aren’t rejecting inclusion; they’re rejecting performative DEI. Real DEI is infrastructure work: KPIs that include equity, hiring that rewards inclusive leadership, systems that create safety before bringing in diversity, behavioural consequences that stick.

“You can’t hire your way out of a toxic culture.” — Mark Ivan Serunjogi

5. Your employees already have the answers

They just need leaders willing to ask, listen, and act.

What You Can Do Tomorrow

1. Add an “Inclusive Process Review” to your next sprint. Pick 3 common employee experiences (onboarding, feedback, meetings) and map how exclusion creeps in.
2. Build the Inclusive Leadership Cycle: Transparency → Candid Feedback → Flexibility → Repeat.
3. Set DEI KPIs beyond headcount — psychological safety, emotional labour load, representation in decision-making spaces.
4. Normalise personal “user manuals” — Greenhouse encourages teammates to share how they work best.
5. Run a “Barrier Busting” Lunch & Learn — ask what barriers people have faced.

Bonus: Take DEI off the calendar and put it in the budget

Real inclusion shows up in who gets sponsored and mentored, who’s in the room when priorities are set, and who can afford not to code-switch all day. Make it operational. Put a price on it. Make it part of how you run the business.