It's Not Done. This Is Not the End.
- SLS 360
- May 21
- 4 min read
If you work in inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility and you're worried about your job right now this post is for you.
The rollback is real and it is accelerating. Reform UK has moved swiftly in councils it controls to cut diversity and inclusion spending and remove EDI roles, with their then-chairman signalling publicly that such spending would be targeted as "waste." (BBC Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, May 2025).
In February 2026, Reform's newly appointed equalities spokesperson Suella Braverman pledged that a Reform government would repeal the Equality Act 2010 on its first day in power, claiming Britain is being "ripped apart" by diversity, equality and inclusion policies. (The Independent, February 2026). The party says it would replace the Act with a "Workplace Fairness Act" but no draft legislation exists, and no detail has been provided on which protections would survive. (Factually.co, May 2026)
Nigel Farage himself claimed (without evidence I might add!) that white, middle-aged men are losing jobs because of the Equality Act, a claim directly contradicted by official unemployment figures. (The Independent, February 2026).
This is the context. It is serious. And it deserves to be named.
But here is what the headlines miss entirely. The skills you have developed doing this work are among the most transferable, most valuable, and most in-demand capabilities in modern organisations. They just don't always come with the EDI label attached.
What You Actually Know How To Do
Let's break it down honestly.
Change management. Every inclusion professional knows how to bring people on a journey they didn't necessarily ask for. You understand resistance. You know how to build coalitions, manage stakeholders, and move organisations from where they are to where they need to be. That is textbook change management and many organisations pay handsomely for it.
Culture transformation. You have been working at the level of beliefs, behaviours and systems not just policies and processes. You understand that culture is not what's written on the wall, it's what happens when no one is watching. Culture consultants and organisational development professionals do exactly this work.
Leadership development and coaching. You have challenged leaders. You have held up mirrors. You have asked hard questions with empathy and rigour. You have coached people through discomfort toward growth their's and your own. That is a coaching and leadership development skill set, period.
Facilitation. You can hold a room. You can navigate tension, manage conflict, create psychological safety in real time, and bring people to productive outcomes. Skilled facilitators are needed in every sector, from corporate strategy days to community engagement to conflict resolution.
Data and insight. Pay gap reporting. Representation data. Pulse surveys. Intersectional analysis. You know how to gather, interpret and communicate data in ways that drive decision-making. That is an analytics and insight capability.
Stakeholder engagement and communication. You have learned to speak many languages to different stakeholders including boards, frontline staff, sceptics and allies. You know how to make a case, tell a story and connect evidence to emotion. That is communications, advocacy and engagement work.
Policy and legal literacy. You understand the Equality Act and right now, understand it matters more than ever. HR, legal, compliance and governance functions all need people who understand this landscape and can help organisations navigate what is coming.
Where These Skills Are Needed
The honest answer is...almost everywhere!
Organisational development and culture consultancies are growing. Leadership development programmes need facilitators and coaches. Charities and public sector bodies need people who understand equity and engagement. Learning and development teams need people who can design and deliver meaningful programmes. HR business partnering roles need people who can work at the intersection of people, culture and performance.
And here is something worth sitting with: as organisations face increasing pressure around employee wellbeing, retention, and the war for talent, the underlying questions are the same ones you have been answering for years. How do we make people feel valued? How do we create environments where people can do their best work? How do we lead with both accountability and compassion?
You know how to do this. You just may need to reframe how you talk about it.
A Note on Language
If you are updating your CV or LinkedIn profile, you do not have to lead with EDI job titles if you believe they will close doors before you get through them. You can lead with the outcomes and capabilities instead such as:
Culture transformation specialist.
Organisational development consultant.
Leadership coach and facilitator.
People and performance strategist.
These are not euphemisms. They are accurate descriptions of what you do. And they may open conversations that the EDI label currently forecloses, conversations where, once you're in the room, you can do exactly the work you've always done.
That is not a betrayal of your values. It is a smart way to protect them.
This Is Not the End of the Work
The need for fairer, more human workplaces has not gone away because a political party issued a directive or threatened to tear up the legal framework that underpins equality in this country.
The Equality Act has not been scrapped. And if and when that battle comes, it will need people like us, people like you, people who understand what is at stake, who can articulate it clearly and who have spent their careers building the case for why it matters.
The work is still there. In some places, the door just looks different right now.
Your job (if you want it) is to find the door and creative ways to open it.
At SLS 360, we support inclusion professionals navigating this moment. Whether that's through the I.D.E.A.L Network, a coaching conversation, or simply knowing you are part of a community that hasn't given up we are here.
As an Arsenal supporter, I'm reminded of the words of Declan Rice after their loss to Manchester City. It's not done. And look how that turned out! Keep the faith!
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