Staying true to your inclusion compass

DEI might be under attack, but it is still entirely relevant to shipping

By Heidi Heseltine

These are times of great uncertainty for the maritime industry. Geopolitical unrest continues to proliferate, tariffs are creating new trade barriers, and global consensus on decarbonisation goals feels further out of reach after the IMO elected to delay progress on its landmark Net-Zero Framework’s adoption. Add to that, technological advancements continue to move at breakneck speed, with AI’s true impact and influence over our industry’s future yet to be seen, making planning and preparation a difficult task.

Deciding how to navigate the rough seas that we now face is perhaps an unenviable task, especially given the rapid pace of change. And, in the midst of this fast-moving, volatile environment, when it comes to people and culture, attempts to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) progress have become a noisy soundtrack in certain areas of the world.

Ever since US President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, attacks on the very foundations of DEI have intensified. He wasted no time in issuing a Presidential Executive Order – allowing him to bypass Congressional approval – mandating the immediate cessation of federal DEI programmes, including initiatives that could be DEI ‘disguised’ under another name. Some investors have also been lobbying for companies to drop their DEI initiatives and several high-profile organisations – including Accenture, Deloitte US, GSK, McDonalds and
Target – have succumbed to the pressure.

But the picture is not all bleak. Encouragingly, some organisations are maintaining their DEI stance – including Apple, Ben & Jerry’s, and Barclays. And in shipping and maritime, the picture is also more positive. Our industry is by its very definition, global. Outside of the US, far and wide, we can still see many pockets of progress across the DEI landscape.

For example, the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association and the Norwegian Government have just signed a declaration for increased gender equality in the maritime industries. In the UK, new legislation is being planned to mandate ethnicity officers by 2026. A growing number of organisations have used inclusion as a way of helping them address recruitment and retention issues, ensuring the widest possible talent pool is available to them. The seafarer pool is becoming increasingly diverse as new cultures, nationalities, and generations enter the industry. Organisational cultures and policies must reflect this shift. In an increasingly divided world, the need for a psychologically safe workplace where people can thrive in their roles is becoming more critical.

So what are organisations doing to address this? What we are seeing in the maritime sector is that firms are revisiting or orienting DEI strategies to ensure they remain fit for purpose and seizing the opportunity to rekindle strategic, top level discussions about budget, focus, and commitment, doubling down on showing why DEI is essential for sustainable business outcomes and, when it comes to seafarers, why a culture of inclusion on board ships is so important.

Strategy focus

Covid saw a step change in how organisations supported their people – both ashore and at sea. The need for a more deliberate, confident approach to people management has remained high on everyone’s agenda. Inclusion plays a central role in underpinning how people feel working in an organisation. Staff engagement surveys, informal feedback, and recruitment activity have shown that a focus on inclusion helps attract, develop, and retain staff in a period of talent shortage. The best organisations are integrating inclusive design into the development and implementation of people policies and processes.

Data capture and analysis are taking centre stage because they provide an evidence-based foundation for decision-making. The more you know, the smarter you can respond – quickly – to potential challenges. Examples of how data has driven change include the introduction by many organisations of two-piece boiler suits, in direct response to data showing that one-piece boiler suits were not always fit for purpose. Originating from looking at data through a gender lens, this provision of PPE is now of benefit to men and women across the sector.

Conducting seafarer engagement and listening initiatives is becoming more commonplace – consider the DSG’s Annual DEI in Maritime Review 2025. Nearly 4,000 seafarers provided free text responses about what more their employer could do in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion, the top theme emerging being requests for more training and awareness on DEI followed by focusing on the inclusive on board culture. Using qualitative and quantitative data to get to the heart of employees’ experiences and understanding their needs is a powerful tool for any employer seeking to create positive and impactful change for their people.

Learning and development

Specifically in relation to seafarers, we are seeing a marked increase in equipping seafarers to lead, manage and cultivate inclusive teams, where people take responsibility for looking out for each other and creating a culture where it is safe to speak up.

Leadership decisions aren’t taken by organisations; they are taken by individuals – leaders setting tone and direction from the top. Leaders are taking time to focus on what they mean by ‘inclusion’ and be clear about how it directly and indirectly creates value for their organisation, its people and its stakeholders. They are also properly measuring its impact on performance, then telling powerful, evidence-based stories.

Handling polarised views is one of the biggest challenges right now for those holding the People and DEI agendas. How to stay steady as the currents continue to shift? Whatever you call it – the ‘woke backlash’, ‘DEI/EDI/DIB under threat’ – beneath the acronyms, what we are talking about is the culture, values, purpose, and performance of an organisation. Whether the DEI acronym continues to be used or becomes defunct, the work of the job continues. Inequity, discrimination, and toxic workplaces still exist and create barriers for individuals, organisations, and sectors to succeed.

Specifically in this sector, maritime companies are undertaking annual reviews of their DEI strategies but not discarding them – leaders realise that people are key to the challenges that we face. They recognise that we must attract and retain a broad range of talent, both at sea and ashore, to solve these challenges and for organisations to remain competitive. This is a time to hold steady, walk towards the risk and manage it – avoidance will only take you so far.