Inclusion Fatigue: 5 Tips to Overcome It

There was a time not long ago when employee inboxes were buzzing with invites to DEI sessions, resource group events, and learning circles and people showed up. But now, many of those same employees are quietly opting out. Cameras stay off, RSVPs go unanswered, energy feels low. It’s not necessarily resistance. Often, it’s something quieter and harder to name: inclusion fatigue.

This isn’t about apathy. It’s about exhaustion.

For HR and DEI leaders, this drop in engagement can feel like the floor shifting beneath your feet. You’re doing the same or more but it’s not landing the same way. To move forward, we have to look honestly at what’s changed and why, and how to rebuild participation that feels real and relevant.

What’s Driving Inclusion Fatigue?

Inclusion fatigue isn’t a failure. It’s a signal. And understanding what it’s signaling can help us respond with care, not criticism.

1. External Tensions Are Weighing Heavy
Political unrest, polarized media, and workplace tensions around identity are creating emotional noise employees can’t tune out. For many, even thinking about inclusion feels risky or exhausting not because they don’t care, but because they’re carrying too much already.

2. Burnout is Blurring the Edges
The same people who showed up early, raised their hands, and volunteered for ERG leadership are now struggling to keep up with basic tasks. Emotional labor has limits. If your DEI champions are tired, it doesn’t mean they’ve checked out. It means they need support, not more expectations. This is often the earliest sign of inclusion fatigue setting in.

3. Mixed Messages from Leadership
When inclusion efforts don’t have visible, consistent backing from the top, employees notice. One email during Black History Month doesn’t make up for silence the rest of the year. People need to see that inclusion is a priority not just a project.

4. Performative, Not Personal
If your inclusion strategy feels templated, vague, or driven by fear of saying the wrong thing, engagement will drop. Employees can tell when something’s a checkbox, and they’re less likely to invest in something that doesn’t feel genuine or grounded in their real lives at work.

For a deeper dive into the emotional and organizational toll of inclusion fatigue, the article “The Rise of DEI Fatigue: Navigating the Challenges and Reaffirming Commitments” explores how external stressors, culture wars, and lack of leadership clarity have made even the most committed employees pull back.

Rebuilding Trust and Energy: What Actually Helps

So how do we address inclusion fatigue with honesty and action? Here are some starting points for leaders who want to reignite not just restart the conversation.

1. Stop Broadcasting, Start Listening
Hold listening sessions not town halls. Ask real questions, and give people the option to answer anonymously. What’s missing? What feels safe? What doesn’t? Use what you learn to guide your next steps, not just to check a pulse.

2. Scale Back to Go Deeper
Sometimes less is more. Instead of monthly events no one attends, focus on one meaningful moment per quarter something thoughtfully planned, co-created with employees, and tied directly to their lived experience at work. This helps prevent inclusion fatigue from compounding over time.

3. Give Inclusion a Human Face
DEI doesn’t live in policies it lives in people. Share stories from your team. Highlight the voices of resource group leads, interns, managers. Show how inclusion plays out in the everyday, not just during Pride Month or International Women’s Day.

4. Recommit at the Top Loudly and Clearly
Executives need to show up, and not just as keynote speakers. Let them host a session. Have them share a personal story. Encourage leaders to model vulnerability, curiosity, and a willingness to learn in public. That does more than any slide deck ever could and helps rebuild credibility in the face of inclusion fatigue.

5. Use Everyday Touchpoints
You don’t always need a new initiative. Inclusion can be embedded into weekly meetings, onboarding, 1:1s, or even shared calendar tools like Belong365. Small, consistent moments of learning and reflection go a long way especially when the big programs feel overwhelming.

If you’re seeing participation dip, you’re not alone. This related article, How to Address Employee Disengagement Around DEI, offers more insight into the underlying causes and practical ideas for turning things around. It reinforces how inclusion fatigue can quietly undermine even the most well-intentioned efforts.

Moving Forward, Thoughtfully

Inclusion fatigue isn’t a sign to give up. It’s a reminder to slow down, recalibrate, and rebuild from a place of trust. This work isn’t about checking boxes or chasing trends it’s about creating cultures where people feel seen, safe, and connected. That takes time, and it takes care.

If your team is disengaging, don’t panic. But don’t ignore it either. Ask, listen, adapt and know that reigniting engagement is possible. Because inclusion fatigue may be real, but so is the potential for renewal.