Is DEI really dead — or just misunderstood? In this episode of Money Matters, workplace culture experts Cornelia Gamlem and Barbara Mitchell, co-authors of Essentials of Employee Engagement, challenge the headlines and reframe the DEI conversation with clarity and strategy.
💥 Cold Open Preview:
“People started calling DEI bad, evil, even discriminatory… and it’s none of those things if you truly understand it.”
– Cornelia Gamlem
🎧 In this episode, you'll learn:
Why DEI got distorted — and what it really means in today’s workplace
How inclusion, not perks, drives employee engagement
What Gen Z expects from company culture
Why listening is the most underused leadership skill
Real-world examples of companies winning (or losing) the culture game
How disengagement silently shrinks your talent pool
The one action any leader can take this week to re-engage their team
00:00 – Cold Open: DEI is not evil
01:05 – Why DEI still matters in 2025
03:22 – What engagement really means (beyond perks)
06:18 – How Gen Z is reshaping culture
09:50 – The cost of disengagement
13:44 – Inclusion: misunderstood but essential
17:10 – What a fully engaged employee looks like
21:33 – Listening: the underrated leadership superpower
25:12 – Real-world example of a culture turnaround
27:00 – Final leadership advice you can apply today
📘 Get the book → Essentials of Employee Engagement on Amazon
🔗 Connect with the guests:
👉 Cornelia Gamlem on LinkedIn
👉 Barbara Mitchell on LinkedIn
🌐 Website: https://bigbookofhr.com
💡 If you care about culture, retention, leadership, or HR strategy — this conversation is a must-listen.
#DEI #EmployeeEngagement #Leadership #InclusionMatters #MoneyMattersPodcast #HRStrategy #WorkplaceCulture #Podcast
