Comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policies as a Driver of Belonging and Fairness in the Bulgarian Corporate Environment

The article looks into the topic of how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies affect the Bulgarian employees’ perception of belonging and fairness. The quantitative study uses a sample of 539 valid cases out of 657 total surveyed employees and investigates whether organizational justice is linked to DEI. The results show partial support of the hypothesis with a statistically significant positive relationship between policy comprehensiveness and perceived fairness, especially organizations that have fully implemented DEI policies. Other results of the study reveal a “communications gap”, which shows that close to half of respondents do not know about the DEI policies in their companies or when they were implemented, which suggests that policies are formally introduced, but not truly embedded. In conclusion, DEI initiatives can impact loyalty and belonging if they are supported by leadership in an active, visible way with clear everyday communication at the workplace.