ABSTRACT
The unprecedented growth of demands for equality, diversity and inclusion at work have not been received with open arms by all actors in the world of work worldwide. There has been growing resistance and backlash against all categories of workforce diversity. In this chapter, we explored how diversity is framed at macro, meso and micro levels as a threat, resisted and denigrated across different contexts and regulatory and governance systems. Saba et al. (2021, 2022) argue that overcoming backlash to workforce diversity requires action at the macro, meso and micro levels. In the international field, there is a need to strengthen the legal backing of diversity interventions. Social movements play a significant role in responding to the backlash against workforce diversity. At the organisational level, diversity interventions may receive backlash. It is important to design interventions with participant needs in mind and coupled with organisational change initiatives. At the micro level, individuals have a role in responding to the backlash against workforce diversity along affective, cognitive and behavioural dimensions. The next chapter focuses on organisational interventions and the management of workforce diversity.
