A look into JPMorganChase’s pivot from DEI to ‘DOI’

In the first quarter of 2025, a new administration in the White House led to the rapid erosion of DEI programs and policies at many major companies. While some organizations like Deloitte told their employees to stop using pronouns in emails in response to the current climate, other companies have taken a different path.

According to a report from HR Dive, JPMorganChase is renaming its DEI program “DOI,” for diversity, opportunity and inclusion. An internal memo from COO Jenn Piepszak reportedly said that the company will continue to recognize cultural observances and keep employee engagement focused on inclusion and remaining “open to all.”

“The ‘e’ always meant equal opportunity to us, not equal outcomes,” Piepszak wrote in the memo. “[W]e believe this more accurately reflects our ongoing approach to reach the most customers and clients to grow our business, create an inclusive workplace for our employees and increase access to opportunities.”

Amanda Ponzar, communications leader and Ragan Advisory Board member, said that claiming that equal opportunity didn’t mean equal outcomes may be revisionist. In JPMorganChase’s case, this references the newfound pivot on the change from “equity” to “opportunity” in how it communicates inclusion. 

“DEI and equity leaders went out of their way to say equity was not the same as equality,” Ponzar said. “These leaders even shared visuals such as various height boxes for people of different heights to see over the fence, for instance. Is JPMorgan now trying to rewrite history and rephrase what their DEI programs were, or has this indeed really been their intention and execution all along? Is this really the best way to provide equal opportunity and celebrate inclusion of all people?”

 Karen Freberg, professor in strategic communications at The University of Louisville, told Ragan that we’re seeing a battle over the meaning of words and how they take root in a DEI-hostile environment.

“When you look at how these words around DEI have been used across different spectrums, they often mean one thing to some groups and another to others,” Freberg said. “DEI-related messaging needs to be much more than just a corporate function. It should be a cultural conversation.”

Careful planning and communication make a big difference

JPMorganChase’s re-adjusted approach to DEI follows a larger trend of redefining exactly what inclusion at work means in 2025. For instance, some companies are following the Meta path and eliminating DEI and its related roles altogether. Others, like Apple, have committed to DEI policies in the face of pressure from Washington.

In this DEI-hostile environment, some companies are even facing direct fire from the feds. Disney is currently under investigation by the Trump administration’s FCC based upon Washington’s claim that the company’s DEI revamp isn’t going far enough. This type of conflict may lead companies to communicate DEI repositioning with merit and opportunity as leading ideals, much like JPMorganChase.

It’s worth mentioning that the bank communicated the move as one that’s supportive of the company’s business goals, with Piepszak saying that the new inclusion approach “more accurately reflects our ongoing approach to reach the most customers and clients to grow our business.” In addition, Piepszak referenced the administration’s crackdown on DEI in all but name when she alluded to JPMorganChase’s commitment to merit-based compensation and employee growth.

Freberg said that the reactions she’s seeing from major players around the DEI issue seem much more like a crisis comms reaction as opposed to a well-considered internal comms plan. That’s partially by necessity, but she added that companies need to be intentional about their wording to maintain authenticity.

“I have not seen a walk-through plan from brands saying, ‘This is what’s happening to us. Here’s how we’re dealing with this,’” Freberg said.

She also emphasized the need for internal communicators to root their DEI conversations in trust. This is effectively done by laying out exactly what potential DEI changes mean for employees and what the path forward looks like for company culture.

“Yes, you can have the blanket press statement, the website or the talking head,” Freberg said. “But people do better when they know a person they can trust is talking about the changes and what they actually mean beyond the words.”

Redefining inclusion

Ponzar said that internal communicators can rework DEI talking points while still reaching their target audience by creating messages about employee resources that are targeted at all staff members rather than certain groups.

“Take flexible working hours for instance,” she said. “If those are communicated to the entire company as opposed to specific groups, that could represent a refocus of DEI-rooted priorities.”

Freberg said that no matter the changes, communicators need to lean into their mission and values to maximize authenticity in their internal comms.

“I feel the narrative has been taken over from these brands and organizations in terms of how they’re handling DEI,” she said. “If you’re able to own the narrative, you’ll build trust with your employees more easily and can move forward together.”

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.