The Republican 'red wave' didn't happen, and that's a good thing for corporate-diversity efforts. Yet here's why some advocates are still wary.

• America didn't experience a Republican "red wave," and that's good for corporate-diversity efforts.
• That's according to some diversity consultants and execs who champion abortion and LGBTQ rights.

Democrats appear to have held off a Republican "red wave" in Tuesday's midterm elections. This is a welcome development for workers and business leaders who prioritize diversity and inclusion efforts, according to consultants and executives.

Because Republicans failed to achieve sweeping wins, some diversity and inclusion experts are hopeful employers could face fewer roadblocks when it comes to championing LGBTQ rights, providing access to abortion care for employees, enacting unconscious-bias training, and other internal diversity efforts. It might also mean encountering fewer obstacles when speaking out on the climate crisis or social-justice issues.

But a concern among consultants and execs is that conservatives in states that are now decidedly under Republican control, like Florida, might feel more emboldened to knock or challenge diversity and inclusion efforts by employers in their states. Indeed, it's likely these types of culture-war issues will gain further attention as the 2024 race for the White House gets underway.

And even in states where the GOP didn't pull ahead, there's no guarantee of smooth sailing for efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. Execs and consultants are still gearing up for tough conversations around policies and challenges within the workplace around unconscious bias, abortion access, LGBTQ rights, and racial diversity.

"No red wave is good news for diversity, equity, and inclusion," Dee C. Marshall, the CEO of the leadership consultancy Diverse and Engaged, told Insider. "Red represents, and Donald Trump represents being against people from diverse backgrounds — from women to people of color to LGBTQ to disabled or neural divergent."

The midterm results could boost DEI in corporate America

The positive news is that some businesses could face fewer threats or legal challenges from Republican leaders who describe themselves as "anti-woke," Marshall said. In short, there could be fewer cases of political pushback — like what Disney is experiencing in Florida.

For Miriam Warren, the chief diversity officer at Yelp, the biggest win for corporate America was that several state referendums to protect abortion rights were approved by voters. She said the business and economic costs of restricting abortion rights are high.

"Abortion rights successes at the polls remind us that the majority of Americans believe that reproductive healthcare access ought to be safe and legal," she told Insider via email. "Regardless of the final makeup of Congress, we continue to work toward creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed."

Additionally, you can't discount the positive impact of electing a "first." States where the public elected someone from an underrepresented background, especially if that person made history, could embolden DEI execs and workers from similar backgrounds to pursue their own ambitions, Marshall said.

"I'm excited for Gen Z to have representation. I'm excited for LGBTQ people. I'm excited for Afro-Latinos," Marshall said. "When the people you vote into the office share your views, they are there as public servants to then propose, sponsor, rule, and regulate and create laws that align with those views."

Warren echoed the sentiment, saying these firsts made her hopeful.

But America's highly polarized, and increasingly violent, culture still exists, no matter which party is running the country.

"Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work in corporate America continues to be challenging for a number of reasons, including structural, social, cultural, conceptual, and emotional barriers," Warren said. "Companies will have to continue to use their values as a guide in increasingly fraught waters."

For Marshall, these fraught waters trickle down to the personal level, affecting relationships among colleagues.

"You're going to have people coming into their offices this week and next in Texas or Florida celebrating that women don't have control of their bodies," Marshall said. "That's why I'm concerned for diversity, equity, and inclusion in certain states."

Some employees might heed calls from Republican leaders who say people must continue to speak out against "woke" culture in all its forms. This could result in a form of more discreet challenges to efforts around DEI, Marshall said.

"There's too much reputational risk to be anti-LGBTQ or anti-diversity on a national level, on a brand level," she said. "I'm more concerned about the people level."

That might look like a colleague not addressing their nonbinary or transgender coworkers by the proper pronouns. Or it could be someone skipping diversity events, or refusing to complete online diversity trainings. Marshall said DEI execs will have to contend with an ever-more polarized America.

She said she remains hopeful, though. Marshall noted that companies are being held accountable for measuring their progress on social issues through environmental, social, and governance reports, annual diversity assessments, and by responding to stockholder proxy votes on social issues.

"There's gonna be somebody that's gonna be disrespectful in a workplace," Marshall said. "But companies overall are going to err on the side of being socially responsible and socially sensitive. They are now being held accountable in different ways."