Ask Lynn
You ask, I answer. Whether this is about career, lifestyle or situations you need help navigating - I am here to help you. Ask Lynn is a safe space. A place for you. A place to recenter. Just ask.
Your questions this month.
1.I’ve been leading DE&I at my company for a few years, but my boss has just told me I need to refocus on different projects. This feels like a step backwards. What can I do to keep doing it? I don’t want to seem difficult. – Mariesa, HR
2. I’ve noticed some colleagues rolling their eyes whenever DEI is mentioned now. It feels like there’s a backlash. How do you respond to that without creating conflict? – Jess, Tech
3. We still celebrate things like International Women’s Day, but it feels very surface-level. Is symbolic recognition better than nothing, or does it actually do more harm than good? – Emily, Retail
4. Our HR team says DEI is now “embedded in everything we do,” but that seems to mean no one is actually accountable anymore since there are no real programmes. How do you spot the difference between progress and passive abandonment? – Tom, Fashion
Key takeaways from Ask Lynn.
DE&I work doesn’t have to disappear just because the title or focus changes. The smartest move is to embed inclusion into broader business priorities so the work continues strategically, not symbolically.
Don’t match eye-rolls with emotion. Keep the conversation calm, practical and tied to fairness, innovation and strong leadership rather than ideology or blame.
Symbolic moments matter, but they can’t replace meaningful action. If organisations celebrate women publicly but fail to support them structurally, people eventually notice the disconnect.
If there are no measurable goals, leadership accountability or visible outcomes, DE&I probably isn’t embedded — it’s being deprioritised quietly. Real progress leaves evidence behind.