Diversity on Display? Internal and External Coherence in DEI Communication Among Leading Companies in Italy

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have become important topics for corporate reputation and employee engagement. However, DEI communication can expose organizations to reputational risks when customers perceive a misalignment between words and actions. This study investigates how the 20 most virtuous companies operating in Italy — recognized as Best Workplaces for DEI by Great Place to Work in 2024 — communicate their DEI commitments across different external channels that include LinkedIn, their corporate websites and CSR reports. Employee perceptions were analyzed using Glassdoor reviews. The study aimed to evaluate the consistency, authenticity and strategic integration of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) messaging, and to examine its relationship with employees' perceptions. The analysis emphasizes the importance of consistency across channels, inclusive language and credible storytelling, while highlighting the limitations of performative communication. The combination of qualitative analysis and content comparison made it possible to assess the effectiveness and internal consistency of DEI communication. The results only partially confirm the five hypotheses drawn from the existing literature. In fact, multichannel integration and storytelling can improve the credibility of communication, but this is not always reflected in organizational practice. The analysis also identified a pool of companies that adopt a low-profile strategy, i.e., they decide to communicate little on these issues despite DEI values being an integral part of their organizational culture. This suggests a strategy that embodies the tension between protecting reputation and meeting the demand for transparency from target audiences. This study contributes to DEI communication research by integrating discursive, strategic and perceptual dimensions.