The Emergence of Relational Resource Departments (RRDs) as a Welcoming Alternative

Recognizing our shared humanity—and the broader living world we are a part of—through a relational framework that transcends DEI bans.

Recent executive orders and governmental actions in the U.S. have placed significant pressure on long-established diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) frameworks, threatening to undermine efforts that support marginalized communities and foster a truly inclusive workplace. This has led to an urgent need for alternative approaches that not only uphold the principles of belonging but also address the deep-seated issues of exclusion and oppression that continue to affect many individuals within organizations and across our greater global societies.

In response to these challenges, the Institute of Relational Being (IRB) proposes Relational Resource Departments (RRDs) as a meaningful alternative. RRDs are designed to create a more holistic, relational approach to workplace culture—one that fosters inclusivity, ensures every individual feels seen and respected, and expands the conversation beyond human-centered perspectives to include the broader ecological communities we are all part of.

These recent actions that are casting aside programs labeled “DEI” or “DEIA” across federal agencies have already created ripple effects that are negatively impacting many other spaces. It might appear that our pathways to ensure inclusion and care are narrowing. But from the standpoint of relational being, we recognize that humanity itself comes in a vast and wondrous array of expressions, and that embracing these expressions in our workspaces and communities can come in many forms.

This moment presents an opportunity for RRDs to serve as a dedicated support system that cultivates kindness, care, patience, and compassion for everyone, regardless of everyones outward facing identities or self-identification. Instead of centering official policies on “diversity” or “equity,” RRDs will instead integrate welcoming statements and relational practices that honor the reality that each person is an essential strand in the web of our shared humanity.

IRB wishes to help us all to remember that we are nature, too. This is a potentially ripe moment to embrace our greater multispecies communities. RRDs approach this complex situation from an ecological context. We begin by recognizing human relationships are only one part of a greater constellation of beings. Let us actively cultivate awareness, care, and reciprocity with the multispecies neighbors that share our environments. From pollinators in nearby flower beds to the ancient trees that anchor our office courtyards, RRDs will help us to view beings beyond humans as more than resources, seeing them as co-participants with agency and presence in the living systems we inhabit. They are our colleagues, companions, co-creators in all that we do.

This is no small innovation. By incorporating the nonhuman into our communal circle of care, RRDs invite us to adopt a wider perspective—one that values all forms of life as integral to the health and well-being of our workplaces and communities. When we realize and remember that we are nature, too, it becomes clearer that our best path forward—human or otherwise—is to cultivate environments where all relationships, and beings thrive.

There appears to be ways to create less contentious language so we can find more common ground to navigate. In some spaces, the conversation around justice, equity, and inclusion has become fraught—words like “justice” can feel loaded and divisive, making collaboration harder. RRDs acknowledge that mutual respect, courtesy, and genuine understanding can flourish when our starting point is the shared recognition of our living world, rather than adversarial debate.

This does not mean ignoring the real challenges many face due to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or identity—quite the contrary. RRDs affirm and hold space for these realities by fostering a culture of compassion, healing, and mutual recognition that transcends political and ideological divides. We recognize that for many people, especially those negatively affected by the sudden removal of DEI initiatives, the ground has shifted overnight. RRDs can serve as a refuge and resource, ensuring people are still supported, valued, and welcomed.

Let us co-create contextual welcoming statements. RRDs can help to generate personalized, context-specific statements of welcome. These will reflect your organization’s unique culture, set forth the expectation of kindness and compassion, and invite people to celebrate our shared humanity within the broader living systems we are all a part of.

In addition to how traditional HRDs often facilitate employee wellness programs, RRDs can remind us of nature’s inherent rhythms—helping us integrate seasonal cycles, moon phases, and other ecological shifts into our daily work. This will help cultivate a deeper sense of belonging and connection, providing small ceremonies and rituals that nourish human to human relations while also bringing a depth of awareness and appreciation to the lands we inhabit.

RRDs acknowledge people who menstruate monthly and see the importance of creating gentler ways of collaborating and attending to mental and emotional well-being. RRDs celebrate the depth and variety of human experience—without needing the label of DEI. The essence is respect, recognition, and genuine care.

RRDs will help to provide daily or weekly structured time to step away from screens and into nearby green spaces, paired with gentle invitations for tuning into the presence of other beings—birds, insects, trees—reinforces that our organizations are embedded within living ecosystems.

As briefly noted, RRDs will offer voluntary and inclusive ways to bring ritual and ceremony into the workplace. These might be small acts, such as group gratitude circles for local pollinators or annual planting days celebrating the shifting seasons, all of which help ground us in shared reverence and appreciation.

We at IRB recognize that these recent bans and the sudden removal of DEI language can leave many feeling overlooked or uncertain about their place. If you personally, directly impacted by this all, we wish to let you know that we see you, we respect you, and we’re here to offer help. RRDs stand ready to uphold the spirit of warmth and welcome that DEI has championed, focusing on:

Ensuring Safety and Belonging ~ Regardless of how you identify, the RRD framework is rooted in kindness, empathy, and genuine inclusivity.

Collaborating to Navigate Challenges ~ For individuals who have felt supported by DEI policies and fear losing protection, RRDs provide alternative channels for addressing interpersonal or systemic issues.

Providing Pathways of Care ~ Whether guiding employees to peer-support circles, bridging external resources, or brainstorming ways to adapt organizational culture to remain respectful to all, RRDs emphasize shared understanding and mutual respect as cornerstones.

Co-Creating a Future That Honors Every Being

The Institute of Relational Being (IRB) invites organizations—businesses, educational institutions, governmental bodies, and beyond—to consider adopting an RRD approach. By weaving in ecological awareness, relational practices, and strategic, non-contentious language, we can ideally help to create environments that don’t rely on banned terminologies but still offer authentic care and affirmation for everyone involved.

Imagine a future where leaders, educators, and team members alike understand themselves as part of an interdependent web of life.

Where policy decisions integrate not only human well-being but also the flourishing of the ecosystems in which we dwell.

Where respect and courtesy become the shared foundation upon which we build partnerships, collaborations, and friendships.

In such a world, diversity of every kind—human, animal, microbial, and beyond—is recognized as a vital source of resilience and creativity. By cultivating relationality rather than divisiveness, we open up new possibilities for collaboration and collective flourishing.

If you find resonance in this relational, nature-aligned approach, IRB welcomes you to connect with us. We are eager to partner with brave and bold co-conspirators, co-creators, and early adopters who wish to shape the next evolution of relational culture in workplaces, schools, communities, and beyond.

In a time when official DEI programs might be constrained, RRDs offer a hopeful and integrative path forward—one that continually reminds us we are inseparably part of nature, deserving of care, and capable of building inclusive cultures that benefit all beings.

Thank you for exploring the possibility of RRDs with us. We look forward to navigating this path together, co-creating spaces that honor the full spectrum of human experience and the living systems we depend upon, and are part of, so that everyone—absolutely everyone—can feel at home in our shared world.