13/02/2026
“We believe the best person should get the job.”
It’s a phrase we hear often in organisations, particularly when conversations around DEI begin.
And we agree.
But in our work with teams and leaders, we’ve found the word “best” is worth exploring.
Here’s a scenario.
Imagine you’ve just landed your dream job.
You’re excited. They’re excited.
On your first day, you’re shown to your desk and given a wooden stool to sit on.
You’re tall. You’re a runner. You’ve had a nagging lower-back issue for a while and you know, straight away, this setup isn’t going to end well.
So you ask for a different chair. Something cushioned. Adjustable. Nothing fancy.
You explain the back issue.
Your employer looks annoyed.
“Why didn’t you tell us this in the interview?”
“Why did you keep this from us?”
You say, “I didn’t think it was a big issue. I’ll actually work better with the right support.”
They reply, “How dare you expect special treatment. Everyone is treated equally here.”
Does that sound fair?
Does that sound reasonable?
Also... what are you sitting on at work right now?
Chances are, it’s a chair designed for bodies. Adjustable. Supportive. Normal.
Welcome to the DEI most people take for granted every single day.
And yet, when we hear:
“Why should women have their own toilets?” on a construction site.
“Why should we allow people to speak their own language?” in the lunchroom.
“Why should we provide headphones to someone with sensory sensitivities?” in a loud, open-plan office.
DEI can suddenly be framed as special treatment.
In reality, these are design decisions. Workplace conditions. Signals about who the environment is built for.
In our experience, organisations don’t struggle because they lack talented people.
They struggle when the environment is unintentionally designed around a narrow definition of “normal.”
We often ask, “Are we getting the best person for the job?”
Maybe the better question is: are we willing to create the conditions where more people can actually be their best?
— Culture Movers
