But most HR leaders still personally support DEI efforts, report finds
HR leaders across the world are taking a second look at their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies amid the ongoing corporate withdrawal from such efforts, according to a new report.
Findings from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) showed that 31% of HR leaders said their organisations are making changes to their DEI efforts.
Among them, 69% said they are "reevaluating programmes." Another 15% said they are eliminating them, while nine percent are freezing funding.
Why they're changing DEI
Many organisations are making DEI changes in the wake of ongoing pushback against these policies from the US government.
On his Inauguration Day, US President Donald Trump's first order directed the Office of Management and Budget to "coordinate the termination of all discrimination programmes, including illegal DEI and DEIA mandates, policies, programmes, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government."
The government stance has also influenced the private sector. Major companies such as Paramount Global and Verizon have begun eliminating DEI initiatives to secure approval from the Federal Communications Commission for significant business deals.
Prior to Trump's inauguration, some major firms had also been withdrawing DEI policies because of Conservative pushback and a shifting legal landscape after the Supreme Court declared Harvard College's inclusion of race as a factor in college admission policies as unconstitutional and unlawful.
Concerns from HR leaders
HRCI's report — where most respondents are based in the US — found that 63% of HR leaders are worried that the current political climate surrounding DEI will result in less diversity.
More than half (51%) are also concerned that the current political climate will require them to make DEI changes.
Among them, however, only 21% are making changes to their DEI policies, while 30% are not making changes.
According to the report, 71% of HR leaders still personally support DEI programmes, and 84% of them believe that these policies result in more workplace equality.
To navigate the current climate surrounding DEI, HRCI CEO Amy Dufrane said leaders need to get "deeply in touch with their company values."
"They have to understand how employees, customers, and shareholders feel about DEI to proceed with an approach that matches their goals and objectives," Dufrane said in the report.
