We’ve reached the end of 2025, a year that felt both too short and entirely too long. A lot has happened to DEI along the way, due to Department of Justice (DOJ) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) changes as the Trump administration took power.

President Trump dismissed two Biden-era EEOC commissioners in January (a move that some legal scholars argued was unlawful). An EEOC quorum was restored in late October, when Brittany Panuccio was sworn in. Shortly after, Andrea Lucas, a staunch opponent of DEI, who Trump first nominated to the department in 2020, was named EEOC chair, the AP reported.

The EEOC now has the three members it needs to move forward with its priorities, which have shifted greatly since Trump returned to office.

For more on how the EEOC and DOJ changed course on DEI this year, keep reading here.—KP

As HR pros look to the future, pay transparency is the number one factor they see disrupting their total rewards strategies over the next two years.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of HR professionals said pay transparency would cause “significant shifts” in their organizations’ rewards strategy over the next 12–24 months, according to a survey conducted in October by organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry.

This finding comes as employers continue to adjust to a shifting regulatory landscape in North America, Europe, and beyond.

For more on how pay transparency is set to disrupt companies’ total rewards strategies, keep reading here.—CV

We can all appreciate a good performance. (Anyone else still reeling from Cynthia Erivo and Ariane Grande’s powerhouse performances in Wicked?) But the workplace may not be the place for one…

Many employees who are women, people of color, or from diverse backgrounds struggle in the workplace due to “surface-level” inclusion efforts that can feel performative, said Kae Kronthaler-Williams, CMO at Adroit North America and author of Not Made for You: How Women in Tech Can Challenge Bias, Claim Their Space, and Thrive in a System Built for Men.

Kronthaler-Williams shared with HR Brew insights from her book, including how companies can move beyond performative initiatives.

For more from our conversation with Kronthaler-Williams, keep reading here.—MC

The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew’s weekly news quiz has been compared to getting a company-wide shout out from your boss. It’s that satisfying.