From recruiting and retention to company culture and the latest in HR tech, HR Brew delivers up-to-date industry news and tips to help HR pros stay nimble in today’s fast-changing business environment.

HR Brew

Courtney Vinopal

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Black and white men sitting on an unequal sign

How post-pandemic wage growth helped narrow the racial wage gap

Black workers saw higher wage growth than white workers from 2021 to 2023, and as a result the racial wage gap has narrowed to the smallest it’s ever been, according to Syndio.

The racial wage gap is narrowing, but occupational segregation may hinder further progress 

Mikaela Cohen

An interview with Kim Dabbs, author of ‘You Belong Here: The Power of Being Seen, Heard, and Valued on Your Own Terms’

“The workplace is one of the last places in the world that we don’t get to choose every single person that we’re surrounded by…so it’s also an opportunity to stretch and grow.”

Employee identity is important: Here’s how HR can honor it

Kristen Parisi

Unhappy women cradles head in hands in office

Employee happiness declining among disabled workers

Employee happiness and well-being increased overall, but disabled employees are experiencing large declines. 

Disabled workers are less happy and RTO policies are likely to blame, report finds

Different shapes next to each other as icons denoting DEI

The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020 was an inflection point, not only for racial inequality in the US, but for DEI programs. Companies had already been working to diversify the workforce for decades, but for many, this accelerated the movement.

As the popularity of DEI programming soared within US companies (many DEI positions in HR became open), so did opposition. Detractors claimed diversity initiatives were unfair to the majority and politicized the work, turning it into a dog whistle during the 2024 presidential election, when Trump and his supporters called for companies to eliminate all “illegal DEI” practices—and despite executive orders that have been issued since, the legal frameworks haven’t changed much.

Since then, at least 70 big-name companies have rolled back or drastically changed the language associated with their 

, while others anticipate changes in the future. Meanwhile, DEI practitioners have grappled with job losses, questions about their function, and personal attacks amid a barrage of misinformation.

Still, the DEI leaders who spoke with HR Brew remain hopeful for progress, even if it looks different.

 Diversity and inclusion initiatives started gaining traction decades before 2020. In 1987, Roosevelt Thomas Jr., a scholar at Morehouse College, predicted that diversity programs would be essential to business success, and that company cultures must be designed for 

But by the mid-2010s, the US was still struggling with racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination, and representation: Women held just 25% of senior executive roles, while Black leaders held just 3.2%. By the end of the decade, chief diversity officer roles had expanded to include language around belonging, though some practitioners feared it would dilute their work, the Washington Post 

. Some analysts even predicted “diversity fatigue” would set in.

The work was grueling and emotionally demanding, often falling on the shoulders of those most affected by it, leading to high turnover rates among diversity chiefs, HR Brew 

When Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd in May 2020, more than 270 companies including McDonald’s, Meta, and Walmart responded with racial equity pledges and billions of dollars of investments in diversity initiatives. Job postings for DEI practitioners doubled. But the effectiveness of these efforts, and leadership buy-in, was mixed.

Some executives seemingly expected the corporate landscape to change overnight, while others emphasized it would take years to reverse the underrepresentation of women, people of color, the disabled, and other minorities.

The data says as much: A 2024 LeanIn report estimated it would take at least 22 more years for white women, and at least 44 years for women of color, to achieve gender parity in corporate America. And a 

 of 84,000 job applications found that workers with more traditionally Black names were less likely to land interviews.

As quickly as DEI’s popularity came, it seemed to fade. In May 2022, 44% of workers said they felt “alienated” by, and 42% resented, DEI efforts, according to a Gartner survey that HR Brew reported on at the time.

Employers began reigning in diversity and HR teams, while practitioners started sounding alarms, calling some investments and commitments performative.

“Genuine inclusion, not performative diversity, will accelerate growth for people-first companies. All others will see their ability to attract and retain talent globally extinguished,” Donald Knight, former chief people officer at Greenhouse, 

In August 2023, just after the SCOTUS decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions, some conservative activists ran social media campaigns against DEI, while attorneys general in several GOP-lead states threatened companies over DEI practices. At first, the industry brushed it off as “fearmongering.”

“You will always have a subset, for example, of employees, who just for whatever their belief systems are, they push back,” Chandra Robinson, director of HR at Gartner, 

 HR Brew at the time. Experts warned of negative consequences, like issues with employee retention, for ditching DEI.

By early 2024, some companies had cut DEI programming and removed “diversity” from public documents in favor of language like, “belonging,” “inclusion,” and “cultural transformation.” SHRM, for example, removed the “E” from its DEI programming, and America First Legal, a conservative firm founded by White House aide Stephen Miller, filed multiple lawsuits against companies over their DEI efforts (many were dismissed). The anti-DEI messaging became a rallying cry in the 2024 election cycle, as political actors used it to diminish the work and accomplishments of minorities, including Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

“People are using DE&I as a slur in the hopes that people will legitimize it and then run away from DEI work,” Lily Zheng, a fairness strategist and author, 

Since Trump returned to office in January, attacks on DEI initiatives have only accelerated, via executive orders, threats from the Department of Justice, and new guidance from the Department of Labor. Some employers seem to have engaged in even more “diversity hushing,” pursuing the essence of DEI without publicly labeling it as such.

“I don’t think that we’ve experienced, since 1964 collectively, this pull back retrenchment,” said Albert Smith Jr., founder of DEI consultancy en masse Consulting who has worked in the field for over a decade. “We have been on the slow and gradual trajectory towards a more perfect union. And I don’t know if we’ve ever experienced the clawing back of so many rights the way that we’re witnessing them right now.”

Smith added that DEI opponents are using civil rights strategies to roll back progress. “They are only taking our tools and using them.”

 Some advocates admit DEI hasn’t been perfect, noting it can be performative and hasn’t done enough to meaningfully change corporate culture. However, this moment may be an opportunity to right the ship, according to seasoned practitioners.

Most companies (66%) still have dedicated DEI budgets, but many industry leaders (43%) report making “substantive” changes this year, 

 DEI consultancy Paradigm. Rosa Nuñez, a DEI practitioner who has spent more than two decades in the field, says she expects companies will continue many DEI practices because they’re essential to reduce discrimination and keep talent.

“You have some organizations that have pulled back, but I don’t believe it is a full pullback,” she said. “They’re not being as public about their efforts, but a lot of those organizations that do really care about the work. They’re doing it in-house in a way that is not distracting.”

While Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general at the DOJ, 

, “either DEI will end on its own or we will kill it,” the practitioners who spoke with HR Brew believe the essence of DEI will survive.

Smith is also hopeful for the continuation of workplace equality efforts. “We’re going through this civil war right now, and we’re hopeful that on the other side of this moment are brighter days,” he told HR Brew.

Ronald Taylor, a diversity executive who has been in the field since the 1990s, said while diversity efforts have always seen some pushback, the current administration has made public attacks acceptable.

“That gives me hope, because I think then we can be like, ‘Okay, no more closeted attack on diversity in corporate,” he said. “You’re gonna throw the kitchen sink at us in this last vain, desperate attempt to make us go away and we're not going anywhere….it’s gonna be dirty, it’s gonna be ugly.”

Regardless of the public discourse, Zheng thinks most Americans believe workplaces should have fair hiring practices and treat workers well, and want an employer that is committed to DEI, according to a 

 from the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at the NYU School of Law. Zheng said this gives them hope that diversity efforts will continue.

“We all want workplaces and products and services that we can access. These are universals,” they said. “So long as people and workers want this, there will be people doing it.”

In an ideal world, Nuñez said, we wouldn’t need DEI. But “the reality is that we are the most diverse and the most divided nation right now, and the disparities in the inequalities and inequities in the workplace continue.” In her opinion, DEI will exist as long as it’s necessary, no matter what it’s called.

“So long as companies align themselves with forces of exclusion, polarization, authoritarianism, they’re going to drift further and further away from what people actually want,” Zheng said. “There will be a pendulum swing back.”

DEI initiatives will endure, despite how it’s been polarized

Dozens of companies have changed course on DEI in 2025, but industry leaders believe the pivot will still turn towards progress.

DEI practitioners express hope for the future of workplace inclusion

SHRM has taken controversial stances on several issues in recent years. Now, in a move that’s angered many HR and DEI professionals, the organization announced it will welcome conservative extremist, conspiracy theorist, and anti-DEI, anti-LGBTQ+ activist Robby Starbuck to speak on the main stage of its inclusion conference, Blueprint, in October.

SHRM hosted its first DEI conference nearly 30 years ago. Originally called the Workplace Diversity Conference, it was rebranded (again) in July to seemingly distance itself from its DEI roots, HR Brew previously 

DEI leaders have since shared their concerns about the rebrand online, including worries that SHRM is erasing the work that the conference was built on.

Now that Starbuck is set to take the main stage for a DEI debate with media personality and former political strategist Van Jones, many DEI practitioners feel that SHRM has lost the plot.

 Starbuck is a former movie producer who entered politics in 2022. After a failed run for Congress, he became a conservative influencer. He has publicly espoused misinformation about Covid-19 and the great replacement theory (which many scholars agree is a racist conspiracy theory), and believes that DEI is inherently discriminatory (however, DEI is 

, when programs are designed properly). He also regularly spreads hateful rhetoric about the LGBTQ+ community, has attacked the Human Rights Campaign and drag shows, and made a movie that uses misinformation to falsely claim that the LGBTQ+ movement grooms children.

Some of his anti-DEI campaigns have succeeded. Tractor Supply, Walmart, Nissan, McDonald’s, and Ford are among the corporations that he says he’s gotten to backtrack on DEI. “DEI is poison and we won’t rest until the public knows how companies have strayed from American values,” Starbuck posted on X last year.

 Starbuck as its AI advisor, after he sued the company for its AI chatbot, claiming it defamed him. He’s also a visiting fellow at the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation.

 HR professionals from various industries took to LinkedIn to decry SHRM for giving Starbuck a platform on their stage, calling it just the latest in a pattern. Its CEO, Johnny C. Taylor, who chaired two advisory boards for President Trump during his first administration, announced the organization was 

 “equity” from its DEI language last summer. SHRM had previously faced a discrimination lawsuit and 

“If anything, I’d be interested to know why so many HR professionals still trust/follow SHRM,” Daniela Herrera, a workplace culture and DEI consultant, said on LinkedIn. “They’ve shown us who they are multiple times.”

There were more than 80 replies to HR Brew’s 

 about Starbuck speaking at Blueprint, and almost all disagreed with the move. DEI and HR professionals responded to say they don’t understand the point of the conversation, or why Starbuck has any authority to speak about DEI in the workplace. Starbuck has never worked in HR, compliance, or law, has never led a team, and is not an expert in civil rights laws.

“I struggle to see how this will result in productive discourse and not just frustration and finger-pointing. After SHRM already backed down from many of its DEI initiatives in the face of political pressure, this doesn’t seem like a positive shift in a good direction,” Chris Fitzpatrick, a talent development expert, commented.

For its part, SHRM claims it’s giving Starbuck this platform in the name of hearing both sides out.

“Viewpoint diversity is one of the major, but often under-discussed, dimensions of workplace diversity. At SHRM, we are committed to fostering inclusive, respectful dialogue by engaging a broad spectrum of perspectives—including those of Van Jones and Robby Starbuck—to reflect the diverse viewpoints that shape our nation and the world of work,” Taylor said in a written statement to HR Brew. “By convening leaders from across the political, cultural, and business spectrum, we aim to broaden understanding, spark innovation, and drive actionable solutions for an inclusive workplace.”

However, several professionals believe that this will not be an honest conversation over different opinions, and that the organization is platforming hate, noting that there were potentially other conservative voices SHRM could have invited that wouldn’t spread misinformation.

“You can’t platform an individual who is open[ly] hateful to minority groups and expect to retain any sort of legitimacy with reputable HR professionals,” one talent recruiter and social impact professional commented. “If any of his rhetoric was whispered in a corporate setting, he’d be under HR investigation.”

A person stands with arms crossed next to the SHRM logo and DEI with the E crossed out.

DEI leaders sound off on SHRM

Professionals responded after SHRM announced that anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck would take the main stage at its inclusion conference, Blueprint.

DEI and HR leaders are mad at SHRM (again)

Wells Fargo appears to have quietly rebranded its public-facing DEI language earlier this summer, completely eliminating all diversity language, HR Brew found while comparing the current version of the company’s site to a previous version, recovered through an archival site.

The company’s website now refers to the program as “inclusion and accessibility” and features a host of other changes.

In February, Wells Fargo said it would no longer require hiring managers to consider a diverse slate of candidates for upper-level positions, but that appeared to be the only major change to its DEI programming, Bloomberg 

. (On August 15, protesters demanded the company reinstate the requirement, along with its environmental commitments, according to 

That same month, Wells Fargo also appeared to remove from its website a section on the company’s long history with diversity and inclusion, which honored its work with the first national organization for lesbians, its support for Japanese-Americans held in US concentration camps, and its Spanish-language support, which dates back to the 1800s.

Then, at the end of May, Wells Fargo’s DEI landing page, sub-page, and related content disappeared from its website. While the company had used to display openly text about advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, touting its annual DEI report, racial equity assessment and pay equity analysis, that information has no longer appeared on its website; HR Brew recovered the deleted information through the Wayback Machine archival site.

The site also previously shared information on its DEI councils that were developed to “support our lines of business and international leaders to help implement programs and initiatives,” but the company did not respond when asked if the councils still exist. Wells Fargo’s employee resource networks (often referred to as ERGs) appear to be active and information on them is still available.

Ebony Thomas, who was named head of DEI in May 2024, still oversees Wells Fargo’s DEI efforts, according to her LinkedIn. However, the company appears to have publicly kept aspects of DEI that 

 believe could be less risky, including recruiting veterans and military spouses, supporting disabled workers, and its Neurodiversity Program, which was established in 2020.

, when Wells Fargo called DEI “a business imperative.” Still, the company has had previous struggles with DEI. In 2022, it came under fire for a performative diversity hiring policy that led to fake interviews, the New York Times 

. Its CEO, Charles Scharf, had also been criticized for 

 he made in 2020 about finding Black talent.

Wells Fargo did not respond to requests for comment.

Wells Fargo quietly deleted its DEI page and reports

The company rebranded its DEI efforts to focus on inclusion, and neurodiversity, disability, and veteran communities.

Cracker Barrel, the largely Southern food chain with more than 650 locations and 70,000 employees, caused an uproar last week when it changed its logo. While many consumers were quick to blame DEI, the backlash may reflect the polarization of the country, according to one expert.

 You may be familiar with the old Cracker Barrel logo, which featured an older gentleman leaning against a barrel.

Enter, new branding, released on Aug. 18, in conjunction with the company’s “All the More” campaign with country star Jordan Davis.

No barrel. No man. Just “Cracker Barrel” in a bland font against the same gold background. The restaurants are getting a new look, too: grey walls that are more “sad millennial home” than “old-school country kitchen,” with more modern furniture and lighting. But Cracker Barrel promised to keep “the soul” of its restaurants, including the stone fireplaces, taxidermy deer heads, and rocking chairs.

 these changes last year as part of an effort to modernize and appeal to younger consumers as growth had largely stalled after 55 years in business.

Unfortunately, consumers were not happy, to say the least. People on the political right, including Donald Trump Jr., Ben Shapiro, and comedian Larry the Cable Guy, claimed the new logo was “woke” and a result of DEI. Others said it was boring and disconnected from Cracker Barrel’s Southern roots.

The online commentary soon led to real-world consequences: Cracker Barrel’s stock quickly plunged, losing almost $100 million in market value in less than a week, CBS News 

 Conservative activist Robby Starbuck in part blamed Gilbert Dávila, a member of Cracker Barrel’s board of directors. Dávila, who joined the board in 2020 and spent more than 15 years working in multicultural marketing at the Walt Disney Company and Sears, owns a DEI consulting business.

Others blamed the changes on the company’s CEO, Julie Felss Masino, and her “

” Masino took over in 2023, and although her politics are unclear, she’s not new to the industry, previously spending time in leadership at Taco Bell, Sprinkles Cupcakes, and Starbucks.

Even before the rebrand, Cracker Barrel had been under fire from anti-DEI talking heads, after America First Legal, a conservative group founded by Stephen Miller, filed an EEOC complaint earlier this summer over the company’s DEI policies.

Lily Zheng, an organizational fairness consultant, told HR Brew that the Cracker Barrel situation isn’t really about DEI, but rather another example of the “us against them” mentality dividing the nation. “Every single thing that happens, be it small or large in popular culture, is now being jumped upon as a tool of political polarization to pick sides,” they said.

For DEI leaders feeling even more pressure as yet another brand unintentionally enters the political fray, Zheng had this to say: “You stay focused on exactly what you’re doing for a living, and communicate like your profession depends on it, which it does,” noting that DEI leaders must know how to defend their work. “Ensuring fair hiring practices; ensuring non-discrimination. I can defend those things every single day of the week to anyone who accuses me of stuff.”

“This kind of idea that some cabal of DEI people are running around out here woke-a-fying logos is…completely disconnected from reality,” Zheng added.

Cracker Barrel responded to the backlash on Aug. 25, 

 it may have missed the mark. While the company initially stuck by the logo change, it backtracked on Aug. 26, shortly after President Trump weighed in, Yahoo 

. “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our 'Old Timer' will remain,” a new statement read, prompting praise from the president and a jump in Cracker Barrel’s stock.

Cracker Barrel rebrand blamed on DEI

Some people have made the rebrand political, but one expert explains that the backlash has nothing to do with DEI. 

Cracker Barrel’s rebrand flopped and some think DEI is to blame

A new report suggests Argentina is making progress on LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace, and expanding overall DEI efforts.

 Argentina, a majority-Catholic country with roughly 46 million residents, appears to be expanding LGBT+ inclusion, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 

 in a study of 93 organizations. It looked at non-discrimination policies, employee resource groups (ERGs), LGBT+ training, and public support of the LGBT+ community.

HRC found that more organizations in Argentina now have gender transition protocols in place and offer LGBT+ ERGs than in previous years. Some 78.5% of this year’s participating employers have formalized diversity committees, and 84.9% have a dedicated DEI practitioner or team.

HRC expanded its workplace program to include Argentina in 2022 and has since seen an uptick in inclusion practices, according to the report. Several prominent US-based companies participated in this year’s report as well, including McKinsey, Bristol Myers Squibb, and JPMorgan.

LGBT+ inclusion efforts have proliferated despite the political actions from Argentine President Javier Milei, an opponent of the LGBT+ community who has been dismantling the country’s diversity efforts. Milei closed the Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity, as well as the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism, according to the 

, an LGBTQ+-focused news outlet. Employers that fire workers based on their identity, like being transgender, will not be punished.

“Even in the face of political resistance to diversity and inclusion in Argentina, businesses are not just holding the line. They are setting the standard,” Shawnie Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s workplace equality program, said in a statement. “It shows that companies in Argentina are stepping up and saying yes to inclusion, yes to equality, and yes to creating workplaces where LGBT+ people can thrive. This kind of progress is not only inspiring, it’s a powerful reminder that when businesses lead with values, everyone benefits.”

 HR pros probably don’t need the reminder, but the US has faced DEI pushback over the last year, 

 the Trump 2.0 administration. States have 

 121 anti-trans bills so far in 2025, and the 

 it will not pursue transgender discrimination cases. Many companies, including Verizon, Target, and AT&T, have stopped participating in benchmarking reports like HRC’s, and have 

However, HRC still sees signs of hope, according to its 2025 US Corporate Equality Index, HR Brew previously 

. Almost all (98%) participating companies have gender identity and sexual orientation policies, and more than 80% provide LGBTQ+-specific benefits, like partner medical coverage and gender-affirming care.

“The deeper your roots are into creating safe and affirming environments, the stronger you are to weather the storm,” Hawkins told HR Brew. “If your roots aren’t that deep, then you’re easy to blow over. So do some evaluations. See how deep your roots are.”

Employers in Argentina make strides in LGBT+ inclusion

Companies are focused on LGBT+ employee resource groups, training, and have dedicated DEI teams, a new report from the Human Rights Campaign finds.

World of HR: Employers in Argentina expand LGBT+ inclusion

After 11 years, Target CEO Brian Cornell will step down from his role in Feb. 2026, the company announced this week.

Cornell has faced several challenges in recent months, not least of which stemmed in part from his decision to walk back Target’s DEI programming, HR Brew previously 

After at least 14 years of DEI commitments, Target did an about-face in January, ending its DEI goals, backing away from its employee resource groups (ERGs), and announcing it would no longer participate in external benchmarking. Target’s walkback was so stark that it erased from its website DEI-related pages, press releases, and impact reports.

Since then, more than 250,000 people have signed a pledge boycotting the retailer, which has seen a dramatic decrease in foot traffic, according to 

“When companies treat DEI as expendable, they’re not just rolling back commitments—they’re eroding trust with employees, customers, and investors,” Katica Roy, CEO of Pipeline equity, an HR analytics company, said on LinkedIn. “The lesson for other CEOs: Equity isn’t a ‘nice to have.’ It’s a core business strategy, and abandoning it carries real economic consequences.”

But correlation is not necessarily causation. Target’s glimmer was already tarnishing when it announced its DEI walkback. The company has struggled with declining or stagnant sales numbers for over 

, as consumers have pulled back on discretionary spending through inflation and economic uncertainty.

Cornell is being replaced by the company’s chief operating officer, Michael Fiddelke, who joined the company in 2003 as a finance intern and moved up, working across store operations, merchandising, and employee pay and benefits.

A bend in front of a read wall with the Target logo

Target CEO Brian Cornell is stepping down

The company has faced lagging sales since 2022 and customer boycotts after abandoning DEI earlier this year.

The federal government has issued multiple threats 

 to companies with DEI programming since President Trump returned to office. These, coupled with 

 from right-wing activists, appear to be impacting how companies publicly approach DEI, according to a recent study from the Conference Board.

 A rose by any other name could be…a daffodil? The report found that companies have rebranded DEI terminology in public documents, oftentimes omitting references altogether. Terms like “diversity,” “gender,” “race,” and “DEI” peaked in Q1 2024, but in 2025, fell below 2021 levels. “DEI” has largely been replaced with language that companies believe is safer, like “inclusion and belonging.”

Furthermore, 53% of the 100 largest US public companies made “material” adjustments to DEI language, compared to the year prior. Companies were most likely to remove the word “equity” from documents.

While some believe companies may be able to avoid legal scrutiny by adopting softer DEI language, some 

 have warned that rebranding would not protect them. Some DEI proponents 

 backing away from DEI initiatives impedes the work. The government has threatened to target any companies still practicing DEI under a different name.

companies have also changed their approach to tracking and reporting workforce and board demographics, the Conference Board found.

There was little change in the number of S&P 500 and Russell 3000 companies that shared racial data, but there was a marked difference in reporting on gender representation, especially in management. In 2024, 71.2% of S&P 500 companies and 60.1% of Russell 3000 companies reported how many women were in management, but that dropped to 55.1% and 47.9% respectively in 2025.

Many S&P companies have stopped sharing board diversity numbers as well (54.8% in 2024 vs. 32.6% in 2025). Some 28.7% companies did not disclose the gender breakdown of their boards in 2025, compared to just 1.4% in 2024, and one-third of companies did not disclose racial diversity this year, up from 2.5% in 2024.

Employers are left to navigate changing political guidance and stakeholders while keeping an inclusive environment that attracts workers, the report cautioned.

“The decision not to disclose certain metrics, while it aligns with current compliance expectations, may carry longer-term costs by weakening stakeholder trust (including current and potential employees), limiting internal accountability, and complicating engagement with institutional investors and global regulators who may continue to expect robust human capital disclosures.”

DEI