Earlier this year, President Trump passed Executive Order 14151 (Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing) and Executive Order 14173 (Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity). These moves received a mixed reception yet changed the HR landscape for many. HR teams are left wondering what messaging they should use so that they don’t alienate current or prospective employees.
Recruiters now avoid using explicit DEI terminology, instead opting for phrases like “inclusive hiring practices,” “equitable access,” or “fairness in hiring.” This helps reduce legal risk while still signaling a commitment to an inclusive culture. A recruiter put it plainly: “anything labeled ‘DEI’ triggers resistance,” even though the underlying efforts may remain intact. This chart illustrates previous terms under DEI and how they might be updated to assuage all parties:
Previous
New
Definition
Allyship
Inclusive Leadership
Actively support all team members to foster workplace harmony.
Anti-Racism
Cultural Competency
Understanding and appreciating diverse cultural backgrounds.
Diversity
Representation
Emphasizes the presence of varied identities and experiences within an organization.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Belonging Groups
Voluntary, employee-led groups that foster a sense of community. Generally, these aren’t segregated based on personal characteristics such as gender or race.
Equity
Fairness
Treating all employees impartially with equal access to opportunities, regardless of their background or characteristics. A focus on merit for employment actions takes center stage.
Inclusion
Belonging
Individuals feel valued, respected, and integral to the organization’s culture.
Unconscious Bias Training
Decision-Making Clarity
Focused on objective decision-making, minimizing the influence of implicit biases. Employment decisions are based on job- and performance-related factors.
Recruiters are shifting toward skills-first hiring: evaluating candidates by competencies, not by demographic indicators or rigid credentials. There is also a shift to using broader candidate pools, which interestingly enough, was the original goal of Affirmative Action programs. Sourcing efforts now span diverse channels like specialized job boards, recruiting from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and community networks to ensure a more varied candidate mix.
At the Alabama Society for Human Resource Management annual conference this spring, many HR managers said they would continue to gather Affirmative Action Plan data for women and minorities, even though this data is not required to be reported and cannot be acted upon for hiring. Organizations feared they might need the information in the future and would rather collect it now so they have it when the Presidential administration changes.
As organizations adjust to the shifting legal and political climate, HR leaders are finding ways to preserve inclusive practices while reframing their approach. By emphasizing fairness, skills-based hiring, and belonging, rather than traditional DEI terminology, employers can balance compliance with cultural values. At the same time, quietly maintaining practices like AAP data collection ensures organizations remain prepared for future regulatory changes, positioning them to adapt no matter how the landscape evolves.
Sources:
“Return to office, skills-based hiring, and DEI rollbacks: What’s next for HR?” – BenefitsPro
“Don’t call it DEI: Recruiters explain the hiring landscape under Trump 2.0” – Business Insider
“How Changes in DEI Policies Impact Job Seekers and Employees in 2025” – diversity.com
“Recruiting in the DEI Crossfire: How Recruiters Can Champion Inclusivity Amidst Shifting Sands” – HR Daily Advisor
“DEI Changes [WI]” – Reddit
“2025 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategies for Recruiters” – topechelon.com
“How DEI is Impacting How We Recruit and Retain Talent” – Hunt Scanlon Media
By Samantha Brinkley, MA
