Global HR body faces flak for dropping ‘equity’ from ‘DEI’

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a global human resources (HR) organization, has drawn flak over its move last week to drop “equity” from its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) framework, to focus solely on “inclusion and diversity (I&D).”

“Effective immediately, SHRM will be adopting the acronym ‘I&D’ instead of ‘IE&D.’ This strategic decision underscores our commitment to leading with ‘Inclusion’ as the catalyst for holistic change in workplaces and society,” SHRM said in a LinkedIn post.

“Equity will be integrated under the broader ‘Inclusion’ framework, continuing to be a priority in our strategy and leadership decisions,” the organization, which counts 340,000 members across 180 countries, added.

The move drew sharp criticism from HR professionals and DEI experts from around the world, even as the organization insisted that its commitment to equity remains unchanged.

The organization’s LinkedIn post announcing the change was flooded with comments expressing disappointment and concern, with many saying that “true inclusion” cannot be achieved without addressing systemic inequities.

“Why would SHRM take the stance that Equity can be absorbed under the inclusion umbrella when there is still, to this day, so many issues with equity in the workplace?” asked Krystyen Galvin, director of operations support at KeyBridge Medical Revenue care and an HR expert.

SHRM’s chief executive, Johnny Taylor, defended the move, emphasizing the importance of inclusion for all, and an inclusion-first approach.

“We’re going to lead with inclusion, because we need a world where inclusion is front and center. And that means inclusion for all, not some people,” he said in a statement.

Critics viewed the shift as a step backward in the broader DEI movement, suggesting that the move signals a diminished focus on addressing actual disparities.

“The reason why many of us can’t move forward is because systematically you will push narratives that exclude things that advance us. I wonder who complained about this enough to make you all agree that removing ‘equity’ would be easier,” said Patricia Gatlin, a DEI expert.

“DEI programs are under fire due to bad faith actors in our continuous culture war seeing DEI programs as something they can attack for political points. SHRM acquiescing to those bad faith actors only emboldens them,” said Ben Griffin, an HR business partner at Miltenyi Biotec.

The LinkedIn post has garnered close to 900 comments so far, with almost all of them calling out the “terrible” and “shameful” decision by the industry leader.

The decision was also seen as a mirror of the growing anti-DEI sentiment, evident by former US President Donald Trump’s speech at a rally last year in July, where he pledged to do away with the DEI program altogether.