DEIB Efforts Are Evolving in the Heat of the Shifting Political Climate — New Study by HR.com Research Institute

As political and legal scrutiny intensifies, HR professionals find themselves caught in the crossfire of shifting expectations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). A new research report, HR.com’s Future of DEIB 2025, reveals how complicated and even contradictory the DEIB scene has become.

On one hand, the perceived effectiveness of DEIB initiatives has reached an all-time high. On the other, organizations are adjusting to changing political winds by doing things such as consulting legal experts, pausing or reevaluating DEIB training, and actively revising DEIB policies to align with the new executive order called “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity."

How important are these recent political changes? When the HR Research Institute asked about the barriers to increasing the effectiveness of DEIB initiatives, the top answer was “political and/or social backlash against DEIB ideas,” cited by 38%. When asked about the specific kinds of political and social factors they’re encountering, the top answers were “fear of potential legal risks” and “influence of media or external pressure.” That’s not to say DEIB has disappeared from the landscape. In fact, the study finds that the proportion of organizations claiming high effectiveness of their DEIB initiatives reached 32% in 2025, the highest level ever recorded in longitudinal research conducted since 2018.

Organizations are adapting to the new political environment. They are often taking a number of steps to mitigate risks, with the top ones being:

• Consulting legal experts to update initiatives

• Pausing or reevaluating DEIB training

• Actively revising DEIB policies to align with executive orders

Some are even renaming DEI or DEIB in their organization, with the name “Inclusion and Belonging” mentioned several times as an alternative.

The good news is that the DEIB leader organizations— those that have deeply embedded DEIB into their operations—are significantly more likely than their laggard counterparts to report that their organizations are in the top 25% of financial performers over the last fiscal year.

Their practices vary as well. Compared to DEIB laggards, DEIB leader organizations are:

• Nearly 8X more likely to integrate DEIB into company values and practices

• Over 7X more likely to allocate a formal budget to DEIB initiatives

The most commonly adopted DEIB strategies (used to a high or very high extent) include:

• Integrating DEIB into company values and practices (38%)

• Supporting employee resource groups (ERGs) (32%)

• Ensuring consistent internal DEIB communication (32%)

“HR teams are trying to do the right thing, but they’re navigating an increasingly complex environment where legal risk and cultural tension run high,” said Debbie McGrath, Chief Instigator and at HR.com. “This report offers actionable guidance for employers to move forward and keep people at the center of DEIB.”

REPORT DOWNLOAD

The recording of the research webcast presentation, Building Belonging and Inclusivity in an Era of Uncertainty, is available for viewing 24/7 on demand.

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