It was a termination watched ’round the world.

Brittany Pietsch, formerly an account executive at Cloudflare, filmed herself for nine minutes as she pressed HR to explain why she was being fired from the IT company. She posted the video to TikTok, where it went viral.

HR should be prepared for the possibility that more employees will start sharing their layoff and firing experiences publicly, Matt Bradburn, founder and CEO of The People Collective, told HR Brew. “Every HR team is now on watch,” he said.

So what could HR have done differently in this case? Bradburn and two other people pros who advise companies on these issues offered their thoughts.

Keep reading here.—CV

Transform is back and better than ever for 2024—and you’re invited. You’ll be joining an inspiring group of people-first leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs who are shaping the new world of work.

Join the industry’s most forward-thinkers in Las Vegas from March 11–13 at Transform 2024. Topics will cover the future of the workplace and healthcare ecosystems, drilling down into issues like:

• GenAI
• experience design
• L&D
• people-first business transformation
• internal mobility
• DE&I

Don’t miss keynotes and talks from an all-star panel of speakers from companies like Dior Beauty, Meta, Live Nation, and HubSpot.

The best part? HR Brew readers get an exclusive discount on tickets. Save your spot.

Amid the DE&I debate are these frequently asked questions: Are DE&I programs effective at encouraging talent attraction, a sense of belonging, career advancement, and industry influence?

A new report from Expanding Equity, a W.K. Kellogg Foundation program that educates and helps organizations implement DE&I initiatives, finds that companies have success advancing DE&I initiatives when they have proper leadership support and goals, and deploy inclusion and belonging efforts.

Companies won’t back down.The report collected and examined insights and analysis of DE&I programs from 88 participating companies from 2020 to 2024. One overarching takeaway: Companies are doubling down on DE&I, regardless of the politicization of the efforts.

Effective strategies. Approximately 90% of participating companies of Expanding Equity claim they’ve made “measurable progress” in DE&I since 2020.

Keep reading here.—KP

While DE&I efforts in the US have become the target of right-wing politics, they’re full steam ahead in Japan, where one company will reward employees who foster a diverse workplace.

Where in the world? Hitachi, a Tokyo-based tech company, will include DE&I in its employee performance reviews starting in April 2025, Nikkei Asia news reported. The new initiative is part of the company’s effort to increase retention and decrease the potential for workplace cultural misunderstandings among its majority non-Japanese workers.

To start, some 40% of the company’s Japan-based workforce (around 50,000 employees) will be rated on their progress toward specific diversity goals as part of their twice yearly performance review. Goals could include helping colleagues with disabilities, or improving their understanding of other cultures, according to Nikkei’s reporting.

Satellite view. Alternatively, some business leaders and politicians in the US are trying to dismantle DE&I, with several lawsuits being adjudicated and legislation introduced that limits DE&I in some educational institutions.

Keep reading here.—KP

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Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Searches for “retirement ages around the world” went up by 1,450% last week. (Google)

Quote: “When you force people back to the office, which most people don’t like, they react negatively to this mandate because they know they can do the job [remotely].”—Mark Ma, business professor at the University of Pittsburgh, on why employee morale drops when employers implement mandatory RTO policies (Fortune)

Read: Some foreign companies are recruiting US-based remote workers to capitalize on hard-to-find skills. (CNBC)

Management playbook: This episode of BOSSY with Tara and Katie answers your toughest management questions, from knowing when to delegate to managing “out” employees who aren’t a good fit for your business.

RSVP here: Head to Las Vegas from March 11–13 and connect with fellow innovators and forward-thinkers at Transform 2024. Don’t miss keynotes from the execs at LinkedIn, Eventbrite, and more. Register here.*

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