Anti-DEI sentiments are nothing new.

But, with the most recent pushback from the federal government, there’s misunderstanding and confusion about how companies can move forward, said Alaysia Black Hackett, the former chief diversity and equity officer at the Department of Labor, during a recent interview with HR Brew at the Workhuman conference in Denver.

“What I believe is happening…is a lack of understanding of what [DEI] is and what it isn’t,” Black Hackett said. “When people hear DEIA [diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility] now, they hear Black communities, Black hires, Black people, and it’s this idea that we’re taking away from people who are qualified to give to ‘less-qualified Black applicants’…that is not what it is at all.”

As a response to the growing backlash, HR leaders should start educating themselves and their employees on the history of DEI and how it affects the workplace today, Black Hackett said, because “we want [DEI] to mirror our country, and our country is very diverse, and it’s becoming more diverse.”

For more insights from the DOL’s former chief diversity and equity leader, keep reading here.—MC

Many HR leaders are navigating a new world when it comes to setting and sharing information about compensation.

Fourteen states and Washington, DC, will have pay transparency laws in place by the end of 2025, and sharing salary ranges for open roles has become the default practice for many employers. Meanwhile, multinational employers are responding to laws being enacted abroad, such as the European Union’s pay transparency directive, which takes effect next year.

It was not surprising then to see a packed house at a May 19 WorldatWork Total Rewards session in Orlando titled “Connecting transparency with pay strategy.” An informal survey of the room showed many total rewards practitioners are still figuring out their approach, with most raising their hands to say their organizations offered “some” level of transparency, rather than a high level, or none at all.

For more on how pay transparency is changing employer compensation practices, keep reading here.—CV

You probably have a boss, who has a boss, who has a bigger boss, who has a boss in the C-suite. And, the thought of actually managing all or even one of those bosses, as an individual employee, might feel rather daunting.

But every employee can “manage up” to their boss and leadership teams in order to take the reins of their career and gain influence within the company, says Melody Wilding, author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge.

For more on why “managing up” can help you at work, keep reading here.—MC