It’s rare for people on opposite sides of the political aisle to agree on anything these days—even pizza toppings. But at SHRM Blueprint this week, they seemed to reach one consensus: Workplace disability inclusion efforts are acceptable.

Background. The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed in 1990 as a bipartisan effort that, in part, gave disabled people protections at private employers. Before the ADA, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 required federal contractors to take affirmative action steps to hire more disabled workers.

Many employers have established measures that go beyond the ADA and Section 503, through efforts like employee resource groups and neurodiversity hiring programs. These programs have historically been seen as “safe” DEI programs, David Glasgow, co-founder of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University School of Law, told HR Brew in 2024. “I don’t think that there’s any significant risk for organizations continuing to do very progressive work on disability inclusion.”

Rare consensus. Several main stage speakers at SHRM Blueprint referenced disability inclusion as one aspect of DEI that can and should continue.

For more on the consensus reached at SHRM Blueprint, and the potential hurdles ahead for disability inclusion, keep reading here.—KP

Most Americans (56%) believe that businesses should take a stance on DEI issues, but fewer believe they should promote DEI, according to a new survey by Bentley University and Gallup.

Some 69% of Americans believe it’s at least somewhat important for businesses to promote DEI, a nine-point decrease since 2022 and a five-point decrease since 2024, the survey found. Meanwhile, just 35% believe that companies are doing a good job promoting their DEI efforts, a nine-point drop since 2024.

Cynthia Clark, a management professor at Bentley University, told HR Brew there are strong signs that most Americans still largely support DEI efforts.

For more on how employers are, and can, approach DEI in response to the current climate, keep reading here.—KP

With talk of agentic AI and digital twins gripping the industry, it can sometimes feel like a company not already automating workflows and implementing “AI teammates” is living in the past.

But it’s still early days, and companies are figuring out the best use of these latest innovations. For some, it’s simple: What if executives were available to answer questions and talk with employees without needing to actually participate in a conversation? Or even better, what if everyone in the company had a digital twin that was just like them, only trapped inside the cloud?

To get a sense of how far this AI teammate tech has actually progressed, I set up a demo to see how they worked. I was also able to talk to an AI persona I never expected: one of myself.

For more on AI teammates, keep reading on IT Brew.—CN