The police murder of George Floyd in May 2020 prompted a summer of racial reckoning, and with it a massive push for corporate diversity, as organizations sought to align themselves with the racial justice movement. While protestors flooded streets on a global scale, corporations made public statements that Black lives matter.

As Lauren Romansky, then managing director of global product management at Gartner, said in an internal company interview last year, DE&I leaders who struggled to implement change for years were suddenly called upon to facilitate a revolution. “Heads of DE&I, who used to be pushing for change, are now receiving so many inbound requests for plans and actions to do so,” she said.

For a moment, wheels began to turn as corporate America invested in diversity: Listings for “chief diversity officer,” “head of diversity & inclusion,” and “vice president of diversity & inclusion” jobs more than doubled on careers website Glassdoor between June and July 2020 and reached an all-time high by October. Last year, consultants were mobilized en masse to soothe racial tensions within workplaces and help leaders align their brands with social justice movements.

Nearly three years later, layoffs have torn through the tech industry, and HR and diversity teams have been on the chopping block. Many other chief diversity officers, meanwhile, have left their jobs. As a result, some DE&I professionals have expressed skepticism that efforts to place diversity at the forefront of the corporate agenda was only a rhetorical exercise in response to a summer of simmering tension.

“Unfortunately, we are still missing the incentives for the most powerful people in business to feel like this work matters,” Abadesi Osunsade, a DE&I consultant who was recently laid off from a global VP of inclusion and belonging position at a London-based tech company, told HR Brew. Keep reading here.—SB

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Between conducting performance reviews, calculating holiday overtime and bonuses, coordinating office closures, and organizing and attending donation drives and volunteer events, it’s the most wonderful chaotic time of the year for HR. They deserve a gift—or three.

We asked HR pros what’s at the top of their wish lists this year. Feel free to casually forward to your loved ones, or buy a few for yourself. We won’t tell.

For the recruiter. Recruiters are constantly on the go. At PwC, for example, they’ve been known to pack in 1,500 events a year in an attempt to fill 12,000 entry-level positions. If you want to score points with this crowd, give them the gift of comfort.

Steven Alibrandi, talent identification manager at PwC, told HR Brew that he’d love a pair of comfortable sneakers—standing for hours on end at on-campus recruitment events can take a toll on the toes. Also from PwC, talent acquisition onboarding strategy leader Kristie Silva said she’d like a “comfortable and cozy” outfit that looks professional enough to go from the airport to the conference room.

For the executive. HR leaders are often the face of their companies’ policies, but as individuals, they can be a bit overlooked. For the holidays, they’d like gifts that speak to their unique interests.

“Something that is more personal means a lot to us,” Jeanne Hernandez, VP of HR at SourceCode Communications, told HR Brew.

Gifts that speak to specific hobbies can go a long way, said DeAnne Aussem, PwC’s well-being leader. Keep reading here.—SV

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HR leaders, especially those managing a global workforce, are all too familiar with the challenges of reducing workplace inequities. As women around the world face employment discrimination, new initiatives from the US government are trying to help.

Where in the world? The US Department of Labor (DOL) recently recently announced that it’s giving $5 million to the Solidarity Center, a workers’ rights nonprofit, to help protect women facing workplace harassment and discrimination, particularly those in Nigeria and Liberia. More than 60% of women report being sexually harassed at work in Nigeria, and employer harassment policies are rare, according to USAID. The funds will also be used to reduce structural barriers to employment for women.

The news came on the heels of a $12 million grant to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity to support workers’ rights in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Women workers in South America face discrimination, harassment, and lack opportunities, according to the World Bank.

Satellite view. These moves are part of a broader effort to advance workers’ rights within the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. Since December 2021, the effort, known as the Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment, and Rights (M-POWER), has been supported by various governments and philanthropic organizations. The DOL, Agency for International Development, and Department of State have collectively committed $130 million.

“Strong, independent labor movements are central to inclusive, vibrant democracies, which is why workers’ collective voice is central to setting the priorities for M-POWER,” Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said in a statement in early December.

The collective efforts are a reminder that safe workplaces contribute to a safer world.—KP

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Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Although 82% of US workers say their company recently conducted layoffs, 56% say their job satisfaction has increased. (Indeed)

Quote: “Immigrants aren’t just workers, they are particularly flexible, mobile workers, who help address acute labor shortages wherever they emerge. And that’s particularly important in this constrained economy we’re facing right now.”—Adam Ozimek, chief economist at Economic Innovation Group, on why the US needs more immigrant workers (the Washington Post)

Read: Since the early 2000s, employers have been more likely to conduct layoffs around the holidays. (the Wall Street Journal)