HR professionals have reacted in horror at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)’s decision to drop the word “equity” from its diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy.

The decision, announced by the primary national trade group for HR professionals on Jul. 10., follows a widespread rollback of DE&I programs across corporate organizations, in the last year or so.

The SHRM claimed the change was prompted by numerous surveys with employers and staff which showed that the word equity caused more confusion than diversity and inclusion. But the move has caused uproar in the HR community, with people turning to social platforms to air their disappointment. Some HR execs have canceled their SHRM memberships, while others withdrew speaker proposals from SHRM’s Inclusion Conference in November. A petition opposing SHRM’s decision was also signed by hundreds.

“By removing the very element that addresses systemic disparities, SHRM is sidestepping the uncomfortable but necessary work,” said Amira K.S.Barger, executive vp, health communications and head of DE&I communications and advisory at Edelman. Others have called it a “glaring betrayal” which will weaken DEI initiatives and stunt progress.

WorkLife recently compiled a state of DE&I by the numbers, helping show just how uncertain businesses are about how to approach the topic. For example, more than a third of business executives said their organization is facing uncertainty regarding how to move ahead with their DEI programming in the wake of increased challenges to corporate diversity programs, according to Littler.

But the SHRM news felt like a nail in the coffin for most HR executives, especially ones who have been approaching their roles progressively. SHRM is the leading society for HR professionals, and after that organization made a clear statement, HR leaders were left wondering what to do next.

“SHRM knew there would be disagreement with our decision to lead with inclusion and diversity,” said SHRM president and CHRO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. in a statement to WorkLife. “We welcome differing points of view and we value diversity of opinion. We are encouraged that we’ve received significant interest from HR and other business professionals who have become SHRM members and have registered for Inclusion24 in Denver this past week because they understand our steadfast commitment to equity principles while we lead with inclusion and diversity.”

WorkLife spoke with Taylor last week following the announcement. “The fact that we are not using the full array of letters in the various acronyms that have evolved over time does not mean we don’t think belonging and accessibility matter, we do,” said Taylor in that interview. “I’ve concluded that I think what happened is the full definition of inclusion must encompass equity. Fairness, equity, decency, civility, and belonging are inherently virtues of inclusivity.”

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