Yesterday, I had the opportunity to present (along with my colleague Emily McDonough Souza) to the CBIA’s HR Conference about the developments from the Trump administration to employers. It was a massive crowd of over 400 HR professionals and I’m thankful for the opportunity.
I had three main takeaways from the presentation that I thought were worth sharing for those that weren’t at the presentation.
- The Trump Administration is Creating a Lot of Uncertainty – Early on in the presentation, we solicited the audience for one word that they and their companies were feeling as a result of the developments from the Trump administration. While there were a few people who said “great” or “confident”, the overwhelming majority of responses centered on “anxious”, “nervous”, “confused” and “fearful”. That’s a remarkable shift in mood just over the last month. Employers are unsure of the next steps to take and this may have significant implications for hiring, planning and business operations. Could all of this uncertainty cause the economy to slow down? The remains to be seen.
- The DEI Executive Orders Are Mostly On Hold. For Now. Last week, in preparation for the presentation, we were hearing that there would be lots of questions about how the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders on DEI programs would impact employers, particularly those in Connecticut who had to abide by state laws that may be in conflict. But late Friday (February 21, 2025) a federal court in Maryland, issued a nationwide preliminary injunction order against most of the two Executive Orders that addressed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and programs in the private sector. Notably, much of the decision rests on something I’ve been talking about for weeks — the vagueness of the EOs provides a basis for issuing an injunction. While the decision is on appeal, the immediate need for employers to adjust their policies appears to have diminished a bit for now.
- Employers Have to Start Thinking About Immigration. We spent a good bit of the presentation talking about employer’s obligations when it comes to immigration law. As I’ve covered in a prior blog post, employers have historically only had to worry about I-9 Forms. But with the threat of ICE raids looming, employers should have a rapid response plan in place. Yesterday’s news that the Department of Homeland Security will require all undocumented immigrants aged 14 and older to register with the federal government or face financial penalties and jail time is only serving to escalate fears that employers will be caught up in this enforcement scheme. Could it be that employers will be affirmatively required to report an undocumented workers to the federal government too?
The HR conference also featured talks about paid sick leave and legislative developments.