How Leading Companies Are Advancing Inclusion in 2025’s High-Risk Climate
“Inclusion doesn’t stop when the rules change—it gets smarter.”
Global Head of Inclusion, Leading Healthcare Organization
With federal scrutiny intensifying and headlines suggesting that inclusive workplace efforts are fading, it would be easy to assume that progress is slowing. But that’s not what we’re seeing at the world’s top companies.
At Seramount’s recent Think Bigger Summit, more than 50 senior HR, DEI, talent, and people leaders gathered for a high-impact conversation around one of today’s defining workplace challenges:
How do you protect and grow inclusive workplace strategies in an era of unprecedented uncertainty, legal shifts, and cultural division?
The executive roundtable’s sobering insights repeatedly returned to one strategic insight: now is the moment to lead differently.
A Changing Legal Landscape Demands Smarter Strategy
New Federal directives have reshaped how organizations approach workplace inclusion, particularly those with government contracts. Expert legal advisors at the summit stressed that while the environment is changing fast, the solution isn’t retreat. It’s adaptation.
Here’s how the world’s top companies are protecting impact while staying compliant:
Moving to voluntary, identity-inclusive employee training
Revising program names and branding to reduce legal exposure
Ensuring employee networks (ERGs) are inclusive and transparent
Shifting from diverse quotas to equitable hiring practices based on merit
Key Insight: Language is evolving, but commitment doesn’t have to. The world’s smartest companies are maintaining the mission, just with smarter messaging.
The Bigger Risk: Losing Employee Trust
Legal risk is real. But experts at the summit also repeatedly spotlighted another truth: so is employee, partner, and customer disengagement, especially if employees feel like their company is going silent on inclusion.
Seramount’s rigorous and representative employee voice research shows:
78% of employees say working for an inclusive organization is important to them.
Employees from underrepresented groups report growing anxietyamid policy rollbacks.
Quiet rebrands and reduced visibility often lead to misinterpretation and mistrust.
What high-trust employers are doing:
Explaining changes in naming or program structure before they’re misunderstood
Launching inclusion councils or task forces to bring more voices into decision-making
Maintaining visible leadership commitment, even if tactics shift
Key takeaway: Don’t let your silence speak louder than your values. Say what’s changing, and what isn’t.
Scenario Planning Isn’t Optional Anymore
Leading voices at the summit pointed out that when a leaked memo goes public, or a heritage month campaign is suddenly reconsidered, how your organization responds can define your brand (and your culture) for years.
That’s why one of the summit’s most talked-about sessions was a real-world exercise on crisis response, led by Seramount leader Katie Oertli Mooney.
What’s in the new playbook:
✅ Establish a cross-functional rapid response team ✅ Use a clear rubric to decide how and when to respond ✅ Engage affected internal communities early ✅ Ground every response in data, values, and empathy
Organizations with clear plans didn’t just feel more prepared, they acted with greater integrity and speed when issues arose.
Inclusion Isn’t a “Nice-to-Have.” It’s a Growth Strategy.
Despite political headwinds, forward-looking organizations are continuing to drive results through inclusive leadership and innovation.
At the summit, we heard case studies from leading Seramount researchers on how (despite the headlines) inclusion is moving from compliance to competitive advantage:
Retailer jersey sales for a major sports franchise sold out after expanding size inclusivity
15% supplier shift toward Black-owned brands in a global retailer led to stronger customer loyalty
Employee productivity jumped 6x in a leading financial services organization that embedded inclusive practices across the employee experience
Key Takeaway: Inclusion is more than moral. It’s measurable.
What to Do Now: 4 Bold Moves for Leaders in 2025
Whether you’re rethinking your approach or doubling down on what works, here’s what the most resilient leaders are prioritizing this year:
1. Update Language Without Losing Meaning
Rebrand smartly: shift away from polarizing labels while protecting substance.
Focus on “inclusion,” “culture,” “access,” “belonging,” and “opportunity.”
2. Increase Transparency
Be honest about what’s changing, and why.
Communicate decisions with empathy and clarity.
3. Embed Inclusion in Business Strategy
Audit your products, policies, and vendor relationships through an inclusion lens.
Tie inclusion to customer outcomes and innovation, not just internal culture.
4. Be Ready for Backlash, But Be Ready to Lead
Build internal playbooks for reputational challenges.
Empower trusted voices to represent your organization with clarity and courage.
Final Thought
The rules may have changed. But the need for inclusive workplaces hasn’t. In fact, it’s more urgent than ever.
The companies that succeed in 2025 won’t be the ones who stay silent or remain reactive. They’ll be the ones who evolve with intention, keep listening, and lead with confidence.
Need support navigating your next inclusion strategy challenge?
Seramount helps companies of all sizes stay ahead with expert research, risk mitigation insights, and communications support tailored to today’s climate.
Eva is an Associate Director of Partner Development, responsible for helping new partner organizations unlock the value of Seramount’s DEI research and apply it to drive success within their organizations. She brings extensive experience in ERG leadership, DEI curriculum development and facilitation, and team culture building within large, matrixed organizations.
Eva is an Associate Director of Partner Development, responsible for helping new partner organizations unlock the value of Seramount’s DEI research and apply it to drive success within their organizations. She brings extensive experience in ERG leadership, DEI curriculum development and facilitation, and team culture building within large, matrixed organizations.
Before joining Seramount, Eva worked with pharmaceutical and medical device companies to address strategic issues such as health equity, AI in healthcare, leadership adaptiveness, and policy implications. She supported this work through consultative relationships and data-driven research.
Outside of work, Eva enjoys traveling—most recently exploring the beauty and traditions of Sri Lanka. She is also an avid supporter of the NY film scene, actively involved in Brooklyn’s cat fostering community, and the proud caretaker of her (too) many plants.
Michael Nicholson is an Associate Director, Strategic Research and Product Marketing at Seramount. As a DEI and talent researcher, he is equally committed to delightful storytelling and useful knowledge. His responsibilities at Seramount include management of thought leadership, product narratives, and other strategic research initiatives.
Michael Nicholson is a Principal, Strategic Research at Seramount. As a DEI and talent researcher, he is equally committed to delightful storytelling and useful knowledge. His responsibilities at Seramount include management of thought leadership, product narratives, and other strategic research initiatives. At Seramount and beyond, he works to create effective messaging for all. Whether in an app or a sonnet, he believes every word counts.
Prior to joining the Seramount team, Michael earned his PhD at UCLA and served as a tenure-track professor at McGill University. As Director of the Montreal International Poetry Prize, he pursued his lifelong love of inclusive storytelling and actionable insights, helping to develop and market the first app-based, character-limited global writing product.
Michael lives in Southern California with his son, Wyatt, where he enjoys hiking along the coast and advancing environmental justice. As a neurodiversity advocate, he’s always looking to connect with fellow wordsmiths with a shared passion for impactful data and accessible communities.
