SHRM's Replacement of "Inclusion" with "Blueprint" Sparks Division in HR: Compliance First or a Step Back?

SHRM's annual Inclusion conference is a thing of the past. In its place is an event to be held in late October in Louisville, Kentucky, calledSHRM BlueprintConference. HR professionals have had mixed reactions to this.

The rebranding goes beyond just the conference name: the former bright pink color scheme has been replaced by a design sketch in cool blue tones. "Charting the Future of Work," the new homepage invites visitors, along with the tagline: "Compliance. Connection. Competitiveness."

Although a spokesperson previouslytold HR Divethat SHRM "remains firmly committed to advancing inclusion and diversity," many HR practitioners discussing the change on LinkedIn say the rebranding suggests the opposite.

"When we talk about the future of work, do we lead with 'compliance'? No, we shouldn't. To me, this feels very much like mid-90s HR, which is when I started my career," wrote Tracie Sponenberg, founder of an HR consulting firm.Tracie Sponenbergwrote.

"This latest change or 'rebrand' makes me deeply uneasy for a number of reasons," Sponenberg told HR Dive. "Chiefly because if you're talking about the future of work — and you're opening with the future of work being 'compliant' — that's not leading with humanity," she said. "That's not leading with people."

In Sponenberg's view, she said, "it reads like getting in line and following behind," though she acknowledged she doesn't think that was SHRM leadership's intent.

"I think SHRM is playing it safe, but I don't think you can do that when it comes to people and organizations, and people whose rights are threatened or being stripped away, who are suffering," she added.

Among the commenters on Sponenberg's LinkedIn post was Bryan Howard, founder and CEO of HR company Peoplyst. Where many HR professionals expressed anger,he wrote: "I love the phrase, 'Creativity loves constraint.' It applies well here too."

"I think the reaction to this has been very emotional, and I certainly understand that," Howard told HR Dive, but "I feel like I see SHRM moving in a good direction."

Howard acknowledged thatSHRM's removal of the 'E' from its DEI policy platform last summer, combined with this year's conference rebranding, has made HR practitioners feel SHRM is moving away from DEI.

"However, I don't see it that way at all," Howard said of SHRM. "I think what they're putting forward is actually a very balanced approach."

The legal landscape has indeed changed

The conference tagline starting with "compliance" also makes sense to Howard. "If you're not compliant, then the other two don't matter. I think that's where most people are upset — they just feel like something has been taken away," he said. "In fact, I think it's the opposite. They're now more focused on inclusion than they were before."

Howard pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling inAmes v. Ohio Department of Youth Services. The Court ruled that plaintiffs in the majority — in this case, a heterosexual woman claiming adverse employment action due to sexual orientation — do not have to meet a higher standard than plaintiffs in the minority when bringing bias claims.

"Inclusion used to really be about minority groups, and the Supreme Court ruling makes clear that inclusion is for everyone. This is not a zero-sum game," Howard said. "If you include the majority, you don't take anything away from the minority."

"This may be a bit different from what might have been done in the DEI era," he added.

Howard pushed back on the notion from some companies that they just need to clarify they don't intend to exclude anyone — for example, ascompanies with affinity groupshave done following joint technical assistance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice on "unlawful" DEI.

"I'm not saying people intend to exclude anyone, but if you think about some of the messaging of DEI in the past, it was really targeted at those who might feel they weren't included, and that's a subjective idea," Howard said. "Sometimes, the majority doesn't feel included either."

Howard said he, like other HR professionals, gets emotional too. But when he steps back, he can look at the issue "more thoughtfully."

Ultimately, Howard said, he hopes people will attend SHRM Blueprint with an open mind. Those who boycott SHRM's conference "won't have the opportunity to be part of the conversation. That makes me a little sad," he said.

Regarding the rebranding, a SHRM spokesperson told HR Dive via email late last month: "We are not retreating from inclusion — we are strengthening it with more rigor, sharper guidance, and legal foresight. We believe inclusion for a diverse workforce is more important than ever."

When asked about HR practitioners' reactions to the change, a SHRM spokesperson on Tuesday cited that statement and declined further comment.

Parting ways with SHRM

Laura Hamilton, an HR director and DEIB lead, had been a SHRM member for about 12 years when she decided not to renew her membership. "My initial reaction to SHRM came after last year when they changed their priorities and removed equity as one of the main pillars," she told HR Dive.

Hamilton said she was among the first to earn the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) designation in 2015. She already held HRCI and SPHR certifications at the time.

"Even so, I kept my SHRM-CP because I firmly believed HRCI was very focused on knowing and understanding the law — compliance metrics and things like that," Hamilton said. "SHRM's test was, 'How do you actually apply all of this knowledge to strategy in the workplace?'"

As the CHRO of a hospital at the time, Hamilton found SHRM's curriculum "extremely valuable"; she was also a member of SHRM's executive network and said she used most of her professional development budget for it.

"Last year, when they decided to remove equity as a priority, there was this big shift," Hamilton said. She also noted thatSHRM President Johnny C. Taylor had been on Trump's shortlist for U.S. Secretary of Labor. At the time, in November 2024, Taylor told HR Dive that would be "an honor."

Hamilton noted that the news came "right afterTrump communicated his intent to dismantle DEI."

Now, after SHRM renamed its Inclusion conference to Blueprint, Hamiltonfeels vindicated in her decision not to renew her SHRM membership。

"I've been in HR for 20 years. If people do diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work correctly, then these programs shouldn't be scary because they never elevate people who don't have the skills and desired qualifications for the job," Hamilton said. "They just provide access to people who wouldn't have had it otherwise. They at least give them the opportunity to be considered."

"In my career, I have never hired anyone because of a DEI metric," she continued. "I hired them because they were the right person for the job and they met the requirements of the role."

Because of her views on DEI and her belief that SHRM's values no longer aligned with hers, Hamilton even removed her SHRM certification from her LinkedIn profile before it expired. Although her team had benefited from SHRM's courses, Hamilton likewise did not allow them to renew the department's SHRM membership.

"I'm not putting money into their organization," she said.

Sponenberg had a similar experience. "I was actually deeply involved with SHRM for years. I spoke at their conference in 2019. I was a SHRM blogger and influencer, and a subject matter expert who taught courses, among other things. I was a SHRM member for over 20 years," Sponenberg said. "My overall view of SHRM is that it no longer provides what I need."

"(That) started long before they removed the 'E' — the missteps, or the progress made or not made, were not heading in a direction that truly aligned with my values."

Sponenberg specifically cited SHRM's handling of external criticism over itspartnership with Koch Industries— namely the #FixItSHRM campaign — and, in 2019,Taylor's meeting with Trump. (Trump appointed Taylor as his administration'sHBCU liaisonin 2018.) Sponenberg hasn't attended a SHRM conference since 2019.

She did, however, stop by the annual conference's expo hall last year because a friend and client of hers worked there. "I went to the expo hall for a few hours, just to see if anything had changed," she said. "It hadn't."

The future of HR networking

Despite her grievances, Sponenberg did make a distinction: "There are a lot of really good local and state chapters," she said. "They're in a tough spot because aligning with the national organization is helpful."

"There are also a lot of great people within SHRM," she acknowledged. "It just no longer aligns with my values. I look forward to change."

Sponenberg said it would take "a change in leadership" for her values to realign with SHRM's. "From what I've seen so far, SHRM is a professional services organization that operates very much like one. Think law firms, tax firms, medical groups, and so on. I'd like to see it be more forward-thinking," she said. "I'd like to see that in the organization itself."