HR Brew // Morning Brew // Update

DEI

Graphic of a DEI sign being painted over

Francis Scialabba

Dozens of companies, including several federal contractors, publicly distanced themselves from DEI in 2025 as the second Trump administration ramped up attacks on the programs, even those the first iteration of his White House admin previously supported.

So where does DEI stand now, and do companies still care? A new survey of 2,000 employees at medium and large organizations from Catalyst and the Meltzer Center for Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging at NYU School of Law, suggests that not only are companies still committed to inclusion, but workers want it, too.

Some good news for supporters of DEI. Most (81%) respondents said that their company is committed to inclusive workplace culture, fairness in policies and practices, and diverse representation. These findings are in line with the thinking that some of the DEI backtracking has been more about public perception than anything else, HR Brew reported previously.

Looking ahead. Respondents said universal benefits for all groups, bias removed from recruitment, mentorship and promotion, and prioritization of those from the most marginalized communities are the top three focuses needed to create more inclusive workplaces.

For more on employers’ current and future commitment to DEI, keep reading here.—KP

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TOTAL REWARDS

Will work for BBL (better benefits and leave)

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Francis Scialabba

Is cash still king? If so, employees might just say benefits are queen…

Better benefits are a top motivator for employees on the job hunt, according to a recent report from HCM software company isolved. Of the 56% of employees who’ve applied for a new job in the last year, 59% said they did so for a higher salary, while 51% cited more growth opportunities and 45% said better benefits.

“For employers who are able to show the ROI of their benefit plans and to market them well, and to choose a selection of benefits that means something to their populations, they will win the talent war,” Amy Mosher, isolved’s chief people officer, told HR Brew. “And, they’ll win from a business perspective, because turnover costs more than your benefit lines as an organization.”

For more on the importance of benefits, to employers and employees, keep reading here.—MC

HR STRATEGY

Global expansion

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Morning Brew

Starbucks appears to be continuing its reorg with an international expansion, according to recent news.

Where in the world? Starbucks is opening a corporate technology office in India, according to Bloomberg. The first of its kind for the company in the country, the office is proposed to open in fiscal year 2027 to technology workers, whose jobs were previously outsourced to contractors. The company is bringing these roles in-house as part of ongoing cost-reduction efforts, according to reports.

Starbucks pointed to its existing relationships with contractors in India and the region’s notoriety as a talent hub as reasons for the decision, India Today reported.

Satellite view. The coffee giant has conducted numerous rounds of layoffs over the past 15 months, including 2,000 roles in 2025. In May it cut 61 tech jobs in Seattle, and 300 additional corporate roles in its HQ city and from around the country. It also said it will close corporate offices in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Burbank, the Wall Street Journal reported.

For more on Starbucks’ recent reorganization efforts, keep reading here.—KP

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WORK PERKS

A desktop computer plugged into a green couch.

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Roughly seven in 10 probationary federal employees who were laid off by the Trump administration and have since landed new jobs report having “significantly lower salaries.” (Federal News Network)

Quote: “We have witnessed the most significant shift in how companies are built since the invention of modern programming languages in the 1970s.”—Avishai Abrahami, CEO of Wix, on the company’s decision to cut staff by 20% (Business Insider)

Read: Tired of reading about all of the companies conducting AI-related layoffs? Schneider Electric says it’s using the tech to support, not slash, its workforce of 160,000 global employees. (the New York Times)

For founders, investors, and startup obsessives: Founder Brew covers the decisions and lessons that define builders.

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Written by Kristen Parisi and Mikaela Cohen

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