The Picture for Employers in 2025 Becomes Clearer
Connecticut Employment Law Blog | Blog
January 21, 2025
I’ll admit that it can sometimes be hard to talk about the political ramifications that elections have on employers because some might think you’re taking sides.
Like everyone, I certainly have my own feelings but as I’ve said on this blog for over a decade, this blog has tried to take a decidedly apolitical bent. Instead, I think it’s more important to focus on the practical implications for employers.
And so, on Day Two of the second Trump administration, the confusing picture for employers is starting to become just a little clearer.
For example, earlier today, President Trump appointed Andrea Lucas as the acting EEOC chair. Ms. Lucas made clear in a release today what her priorities will be — and they include “rooting out” Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
[M]y priorities will include rooting out unlawful DEI-motivated race and sex discrimination; protecting American workers from anti-American national origin discrimination; defending the biological and binary reality of sex and related rights, including women’s rights to single‑sex spaces at work; protecting workers from religious bias and harassment, including antisemitism; and remedying other areas of recent under-enforcement.”
This will certainly cause more than a few private-sector employers to scratch their heads and figure out whether their programs will survive scrutiny under this new initiative.
But beyond that, we’re just at the start of seeing other changes for employers. I sat down recently with my partner Gabe Jiran on our From Lawyer to Employer podcast, to talk about what employers can expect in this second Trump term and how employers might react. You can download the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from.
We talk about other issues such as immigration, DOL compliance, and more. My thanks to Gabe for joining me.
For employers, this is going to be a challenging time filled with lots of changes. Some might appear to be favorable to employers; others not so much. But regardless, it’s worth paying attention to.