Description

EEOC 2026 Reset: The New Rules on DEI, Retaliation, and Reverse Discrimination

Most HR teams are still operating as if the April 2024 EEOC Enforcement Guidance is law. It isn't. And the ground has shifted again since January.

In May 2025, a Texas federal court vacated the gender-identity and sexual-orientation portions of that guidance. In January 2026, the EEOC rescinded the entire document by a 2-1 vote — without notice, without comment, without a replacement. Then on June 4, 2026, the agency released its first-ever National Enforcement Plan, formally abandoning disparate impact liability theory and naming DEI-labeled hiring practices, diversity hiring panels, diversity statements, and race- or sex-based employment goals as enforcement targets for the next five years. Three weeks before that, on May 27, the agency proposed rescinding its 50-year-old voluntary affirmative action guidance entirely.

This session is built for HR leaders who don't have the luxury of waiting for clarity. We'll walk through exactly what changed, what survived, and what every employer needs to fix before the next subpoena, complaint, or audit lands. Topics include:

• The exact status of quid pro quo and hostile work environment doctrine after the rescission — what the EEOC still enforces and what it no longer claims authority over
• What the EEOC's National Enforcement Plan reveals about where the agency will spend its next five years of investigative and litigation resources
• The post-Ames reverse discrimination landscape, illustrated through live EEOC cases against Nike, the New York Times, and Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast
• What the Nike and Northwestern Mutual subpoenas are actually asking for — and what that tells you about your own exposure
• Rebuilding harassment training and DEI programs to satisfy state law (NY, CA, IL, CT, ME, WA) when the federal floor has shifted under your feet
• The federal-state conflict every multistate employer is now navigating — and why doing nothing is its own legal risk
• A practical 30/60/90-day audit checklist HR can run on their own policies and programs starting Monday

Bring your existing harassment policy and DEI program description. By the end of this session, you'll know exactly what to rewrite, what to keep, and what to take to counsel.

Why you can't afford to skip this one —

Every harassment and discrimination complaint filed against your organization in 2026 will be evaluated against a legal framework that didn't exist 18 months ago. Plaintiff's lawyers already know this. The EEOC already knows this — it told you so in writing, in a five-year plan. The only group still operating on the old map is HR. If that's you, you have weeks — not quarters — to catch up.

This webinar benefits the following agencies —

• Private-sector employers across all industries and headcount sizes
• Federal contractors and subcontractors navigating new DEI compliance clauses under Executive Order 14398
• Healthcare systems, hospitals, and long-term care facilities
• Financial services, insurance, and professional services firms
• Manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing operations
• Educational institutions (K-12, higher education, vocational)
• Retail, hospitality, and food service organizations
• Technology companies and remote-first / hybrid employers
• Staffing agencies and PEOs
• Nonprofits, associations, and religious-affiliated employers
• Employment law firms and outside counsel advising employer clients

Who Should Attend:-

• Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) and VPs of Human Resources
• HR Directors, HR Managers, and HR Business Partners
• HR Generalists and HR Coordinators responsible for policy and complaints
• Employee Relations Managers and Workplace Investigators
• EEO Officers, Title VII Compliance Officers, and Civil Rights Coordinators
• DEI Leaders, Belonging Officers, and ERG Sponsors re-evaluating program design
• In-House Counsel and Employment Law Attorneys
• Compliance Officers and Ethics Officers
• Risk Managers and Enterprise Risk Leaders
• Learning & Development professionals owning anti-harassment and DEI training
• Operations and Plant Managers with frontline supervisory responsibility
• Business owners, founders, and C-suite leaders of small and mid-market employers.