DirectEmployers Association

🎖️ Veterans bring valuable skills, experience, and leadership to the workforce—but connecting them to the right opportunities requires the right tools.

Join Kim Lott, DirectEmployers, and Ellen Samoriski, NASWA, for: Reconnecting Veterans to Opportunity: Using NLx Tools to Strengthen Veteran Employment Outcomes

📅 July 10, 2026
⏰ 8:30 AM
📍 Independence DE

This practical, training-focused session will explore how workforce professionals can leverage NLx resources to support veteran recruitment, employer engagement, job matching, apprenticeship opportunities, and SkillBridge initiatives.

Learn how DVOPs, LVERs, and CODLs can maximize these tools to strengthen employment outcomes for veterans and transitioning service members.

See the full agenda: https://web.cvent.com/event/1385fb39-9938-462e-a3ef-6f8c919244de/summary

Figuring out where to begin with federal contractor HR compliance can feel overwhelming. With constant regulatory shifts, evolving state mandates, and rising scrutiny around AI in hiring, compliance is an ongoing discipline, not an annual scramble.

Don't fall for the myth that compliance obligations have disappeared. While written AAPs for females and minorities under EO 11246 were eliminated, your VEVRAA and Section 503 duties remain fully enforceable.

Check your foundations against these core requirements:

💼 VEVRAA Mandatory Job Listings: Open positions must go directly to appropriate American Job Centers or ESDSs, not just standard job boards.

🤝 Active Partnerships: Documented outreach to veteran and vocational rehabilitation partners is strictly required—passive recruitment won't cut it.

📝 Written AAPs: Data-driven Affirmative Action Plans are mandatory if you have 50 or more employees and meet the applicable contract thresholds.

🗂️ Data Retention: All compliance records—including applicant flow, self-identification metrics, and outreach logs—must be safely retained for a minimum of three years.

Want to run a quick health check on your current workflows? Read our full blog post breakdown and learn how to close the hidden gaps in your compliance program!

What HR Compliance Requirements Apply to Federal Contractors? Learn what HR compliance requirements apply to federal contractors under VEVRAA and Section 503 — including AAPs, self-ID, job listing, and more.

HR Compliance is no longer just about managing risk—it’s about driving true organizational value. 🚀

When done right, compliance builds trust, protects your culture, and enables business growth. But navigating today’s patchwork environment of changing state and federal regulations is no easy feat.

Join us on Tuesday, June 30th for a one-hour webinar featuring a panel of real-world HR peers who are doing the work every day.

What you’ll take away:

- Strategies to master the small things and build a bulletproof compliance foundation.
- Practical tips for surviving and thriving in today's complex regulatory environment.
- Actionable ways to demonstrate your impact and build powerful cross-organizational partnerships.

Whether you're looking to elevate your influence or navigating a challenging moment in your compliance career, this session is built for you.

👉 Secure your spot today: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Avs5Jq0kJ_zKLpenjjLPyXB9obWzdCXWNrBBKuvyDg10z-8ZMLjY~Aubky_l-QjmsnDM_ZEfPiHfYNY5ST7zrn4Rd0VNz6-xVpSbYBeYFrwlWJw

Got breakthrough HR strategies or compliance insights to share? 🎤 The DEAMcon27 Call for Presenters is OPEN!

We’re looking for passionate speakers to take the stage and inspire our community of HR, recruitment, and compliance professionals. Whether you have a case study to share or advanced regulatory guidance to untangle, we want to hear your unique perspective. 💡

Submission Highlights:
- Simple, streamlined application process.

- Opportunities for solo presentations, co-presentations, or panel discussions.

- Position your brand in front of hundreds of enterprise HR leaders.

Ready to lead the conversation? Click the link below to review the guidelines and lock in your submission before the August 15th deadline!

🔗 https://deamcon.org/call-for-presenters/

Today we celebrate freedom, resilience, and the power of community. Also known as Freedom Day, Juneteenth is a time to reflect on our history and honor the journey toward justice and equality.

Wishing everyone a meaningful day of celebration and reflection! ❤️🖤💚

Time flies when you’re doing great work! A special shoutout to the incredible team members celebrating their anniversaries this month.

🚨 DE Member Exclusive

From AI regulations hitting HR conversations to shifting expectations around VEVRAA and Section 503, it’s getting harder to separate the noise from the actual signals.

Join employment attorney Mickey Silberman, HR consultant PJ Rossi, and DirectEmployers’ Executive Director Jeff Gill for an interactive, one-hour virtual briefing. They’ll cut through the confusion to deliver practical guidance tailored specifically for you.

What you’ll walk away with:

- A clear recap of what's actually changed vs. what's held steady.
- A prioritized list of what to audit, update, and fix before year-end.
- Insights into Q3 and Q4 enforcement trends so you aren't caught scrambling.

Don't let last-minute fire drills derail you. Head into the rest of the year prepared and a step ahead!

🗓️ Log in to DE Connect at the link to save your spot: https://connect.directemployers.org/browse/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=cc1337a1-87b7-4f40-bc5a-019e74a55227&CommunityKey=e75b4f8e-cd0f-4678-9b93-79a4b26368bf&Home=%2fbrowse%2fevents%2fcalendar

Did you know that more than 90% of U.S. employers now use hiring algorithms to screen job applicants? While these tools save time, a groundbreaking new study from Stanford University reveals a major hidden risk called "algorithmic monoculture".

When multiple companies rely on the same tech vendors, candidates can face systemic rejection across the market based on automated configurations rather than their actual skills. Alarmingly, the study found that over 25% of applications from Black candidates were routed into hiring processes showing adverse impact under the four-fifths rule.

Here are the quick compliance highlights you need to know:

📊 Job-Level Tracking is Key: Blended vendor averages hide disparities that only become visible when you monitor automated outcomes at the specific position level.

⚖️ You Hold the Responsibility: Federal anti-discrimination laws make it clear that employers—not technology vendors—are responsible for the outcomes AI tools produce.

🧠 Human Oversight is Vital: Human-in-the-loop controls are essential to review, challenge, and override automated recommendations when necessary.

If your team cannot clearly explain how a hiring tool scores candidates, it cannot be legally defended during a compliance audit. What steps is your organization taking to audit its automated tools? Let’s swap ideas in the comments, or click below to read our full guide!

When Hiring Algorithms Go Unmanaged: What the Stanford Algorithmic Hiring Study Means for HR Compliance A new Stanford study on algorithmic hiring reveals racial disparities and systemic rejections at scale—here's what HR compliance leaders need to act on now.

On June 9, 2026, the DOJ issued a formal opinion letter declaring the EEOC's current guidelines on Title VII disparate-impact liability unconstitutional if solely applied.

This is a significant signal regarding how federal anti-discrimination laws will be enforced moving forward. The opinion fundamentally challenges the idea that unequal outcomes alone create employer liability, noting that standard tools like background checks and pre-employment tests are presumptively job-related if they serve a valid, rational business purpose.

What's the immediate takeaway for your team?

📊 Shift in Framework: The legal environment is shifting in favor of employers when defending selection criteria.

📋 Keep Monitoring: You still need to track selection outcomes and carefully document your business rationales.

⚖️ Expect Uncertainty: Because courts have the final say, litigation uncertainty remains.

Want to make sure your screening tools and hiring criteria are aligned with this newly released framework? Read our full, bite-sized breakdown of the DOJ opinion and what to do next!

A Federal Contractor's Plain-Language Guide to the DOJ's Opinion Letter on EEOC Disparate Impact The DOJ's OLC concluded the EEOC's disparate-impact guidelines under Title VII are unconstitutional. Here's what federal contractors need to know and do next.

President Trump's new Executive Order 14409 shifts the federal relationship with AI into high gear.

It won't change your daily compliance checklists today, but it is quickly altering the tech standards for companies doing business with the government.

Here are the quick highlights:

🛡️ Tighter Tech Security: Higher cybersecurity expectations for contractor systems touching federal networks.

🔍 Focus on Model Integrity: Increased attention on data governance and how powerful AI recruitment tools are secured.

🤝 Partnership First: A clear preference for voluntary public-private collaboration over top-down government mandates.

Staying informed now means fewer surprises as these tech expectations become embedded in future program requirements.

The White House Just Signaled Where AI Policy Is Heading: What Federal Contractors Need to Know President Trump's June 2026 AI Executive Order is reshaping federal cybersecurity policy. Here's what federal contractors need to know about its key provisions.