US President Donald Trump's determination to scrap diversity and inclusion hiring strategies is so fierce that he has even linked the practice to the worst air crash in his country for two decades.
Although not directly blaming the US's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) diversity recruitment policies for the fatal crash between a military helicopter and a passenger airline over Washington DC, there was definitely a hint that it could have been a cause.
Trump mentioned something about dwarfs and epileptics being able to apply for air traffic controller positions under the Biden administration and said that those days were over. Instead, positions would go to people, he said, based on merit.
It's not just the FAA which will have to change. Trump has revoked a 1965 executive order which originally implemented Federal equality and diversity programmes in the United States. He has called them "discriminatory". In addition, he has put federal DEI workers on leave and taken down diversity websites.
Trump also signed another order - Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service. It states that current federal hiring practices are flawed and no longer focus on merit or "dedication to our Constitution". He has also tried to "encourage the private sector to end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences".
So where does this leave UK employers?
According to Springhouse Law, the only legal requirement on an employer as regards equality is to: ensure they comply with equal pay legislation i.e. they pay men and women the same for doing the same (or equivalent) jobs; they do not discriminate against job applicants or staff when it comes to benefits, promotion and other workplace matters; and do all they reasonably can to prevent discrimination and harassment of staff in the workplace by others.
It is hard to argue against a merit-based approach to hiring. If you are a growing business especially, then you need to find 'best-fits' - people who can hit the ground running in whichever department from sales to marketing or finance.
But having a diversity and inclusion strategy when it comes to recruitment is about more than skills and talent. It is unlikely that the FAA, any other aviation agency or indeed any other organisation or business would employ someone with dwarfism just so it made them feel better or looked good in promotional videos or pictures.
A diversity and inclusion strategy shows that you are open to all. You include it in your recruitment policies and hiring application forms because you don't want to exclude anyone from thinking they can't do the role or work with your organisation at any time in their careers.
If you don't have such a policy in place, then you restrict your chances of finding the best person for the job. The people who will apply will be the people who have always applied. The people who see people within your organisation who look like them and talk like them.
There's nothing inherently wrong in that, but it is a huge limitation on a business which is trying to grow and innovate, especially in these difficult times.
You are only opening one door to find the best person for the job. Who knows who is behind those other doors you've barred off?
Recent research from Zurich UK has found that 50% of neurodivergent – people with autism or ADHD - adults have been discriminated against when looking for a job; one in five laughed at and one in six had job offers rescinded.
But having as diverse a business as possible improves your top and bottom lines. According to Deloitte, businesses with neurodivergent employees, for example, are 30% more productive utilising abilities such as visual thinking, attention to detail, pattern recognition, visual memory, and creative thinking.
Just not the kind of creative thinking we're used to from President Trump.