The MERIT Model: A Smarter, Compliant Path to Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainable Talent Retention
If this article speaks to you, you'll love my new book, The Equity Edge: How Addressing Bias in Recruiting and Retention Drives Success.
This piece is part of an ongoing series responding to the wave of DEI rollbacks and resistance. Each article offers thoughtful strategies to help you lead in ways that increase diversity and retention—without harm. Pre-order The Equity Edge now and receive The Equity Edge Instructor Guide FREE—a limited-time offer designed to help you bring these practices into your workplace with care, courage, and clarity.
For years, companies have invested in DEI to build workplaces that reflect the full breadth of the talent pool—not just those who’ve historically had access. These efforts weren’t about lowering standards; they were about leveling the playing field so true merit could rise.
Now, with the new administration pushing to eliminate DEI in favor of so-called “merit-based hiring,” companies find themselves at a crossroads. But here’s the truth: DEI doesn’t stand in opposition to merit—it’s how we achieve it.
The idea that equity and merit are mutually exclusive is not only misleading—it’s dangerous. DEI doesn’t prevent merit-based hiring; it clears the path for it by addressing the biases and barriers that have long distorted who gets seen as “qualified.”
Introducing The MERIT Model.
A direct response to today’s political climate, The MERIT Model is a compliant, strategically effective approach to hiring and retention. It removes bias, expands opportunity, and ensures the best talent rises—without harming historically underrepresented groups.
The MERIT Model:
Meets the demand for “merit-based hiring” with integrity and intention
Eliminates bias in hiring and promotion practices
Upholds equity, inclusion, and retention as business-critical strategies
Achieves representation in ways that are sustainable and compliant
Because the truth is: merit can't exist without equity. And if we care about hiring the best, we must care about building systems that give everyone a fair shot.
The Problem: Why Historical “Merit-Based Hiring” is a Flawed Concept
In my new book, The Equity Edge, I share that equity should not be contentious or about mandates because it truly begins with eliminating obstacles to workplace representation, which starts with fixing the systems that have historically excluded underrepresented talent.
What the administration fails to acknowledge is this:
You can’t claim to hire based on merit when bias shapes who even gets a shot. Take the landmark Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (1971), a Supreme Court case that reshaped how we define fair hiring. Duke Power required high school diplomas and aptitude tests for certain jobs, requirements that disproportionately excluded Black applicants but had no real connection to job performance. The Court ruled that employment practices must be reasonably related to job performance and that policies creating unnecessary barriers for marginalized groups violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
You can’t claim the playing field is level when hiring systems favor those with existing power and access. Studies show 80% of jobs are filled through networking, often excluding underrepresented candidates.
You can’t say “just hire the best person” if the process itself isn’t fair. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), along with other entities, have long understood that bias can be baked into hiring systems, whether intentional or not. That’s why they adopted the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, a legal framework that requires hiring practices to be job-related and consistent with business necessity.
The problem isn’t a lack of qualified candidates from untapped communities—it’s that they’ve been systematically excluded from the hiring pipeline through biased job descriptions, unnecessary credential requirements, and informal selection processes that favor familiarity over skill.
If we want to hire based on true merit, we need to fix the system first.
This is where The MERIT Model that I’ve built comes into play. And the next time someone asks you to hire based on MERIT, you use this acronym:
M: Mitigate — fix the playing field before measuring talent.
E: Expand — open the talent pool to strengthen the workforce.
R: Reevaluate — fix broken hiring, promotion, and retention systems.
I: Include — build a workplace where people feel valued and belong.
T: Transition — move from one time initiatives into lasting workplace diversity.
But for now, we’ll stop here. Next week, I’ll break down the full MERIT Model and show how to put it into action.
In the meantime, The Equity Edge lays out exactly how to remove hiring biases, expand access to top talent, and build a workplace where real merit rises to the top.
Pre-order your copy here.
The best part is...if you preorder The Equity Edge now and use code: Equity20 you will get 20% off! Valid through June 16, 2025.
In addition, if you submit a copy of your receipt at the link below you will receive an exclusive Instructor Guide on how to teach the Equity Edge. Valid through June 16, 2025.
This bonus is exclusively available to those who pre-order The Equity Edge before launch day on June 17, 2025.
Here’s how to get yours:
Pre-order the book from any retailer (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, etc.).
Forward your purchase receipt to the link above
You’ll receive your free copy of the Instructor’s Guide by email when The Equity Edge officially launches on June 17, 2025.
This bonus is only available during the pre-order period. After June 16th, the guide will be sold separately for $297.