This is why HR language and inclusion matter more than ever in today’s workplaces.

In human resources, words carry weight. They frame how we see people, shape how we treat them, and influence how they experience belonging at work. Yet, one word buried deep within one of our most standard HR forms still undermines the very principles of inclusion and respect we strive to uphold.

That word is “Alien.” Yes, as in the term used on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Form I-9 to describe a non-U.S. citizen authorized to work in the country. And if that word feels out of place in 2025, that’s because it is.

When Compliance and Compassion Collide

The Form I-9 is a compliance necessity. Every employer must complete it to verify a new hire’s identity and eligibility to work in the United States. But in the most recent updates to the form, the terminology quietly shifted back from “noncitizen authorized to work” to “alien authorized to work.”

That one word may seem bureaucratic or benign. But language doesn’t live in isolation; it carries history, emotion, and meaning.

In pop culture, “aliens” are creatures from another world, beings to be feared, studied, or contained. In daily conversation, calling someone an “alien” creates distance and otherness. In the workplace, it quietly chips away at the sense of belonging that every human being deserves.

And that’s the disconnect: while HR professionals work hard to build cultures of inclusion, dignity, and belonging, we are still required to label some of our colleagues as “aliens” on their first day of employment.

The Human Element of Compliance

The goal here isn’t to vilify the law or the forms we must use — it’s to call attention to the human impact behind them. Because the human resources profession is, at its core, about people. When someone joins your team, that form is often their first official document as an employee. Seeing the word “alien” stamped next to their name doesn’t exactly say, Welcome to the team. It’s a reminder that they are being categorized by what they are not, not a citizen, not from here, not one of “us.” That’s not just paperwork. That’s a perception that lingers.

So what can HR do? We may not be able to rewrite federal forms (or can we), but we can reshape our internal language and interactions to restore dignity where the system sometimes forgets it.

What HR Leaders Can Do Differently

Here are a few actions to take today:

  1. Acknowledge the language. When reviewing Form I-9 with new hires, take a moment to explain that the term “alien” is a legal artifact, not a reflection of how your organization sees people.
  2. Use inclusive alternatives internally. In handbooks, policies, and communications, refer to individuals as non-U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, or simply employees authorized to work in the U.S.
  3. Educate your team. Make sure hiring managers, recruiters, and HR staff understand the importance of language in creating psychological safety and belonging.
  4. Advocate where possible. HR professionals can influence policy discussions by sharing the human side of compliance. When we speak up collectively, even a single word can change in future revisions.

From E.T. to Employee

It may sound humorous to compare a legal form to a 1980s movie about a glowing extraterrestrial trying to phone home, but the analogy fits. When we label people as “aliens,” we subconsciously cast them as outsiders, different, foreign, or temporary. Yet, the truth is that these “aliens” are often our innovators, our teammates, and our leaders. They bring perspectives that make workplaces stronger and more creative.

If E.T. taught us anything, it’s that understanding begins when we stop seeing difference as something to fear, and start seeing it as something to connect with.

Transforming the Human in Human Resources®

At HBL Resources, Inc., our mission has always been simple yet profound: To transform how we manage people by remembering the human element in every process, every policy, and every conversation. That includes the language we use. Because transformation doesn’t begin with a policy change, it begins with awareness.

So here’s the challenge:

The next time you onboard a new employee, fill out a compliance form, or discuss work authorization, pause and think about the message your words send.

Are you reducing someone to a status? Or are you recognizing them as a valued human being?

Together, we are Transforming the Human in Human Resources®- one conversation at a time.

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