Conservative activists they went after the companies — how in courts and further social media — seeking to set a similar precedent in the working world. They were shooting workplace initiatives such as diversity programs and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups and have extended their objections include programs focused on gender identity and sexual orientation.
NasdaqGS – Delayed Offer•USD
Ends: January 10th at 4:00:02 PM EST
DEI policies are usually designed to counter discriminatory practices. Critics argue that educational, government, and business programs that single out participants based on factors such as race, sex and sexual orientation are unfair and everyone should be given the same opportunities.
Joel Kaplan, It’s a target the newly appointed head of global policy, Fox News Digital said on Friday that the move will ensure the company “builds teams with the most talented people” rather than making hiring decisions based on proprietary characteristics.
“This is ultimately about doing what’s best for our company and making sure we’re serving everyone and building teams with the most talented people,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital. “That means evaluating people as individuals and finding people from a pool of candidates, but never making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics like race or gender.”
Here’s a look at some of the other companies that have pulled out of DEI:
Four years after launching a movement for greater diversity in its ranks, McDonald’s said earlier this month that it was ending some of its diversity practices, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that affirmative action prohibited in the admissions office at the university.
On Jan. 6, McDonald’s said it would withdraw specific targets to achieve diversity at senior management levels. It also intends to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and to increase the number of members of minority groups represented in their own management ranks.
McDonald’s said it would also pause “external research.” The hamburger giant did not elaborate, but several other companies suspended their participation in the annual survey by campaign for human rights which measures the inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace.
The world’s largest retailer confirmed in November that it will not renew the five-year commitment to the capital race center established in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd and that it will stop participating in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.
Walmart also said it will better monitor its third-party marketplace to make sure items sold there don’t include products aimed at LGBTQ+ minors, including chest pads aimed at transgender youth.
In addition, the company will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when bidding on vendor contracts and will no longer collect demographic information when determining funding eligibility for these grants.
CEO Jim Farley sent a memo to the automaker’s employees in August outlining changes in the company’s DEI policy, including a decision to stop participating in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.
Fordhe wrote, he considered his policy for a year. The company does not use hiring quotas or tie compensation to specific diversity goals, but remains committed to “fostering a safe and inclusive workplace,” Farley said.
NYSE – Delayed listing•USD
Ends: January 10th at 4:00:02 PM EST
“We will continue to invest our efforts and resources in caring for our clients, our team and our communities rather than publicly commenting on the many polarizing issues of the day,” the memo said.
In August of Lowe’s executive leadership said the company began “rethinking” its programs after the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling and decided to merge its employee resource groups into one umbrella organization. Previously, the company had “individual groups that represented different parts of our employee population.”
The retailer will also no longer participate in the HRC index, and will stop sponsoring and participating in events, such as festivals and parades, that are outside of its business areas.
The manufacturer of agricultural equipment said in July that it would no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events and would revise all training materials “to ensure the absence of socially motivated messages” in accordance with federal and local laws.
Moline, Illinois-based John Deere added that “diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy.” But it noted that it will continue to “monitor and improve” the company’s diversity.
Retailer in June said it was ending a series of corporate diversity and climate efforts, a move that followed weeks of online conservative backlash against the rural retailer.
Tractor Supply said it will eliminate all of its DEI roles while retiring current DEI targets. The company added that it will “stop sponsoring non-business activities” such as Pride festivals or election campaigns – and will no longer provide data for the HRC index.
NasdaqGS – Delayed Offer•USD
Ends: January 10th at 4pm EST
The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company, which sells products ranging from farm equipment to pet supplies, also said it would back away from its carbon emissions targets to instead “focus on our land and water conservation efforts.”
