Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — confirmed on Friday that it plans to end some DEI policies.
The social media giant said it would eliminate a team dedicated to DEI and suspend its equity and inclusion programs. Chief Diversity Officer Maxine Williams will transition to a new role, Meta said.
The company will also stop trying to work with third-party providers that are diverse in ownership, Meta said, adding that it will roll back its “diverse slate” hiring program that ensures a diverse range of candidates is considered for each open role.
However, Meta has highlighted the importance of making products accessible to all consumers and employing a multi-talented workforce.
The move follows an announcement by McDonald’s earlier this week that the company would end a number of initiatives focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. it has.
While emphasizing the “firm” commitment to “inclusion”, the company he said it would remove diversity targets within its senior management and a program that encourages suppliers to undertake diversity training and achieve diversity at the management level.
Meta and McDonald’s – like many of their peers – pledged to expand DEI commitments in 2020 in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. In recent years, however, companies have come under pressure to repeal DEI policies amid the rise of conservatives. the reaction and effectively the decision of the Supreme Court the end affirmative action in college admissions.
The company’s announcements mark the latest from corporations, including Walmart and John Deere, to push back on DEI programs, experts told ABC News. It is not clear to what extent the moves will affect the diversity of the companies’ workforce, they added.
McDonald’s said it remains committed to inclusion, noting that 30% of US leaders are from underrepresented groups. The company previously aimed to reach 35% of those leaders from underrepresented groups by the end of 2025, according to them. 2023-24 Goal & Impact Report.
In a statement about the policy change, McDonald’s said it had “completed a Civil Rights Audit (CRA) which looked at all aspects of inclusion across our system and also cited the “changing legal landscape” following the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action in college admissions, as well as “other companies re-evaluating their programs.”
McDonald’s also said it has achieved some of its diversity goals, including spending at least 25% of its budget on “multi-owned” companies for third-party suppliers.
“It’s completely changed,” Traci Sitzmann, a professor of workforce development at the University of Colorado in Denver, told ABC News. “Many CEOs are responding to the delay by rolling back those policies.”
The Meta (formerly Facebook) logo marks the entrance to its corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on November 9, 2022.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Some DEI supporters strongly criticized the policy changes announced by McDonald’s.
“McDonald’s is joining a small but troubling list of companies that once championed the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, but have now abandoned their values and capitulated to right-wing activists,” said Andrea Abrams, executive director of the advocacy group American Pride Rises. . ABC News said in a statement.
However, the exact effects of the latest delays remain unclear, and the alarm among DEI advocates may be overblown, Corinne Post, a Villanova University management professor who specializes in diversity programs, told ABC News.
Corporations face competitive pressure to hire and retain talented workers, with incentives to establish an environment where employees of diverse identities feel welcome, Post said. He described some of the changes announced at McDonald’s and elsewhere as “superficial” efforts to quell criticism.
“This is not a fundamental repeal of DEI policies,” Post said.
Sitzmann, of the University of Colorado, disagreed. These companies’ policy changes suggest that corporate commitment to DEI depends on where public opinion is on the issue at any given time, Sitzmann said, which can jeopardize employee trust and hurt company performance.
“By not being genuine in their commitment to diversity, these companies are muddying the waters and hindering the productivity of their workforce,” Sitzmann said.
Here are some of the companies that have announced they are withdrawing their DEI programs:
Walmart
Walmart he said in November that it would end some of DEI’s efforts, including considering gender and race in the evaluation of companies involved in the supply chain.
The retail giant said it currently had no fees and had no plans to implement them in the future; however, it planned to stop collecting demographic data when determining grant funding eligibility.
Walmart will “review funding for Pride events to ensure it does not financially support sexualized content directed at children,” the company said, noting that it will depart from the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index, which rates companies on LGBTQ+ inclusion.
“We’ve been on a journey and we know we’re not perfect,” the statement continued, “but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to our partners, customers and our partners, customers and opportunities. suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone.”
The company said in a statement to ABC News: “Our purpose, to help people save money and live better, has been at our core since we were founded 62 years ago and continues to drive us today. We can do it because we’re ready. Our partners who represent all of America and to change together with customers”.
John Deere
John Deere published a list of X’s policy changes in July, citing the need to prioritize efforts that align “our business strategy more closely to meet the needs of our customers.”
The company said it would no longer participate in or support cultural awareness events such as parades or festivals. Company Resource Groups – which connect employees who share race, gender, sexual orientation or other identities – would focus only on work-related issues, the company added.
However, John Deere reiterated its belief: “A diverse workforce allows us to better meet the needs of our customers and that is why we will continue and advance the diversity of our organization.”
Ford Motor Company President and CEO Jim Farley attends a press day at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on September 13, 2023.
Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Ford
In September, Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a memo to employees that the company would not continue some of its DEI initiatives.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index and open identity-based Employee Resource Groups to all employees, Farley said in the statement. published X’s conservative activist Robby Starbuck.
“Ford does not use hiring quotas or tie compensation to the achievement of specific diversity goals,” Farley said.
However, he added, the company “remains committed to fostering a safe and inclusive workplace and building a team that leverages diverse perspectives and thinking styles.”
Harley-Davidson
In August, Harley-Davidson a the message That he ended the DEI effort a month earlier in X. “We have not operated a DEI feature since April 2024, and we currently do not have a DEI feature,” the company said.
The motorcycle manufacturer will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign and Harley-Davidson would ensure that all employee training does not contain “socially motivated content”.
The Employee Resource Groups would focus strictly on professional development and other work-related matters, the company added.
“We see it as the role of all leaders to ensure that we have an employee base that reflects our customers and the geographies in which we operate,” said Harley-Davidson.
