McDonald’s is the latest company to roll back diversity goals
McDonald's is discontinuing certain diversity initiatives four years after it initiated an initiative to increase diversity within its workforce. The company is citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited affirmative action in college admissions.
McDonald's is the most recent major corporation to modify its strategies in response to the 2023 ruling and a conservative backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Harley-Davidson, John Deere, and Walmart, among others, reduced their DEI initiatives last year, as CNN reported.
McDonald's announced on Monday that it will discontinue the use of specific objectives for the purpose of promoting diversity in senior leadership positions.
It also plans to terminate a program that motivates its suppliers to enhance the representation of minority group members in their leadership positions and to develop diversity training.
From The Company
McDonald's has also announced that it will suspend "external surveys." The burger colossus declined to provide further details; however, several other organizations, such as Ford Motor Co. and Lowe's, withdrew from an annual survey conducted by the Human Rights Campaign to assess workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.
In 2021, McDonald's, which is headquartered in Chicago, implemented a series of diversity initiatives in response to a succession of sexual harassment lawsuits submitted by employees and a lawsuit alleging discrimination filed by a group of Black former McDonald's franchise owners.
“As a world-leading brand that considers inclusion one of our core values, we will accept nothing less than real, measurable progress in our efforts to lead with empathy, treat people with dignity and respect, and seek out diverse points of view to drive better decision-making,” McDonald’s Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski wrote in a LinkedIn post at the time.
The "shifting legal landscape" following the Supreme Court decision and other corporations' actions prompted McDonald's to reevaluate its policies, the fast food giant said on Monday.
Outside Views
Additionally, the political environment may have been subject to change. President-elect Donald Trump is a vocal opponent of programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Stephen Miller, a former adviser who spearheads a group known as America First Legal, which has vigorously opposed corporate DEI policies, has been appointed as Trump's new deputy chief of policy.
Last summer, Vice President-elect JD Vance introduced a resolution in the Senate to terminate these programs within the federal government.
Conservative political commentator Robby Starbuck, who has threatened consumer boycotts of prominent consumer brands that do not retreat from their diversity programs, stated on Monday on X that he recently informed McDonald's that he would be writing a story on its "woke policies."
