McDonald’s is ending some of its DEI practices
CNN
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McDonald's is the latest US corporation, and among the largest, to back off some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices, as a Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action and conservative backlash to those programs continues to lead businesses to reevaluate their diversity pledges.
The company in a statement Monday said it is sunsetting its specific diversity goals, including requiring its suppliers to commit to certain DEI targets. And it will stop participating in external surveys that measure corporate diversity.
McDonald's is also changing the name of its diversity team to the Global Inclusion Team, a common practice for many other companies that have rolled back diversity pledges.
A Walmart store in Martinez, California, is photographed in November. Walmart and other companies are making changes to their DEI programs. But DEI isn't going away. It's just changing.
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images
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"This name change is more fitting for McDonald's in light of our inclusion value and better aligns with this team's work," McDonald's said in the statement.
But the company said it has not abandoned its mission to maintain a diverse workforce. Instead, McDonald said that it will continue to support practices that foster inclusion in the workplace and across its operations, and it will work with its suppliers and vendors to discuss diversity and inclusion practices.
"McDonald's position and our commitment to inclusion is steadfast," the company said in its statement. "Since our founding, we've prided ourselves on understanding that the foundation of our business is people. As Fred Turner said, ‘We're a people business, and never forget it.'"
The company said its new position was driven by a recent Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action and other corporations reevaluating their diversity initiatives. Online pressure, legal threats and customer opposition have led many companies, including Walmart, Ford, Harley-Davidson, John Deere and others to make changes to their DEI initiatives.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
