McDonald’s becomes the latest company to roll back diversity practices amid right-wing backlash
Donald Trump in a McDonald’s chain. The company has become the latest to roll back its DEI practices (Getty)
McDonald’s is set to roll back several of its DEI practices, citing the wave of roll backs carried out by other large companies, as well as a recent US Supreme Court ruling.
DEI, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, are a series of practices, particularly in business, that aim to boost equality for marginalised groups ā including LGBTQ+ people ā that have historically struggled with employment in large part due to their identity or race.
The international fast-food chain announced Monday (6 January) that it would completely retire specific goals for achieving diversity in its 14,300 locations across the US, following suit with other business giants such as Walmart, John Deere, and Harley-Davidson.
The company also said it would be pausing cooperation with what it called “external surveys,” which, while it did not elaborate, is believed to relate to the annual workplace diversity survey headed by LGBTQ+ nonprofit the Human Rights Campaign.
The company cited a “shifting legal landscape,” following a supreme court decision that outlawed affirmative action and DEI initiatives in college admissions.
The decision by the US wing of the company to roll back DEI practices comes at the same time as staff in the UK are currently suing McDonald’s claiming abuse, discrimination and harassment.
McDonald’s introduced a series of diversity initiatives in 2021 following a set of sexual harassment lawsuits filed by employees, as well as discrimination lawsuits by former franchise owners.
At the time, McDonald’s CEO Christ Kemczinski wrote that the company considers “inclusion one of our core values” and would accept “nothing less than real, measurable progress” toward equality.
“We also have to acknowledge some people in our system feel like they haven’t been given a fair opportunity,” he continued.” We’ve got to face up to that fact and do better.”
Its policy reversal comes after Donald Trump’s election victory in November. Trump has been a long and vocal opponent of diversity programmes, as well as equity practicies.
The decision also came after right-wing political commentator Robby Starbuck reportedly said he had contacted McDonald’s threatening to do a story on its so-called “woke policies.”
The company clarified in a statement reported by The Guardian that it had been considering updates to its inclusion policies for several months.
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