Caterpillar makes policy changes in yet another corporate DEI rollback

Heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar The company is reviewing and making changes to its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies amid increased scrutiny of DEI efforts at companies across the country.

A memo sent to employees by Caterpillar executives and reviewed by FOX Business said: DEI Changes These include requiring all corporate training to be operationally focused and requiring senior management approval for bringing in outside speakers or participating in external surveys or awards.

The changes come as anti-DEI activist Robbie Starbuck said he had been in discussions with the company about plans to “expose its woke policies,” which led to the preemptive changes, and outlined them in a social media post.

Caterpillar said in the memo that going forward, “all training, both formal and informal, must be focused on our business and designed to promote high performance and execution of corporate strategy.”

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The company explained the change in policy regarding participation in external search and awards processes, noting that most of them “require significant company resources, including employee time.”

“The decision to participate in a search or apply for an award must be focused on our business objectives and approved in writing by the appropriate senior vice president, group president or chief human resources officer,” Caterpillar executives wrote.

Similar requirements apply when inviting external speakers to give talks. Caterpillar EmployeeThe company will now require speakers to be properly vetted and approved by a senior vice president who will be responsible for ensuring that the content is aligned with the company's corporate strategy and objectives.

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Caterpillar also Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). The company's website lists a variety of ERGs available to employees who share similar life experiences and interests, including ERGs for employees based on race or ethnic background, gender identity or sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, healthy living or physical activity, as well as ERGs for junior employees and experienced professionals.

“Our ERGs exist to foster a culture of inclusion through internal networking, mentoring and development opportunities in support of our corporate strategy,” Caterpillar wrote. “To ensure this focus, new ERG guidelines will be distributed shortly that will govern external sponsorships and donations, external speakers, training and more. All ERGs will be open to all employees.”

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Caterpillar's changes include approval requirements for outside speakers and sponsoring employee resource groups. (Gen Yuhe/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Caterpillar's move comes as other major companies are rolling back parts of their DEI policies amid backlash against “woke” policies.

Ford announced The company made changes to its ERGs last month, announcing that it would not publicly comment on polarizing political issues and telling employees that it would no longer use quotas for hiring.

Molson Coors The company said earlier this month that it was eliminating DEI training now that all employees have completed it, and also said it would eliminate its prescribed supplier diversity targets and remove “aspirational representation targets” from its executive compensation plan starting next year.

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Molson Coors is one of the companies that recently rescinded its DEI policy. (Pablo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Ford and Molson Coors have both ended their participation in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, an annual survey and report compiled by the progressive human rights organization to evaluate “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) employee policies, practices and benefits.” Caterpillar stopped participating in the HRC index last year.

Starbuck said in a post on X that he had been in conversations with both companies about their DEI policies before the changes were announced.

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Lowe's, John Deere, Tractor Supply We have also taken steps in recent months to revise and rescind our DEI policies.

FOX Business' Breck Dumas contributed to this report.