McDonald's will end some of its diversity practices, citing a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.
McDonald's is the latest company to change strategy in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling and subsequent conservative backlash. Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson and others have also scaled back their diversity programs.
McDonald's announced Monday that it plans to eliminate specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels. It also plans to eliminate programs that encourage suppliers to develop diversity training and increase the number of ethnic minorities in their own leadership positions.
McDonald's also announced that it would suspend “external investigations.” The Chicago burger giant did not provide details, but several other companies, including Lowe's and Ford Motor Co., declined to participate in an annual survey by the Human Rights Campaign that assesses LGBTQ+ employee inclusion in the workplace. I am doing it.
in open letter McDonald's senior management told employees and franchisees that McDonald's remains committed to inclusion and believes diversity is a competitive advantage.
The company said 30% of its U.S. leaders are from underrepresented groups and has achieved gender pay parity at all levels within the company since setting that goal in 2021.
McDonald's said it continues to support efforts to ensure a diverse base of employees, suppliers and franchisees. The company said it will also continue to report demographic information.
However, McDonald's said that the “change in the legal landscape” following the Supreme Court ruling and the actions of other companies caused it to take a hard look at its policies.
