Fast food giant McDonald's has become the latest company to roll back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments following a 2023 Supreme Court ruling ending affirmative action in college admissions.
McDonald's announced Monday that it is eliminating specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels. Associated Press reported. The company also plans to eliminate a program that encouraged suppliers to develop diversity training and increase the number of ethnic minorities in leadership positions.
Under McDonald's President and Head of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Reginald J. Miller, the Chicago-based company announced it will tie executive bonuses to achieving DEI goals in 2021.
The company also launched an “Alliance Through Responsibility” policy, pledging to fill 35 percent of U.S. leadership roles with underrepresented groups and 45 percent of leadership roles with women by 2025.
According to the Associated Press, McDonald's senior executives said in an open letter to employees and franchisees announcing the cuts that 30% of U.S. leaders are from underrepresented groups and that 2021 Since setting the goal in 2017, the company said it has reached gender pay parity at all levels.
McDonald's became the latest company to back away from its DEI commitments in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision and growing conservative backlash against such policies.
Companies like Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Lowe's, and Ford have all ended or reduced their DEI programs starting in 2023.
McDonald's plans to continue reporting demographic data, but will no longer participate in “external research.” It's unclear which survey, but companies including Lowe's and Ford have announced they will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign's annual survey to measure LGBTQ employee inclusion in the workplace.
According to the Associated Press, McDonald's attributed the policy change to “changing legal circumstances,” adding that actions by other companies have forced it to review its own policies.
Despite the changes, the company said it will continue to support efforts to ensure a diverse base of employees, suppliers and franchisees.
“McDonald's position and commitment to inclusion are unwavering. Since our founding, we have prided ourselves on understanding that the foundation of our business is our people,” the company said Monday.
“We are proud of the work we do at McDonald's. We will continue to drive economic impact and innovation through a strong supply chain, through all three of McDonald's pillars, and especially through our employee practices, and our A pipeline of franchisees who thrive in the communities we serve and fuel our growth.”
Updated at 5:11pm EST.
