By Ryan Foley,
Pushback against the concept of diversity, equity and inclusion has led several major companies to cease efforts to embrace the progressive ideology that encourages a focus on race, gender and sexual orientation in hiring practices and business relationships in the workforce.
The trend began earlier this summer when Tractor Supply Co., a major retailer in the United States, announced it was working to “eliminate DEI roles and retire our current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment,” in addition to vowing to “no longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign,” an LGBT activist organization.
The move by Tractor Supply followed an effort by conservative influencer Robby Starbuck to boycott the chain over its “DEI council” and “DEI hiring practices,” as well as its support of other progressive priorities.
John Deere
In a statement posted on X in July, the farm equipment retailer John Deere insisted that it was “always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve” and making several commitments based on recent “conversations.”
The business explained that it would “no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events.”
“Business resource groups will exclusively be focused on professional development, networking, mentoring, and supporting talent development efforts,” John Deere vowed.
The company also highlighted its intention to audit “all company-mandated training materials and policies to ensure the absence of socially motivated messages, while being in compliance with federal, state, and local laws.”
While John Deere highlighted its goal of “reaffirming within the business that the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy,” it stressed that it still believed that “a diverse workforce enables us to best meet our customers’ needs and because of that we will continue to track and advance the diversity of our organization.”
This statement suggests that although John Deere is retreating from some progressive advocacy, it still intends to embrace DEI to some degree.
Harley-Davidson
In an Aug. 19 X post, Starbuck shared a message that American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson sent to its staff members.
The communication addressed concerns about the company’s DEI practices, stating, “we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today.”
“We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals,” the memo declared.
Harley-Davidson also informed its employees that, going forward, “training will be related to the needs of the business and be absent of socially motivated content.” The motorcycle company also promised that it would not “participate in HRC scoring going forward.”
Jack Daniel’s
In an Aug. 21 X post, Starbuck reported that “the next company we were set to expose was @JackDaniels_US,” referring to the business that makes alcoholic beverages.
“They must have been tipped off by us going through employee LinkedIn pages,” the conservative influencer wrote, expressing gratitude that “they just preemptively announced” the company is making changes.
Starbuck shared screenshots of an email sent out by Brown Furman, the parent company of Jack Daniel’s.
Citing a changing legal landscape in the United States, the email detailed how the company planned on “removing our quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions; ending participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index Survey; [and] reviewing training programs for consistency with an evolved strategy.”
Lowe’s
As Starbuck documented in an Aug. 26 X post, Home improvement retailer Lowe’s is also implementing changes designed to scale back the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
An email shared by Starbuck shows the company leadership asserting, “We have hired and will continue to hire and promote people based on merit and results.”
“We believe in inclusion, not exclusion,” the executive leadership team wrote in the message. “This simply means we ensure that everyone is included and considered fairly based on race, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or any other characteristic[s]. Our hiring is not and has never been based on numbers or targets. Instead, we hire and promote the best talent so we can provide the best service to our customers.”
The retail giant said that it, like many companies, began reviewing its policies following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling that the University of North Carolina’s and Harvard University’s admissions policies, which use race as a factor in student acceptance, are unconstitutional.
After informing its staff that “none of you was included or excluded based on your characteristics, or anything else,” Lowe’s leadership highlighted how “we are no longer participating in the Human Rights Campaign survey process.”
The company also committed to refocusing its philanthropic efforts on “safe and affordable housing/community improvement, disaster relief and skilled trades education” and telegraphed that it would not “sponsor and participate in community events that are outside of this scope.”
Ford Motor Company
In an Aug. 28 X post, Starbuck shared the contents of an email sent out by the American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company.
The email contained an assurance that “Ford does not utilize hiring quotas or tie compensation to the achievement of specific diversity goals” and a promise that “we will not use quotas for minority dealerships or suppliers.”
“We made the decision early this year to stop participating in external culture surveys such as the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and various ‘best places to work’ lists,” Ford CEO Jim Farley added in the memo.
As was the case with Jack Daniels and Lowe’s, Starbuck maintained that he was “in the middle” of exposing “woke policies” at the company when it signaled its plans to make changes.
