EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
As discussions on diversity and inclusion grow more contentious in the US with the revival of Trump-era policies , business leaders may face greater challenges in promoting and maintaining these values within their organisations . A growing list of firms are rolling back their initiatives .
Diversity , equity and inclusion policies push for a diverse range of people within an organisation , including race , ethnicity , gender , age , sexual orientation , disability and more . It also makes sure there is fair treatment , access and opportunities for all and that the business creates a culture where all individuals feel respected and valued .
McDonald ’ s announced changes to its inclusion policy in January . It highlighted its ongoing commitment to inclusion at the fastfood chain , but it also modified some of its practices . It decided to stop setting aspirational representation goals and instead focus on continuing to embed inclusion practices that grow its business into its process and operations .
It also paused external surveys and renamed the diversity team , the Global Inclusion Team .
It also stopped its Supply Chain ’ s Mutual Commitment to DEI pledge . It said it did this “ in favour of a more integrated discussion with suppliers about inclusion as it relates to business performance .”
It did , however , reaffirm : “ McDonald ’ s position and our commitment to inclusion is steadfast . Since our founding , we ’ ve prided ourselves on understanding that the foundation of our business is people . As Fred Turner said , ‘ We ’ re a people business , and never forget it .’”
In the open letter to its employees and franchisees , McDonald ’ s said it looked at its own policies due to a Supreme Court decision . The letter said : “ Following the Supreme Court ruling in STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS , INC . v . PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE , we also assessed the shifting legal landscape to anticipate how this ruling may impact corporations such as McDonald ’ s . And finally , we benchmarked our approach to other companies who are also reevaluating their own programs .”
President Trump is openly against DE & I programmes . An executive order published on January 20 was called : “ Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing .” Big companies in America are taking note – it ’ s not just McDonald ’ s . In February , Disney made changes to its DE & I programme . Three experts on the following three pages speak about the DE & I policies at their company and also their thoughts on the shifting landscape .
MCDONALD ’ S HAS RECENTLY SCALED BACK ITS DE & I GOALS . WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS AND WHAT ’ S YOUR COMPANY ’ S TAKE ON DE & I GOALS ?
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