McDonald’s abandons its diversity programs – Washington Times

McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling banning affirmative action in college admissions.

McDonald’s is the latest to change tactics in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling and the conservative backlash that followed. Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson and others have also canceled their diversity programs.

McDonald’s announced Monday that it plans to drop specific goals aimed at achieving diversity at senior management levels. It also intends to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and increase the number of minorities in their own management ranks.

McDonald’s said it would also 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 Human Rights Campaign survey that measures the inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees on the workplace.

In an open letter to employees and franchisees, McDonald’s leadership team said it remains committed to inclusion and believes its diversity is a competitive advantage. The company said 30% of its U.S. executives are from underrepresented groups and that it has achieved gender pay equity at all levels of the company since setting that goal in 2021 .

McDonald’s said it will continue to support efforts to ensure a diverse base of employees, suppliers and franchisees. The company said it will also continue to report its demographic information.

But McDonald’s said the “changing legal landscape” after the Supreme Court ruling and the actions of other companies have caused it to take a hard look at its own policies.