Consumers Should Cautiously Support Shift Against DEI
In step with New Year’s resolutions, the world’s largest restaurant chain, McDonald’s, announced company resolutions regarding their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies. In a worldwide company email, signed by all major leadership staff, the corporation announced some modifications — marking some clear change but, in other areas, not much change at all.
McDonald’s announced four modifications to its DEI policies. The company promised to stop hiring based on percentage diversity goals and to pause “external surveys.” This implies it will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual DEI report, also called the Corporate Equality Index.
According to its website, the HRC is “the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices, and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees.” The HRC drives DEI practices in companies based on this “benchmark.” McDonald’s third promise was to retire its commitment to the DEI pledge and focus more on business performance. The company is returning to what should have always been its focus: business, not diversity.
But the final alteration McDonald’s announced is unnecessary and reveals the company’s continuing commitments to DEI standards. McDonald’s changed the name of its diversity team to the “Global Inclusion Team.” “This name change is more fitting for McDonald’s in light of our inclusion value and better aligns with this team’s work,” the email read.
But why does a fast-food restaurant even need a “Global Inclusion Team”? The business is flipping burgers and salting fries, as the 47th President demonstrated a few months ago. Yes, the staff needs to be courteous and respectful to each other and to customers. An outside inclusion team, however, is unnecessary, especially given the existence of Human Resources in every major company.
This name change indicates the larger issue of McDonald’s statement — it’s hesitant and hidden. Even its retreat from the HRC was only vaguely implied. The email itself contained roughly 75% of self-praise for the company’s inclusion before addressing the main point: the modifications. In journalism, that’s called burying the lede. Delaying the main changes to the final quarter of a statement is cowardly.
Following this recognition, the company announced an addition to its policies. “We are also excited to introduce a new concept: the power of OUR “Golden Rule” — treating everyone with dignity, fairness and respect, always.”
That’s great, and frankly should be expected, but the concept is not new. In fact, it’s quite old. McDonald’s shouldn’t claim such a statement as new and revolutionary. Those practices should be natural and traditional. After clearly promoting its stance on inclusion, McDonald’s explained it surveyed its inclusion practices over the past year. This comprehensive analysis included consideration from shareholders and political and legal relevance. “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,” the email read.
The Supreme Court in June of 2023 abolished affirmative action for college admissions. This decision culturally impacted not only education diversity practices but corporate and business practices. 2024 saw several businesses backtrack their DEI policies because of this political and cultural shift.
“And finally, we benchmarked our approach to other companies who are also re-evaluating their own programs.” Again, McDonald’s hid specific details but its reference to these other companies implies the reality of a retreat from DEI policies. According to AP News, in 2024, Lowe’s and Ford Motor Co. stopped participating in the HRC’s annual survey. Other companies that shifted DEI policies in 2024 include Tractor Supply, John Deere, and Walmart.
The corporate retreat from DEI practices not only stems from political rulings but also from good cultural pressure. Companies like the ones just listed tend to move together, in herd like fashion, or not at all. And contrary to popular belief, they are responsive to cultural shifts. A common face of this pressure is conservative activist Robby Starbuck. Throughout 2024, Starbuck informed several large corporations of the consumer frustration with their DEI policies. His goal, according to multiple videos and X posts, is to return companies to “neutral.” Companies should not endorse political candidates or promote political views, he said. Instead, companies should do their job: manufacture and sell products.
After McDonald’s posted its company email, Starbuck released a video explaining the changes. In that video, he said three days prior he contacted McDonald’s senior marketing director and asked about their DEI policies, threatening to do a story that would inform consumers of all those policies entailed. Evidently, McDonald’s believed Starbuck’s warnings, enough to release its statement the following Monday. As stated in the email, changes were already in place, but Starbuck likely sped up the process.
Starbuck’s social pressure on these companies is necessary. He represents average consumers who just want to enjoy their burgers without political propaganda, especially of the performative leftist variety. Companies are finally recognizing again that consumers fuel their growth and success. If the consumer is unhappy, something should change. Chris Rufo has placed similar pressure on academic institutions which are, at bottom, responsive to consumer demands and sensitive to the condition of their own public image.
The hesitancy and vague language that McDonald’s recently presented, however, needs some clarifying. McDonald’s, and many other companies, are attempting to please both sides: consumers and stakeholders, who fund the company and often push for these political views. This explains McDonald’s’ hesitancy. That very hesitancy, however, reveals a weakness: political appeasement.
McDonald’s’ hesitancy gives opportunity to left-leaning activists and organizations, such as HRC, to backlash. Hopefully, McDonald’s won’t cave to this pressure. McDonald’s has made headlines frequently in the past several months. From the Donald Trump video promotion to the sighting and arrest of Luigi Mangione, McDonald’s has appropriately engaged ongoing political issues without forcing agendas, hiring to reach diversity goals, or plastering political propaganda. Both these events still brought criticism to the franchise. If McDonald’s can boldly take these stances, it should just as boldly defend DEI departures.
The DEI changes McDonald’s announced is a start. But a car sometimes still dies after a jump. The same goes for Meta and Amazon which have more recently followed suit–clear evidence of the vibe shift in Silicon Valley. Consumers can strengthen McDonald’s and other companies by supporting their new DEI stances. Reward good behavior. Companies must understand that capitulation to the external demands of leftist political activist is no longer required. Public affirmation will aid McDonald’s to defend its new policies. Let McDonald’s know you’re “lovin it.”
Image Credit: Unsplash