Conservatives and politicians have increasingly pushed an anti-DE&I narrative over the last two years in an attempt to convince employers to roll back their diversity programs. Now, Walmart, the private employer in the US, has become the latest company to confirm major changes to its DE&I initiatives. And while conservatives are claiming victory, a spokesperson for Walmart told HR Brew that the company is still committed to a workplace where everyone belongs.
What’s changed. Walmart, which has 1.6 million US employees, will not renew its five-year commitment to its racial equality center, established after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, the company first confirmed to the Associated Press.
It will also no longer participate in any demographic-specific workplace benchmarks, the company told HR Brew, including the Human Rights Campaign’s annual workplace benchmark and the Disability:IN Disability Equality Index survey.
Other changes include re-examining grants for Pride events, and keeping family areas separate from drag performances, emphasizing, however, that it does not view trangender people as a danger.
“Our purpose, to help people save money and live better, has been at our core since our founding 62 years ago and continues to guide us today. We can deliver on it because we are willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America,” Molly Blakeman, group director of enterprise communications, at Walmart, told HR Brew in an email. “We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone.”
Robby Starbuck, the conservative, anti-gay commentator pushing the anti-DE&I agenda said on X that he had been in conversation with Walmart. The company said that some changes, including focusing on “belonging” language instead of “DE&I,” began last year after the SCOTUS decision on affirmative action in education.
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“The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index was created at a time when folks could be fired just because of who they are. Since then, we’ve seen immense progress from family formation benefits to safeguarding against blatant discrimination at all levels of the workplace,” RaShawn "Shawnie" Hawkins, senior director of HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, told HR Brew via email in response to Walmart’s changes. “Those who abandon these commitments are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.”
Walmart says it’s still committed to a diverse workplace. “We believe a team that represents our customer base allows us to serve our customer base,” Blakeman told HR Brew in a phone call. Roughly 70% of the company’s corporate workforce is white, according to its most recent belonging report.
She also said that Walmart is “100%” committed to its associate resource groups, which have been under scrutiny in recent months, HR Brew previously reported.
When asked about the company’s gender-affirming healthcare offering, Blakeman said that the company will not be making any changes to its available benefits.
Big picture. Walmart is the biggest name to backtrack on its DE&I initiatives, and to engage with Starbuck as he pressures companies to abandon their diversity efforts. At least 10 companies, including Lowe’s, Ford, Boeing, and Toyota, have publicly stated their intent to retreat since June, as pressure from conservative activists has intensified. However, equality advocates are encouraging companies to stay the course, in part because diverse companies are more profitable and have better employee engagement.
“When organizations remove DE&I programs, it leads to increased turnover,” Jarvis Sam, founder of Rainbow Disruption, a DE&I consultancy, previously told HR Brew. “What it tells employees is that you’re no longer invested. You don’t care about their identities and how it shows up in the workplace.”