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McDonald’s became the latest company to announce changes to its DE&I programs this week, following a private pressure campaign from DE&I opponent Robby Starbuck.
Among the changes, McDonald’s rebranded its DE&I team as its “global inclusion team” and will no longer have representation goals, according to a statement. The fast-food giant will also end its supplier diversity program, noting it had met its 25% diverse-owned supplier spend goal ahead of schedule. Like several other companies, McDonald’s will no longer participate in external employer surveys, although it did previously participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
The company boasted its diversity metrics, noting that 30% of its leadership team is from underrepresented groups and that it has achieved gender pay parity. It said it will continue much of its DE&I journey, including publishing its annual Purpose & Impact report, which shares its employee demographics. Its affinity groups will also remain intact.
“Part of our commitment includes empowering them [franchisees] to champion causes and participate in activities that resonate with their customers and communities in a way that’s true to our Brand’s DNA,” the statement said. “We also lean on employee business networks and franchisee affinity groups to help us solve business problems.”
The changes at McDonald’s mirror those at other companies that Starbuck has targeted, including Walmart, Lowe’s, and Ford. Starbuck claimed McDonald’s announcement as another victory, and said companies are hiring consultants to help them determine how to communicate with him, Axios reported. “Our campaigns are so effective that we’re getting the biggest companies on earth to change their policies without me even posting a story exposing their woke policies first,” he said on X.
McDonald’s claimed that the changes have been in progress for months, but did not respond to questions from HR Brew about them or conversations with Starbuck.