Beyond the Headlines: Corporate DEI is Adapting, Not Abandoning Ship.

Conservative activists believe that diversity, equity and inclusion are becoming outdated now that companies like McDonald's are changing their policies. But beneath the headlines of 'DEI in retreat' lies a more complex reality.

Last week seemed to start well for reactionary conservative activists, who not only want to preserve what exists now but even want to go back to 'the past'. McDonald's announced it would revise its diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) policy. Conservative activists and media immediately claimed this as a victory.

"Companies see that America wants its common sense back. The woke era is dying before our eyes," says Robby Starbuck, who conducts hate campaigns via social media against what he calls 'woke corporate culture'. McDonald's puts brake on diversity policy, headlined the Dutch alt-right platform The Post Online.

But anyone who reads McDonald's statement sees a different story: the company is shifting its focus from diversity to inclusion and equity – a deepening, not a weakening.

Reactionary conservative activists frame any inclusion policy as pushing a political preference, while in reality, it's about creating a socially safe and productive work environment for everyone. In the United States, companies are being threatened with lawsuits via social media. The activists cite a June 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that banned the use of 'race' as a factor in university admissions. They believe the same legal reasoning applies to companies that use diversity targets. This too would be 'reverse discrimination'.

Legal Attacks

Due to such legal threats, and Donald Trump's promise to eliminate all federal diversity programs once he becomes president again, companies like McDonald's feel compelled to respond strategically.

They're abandoning quotas and targets to prevent legal attacks. They use different language in their diversity policies to make themselves less vulnerable to political attacks. But – and this is crucial – almost all of them maintain their goals for an inclusive and socially safe work environment. Because they know this is not only morally right but also yields business benefits. Numerous studies show that inclusive organizations are more creative and innovative, perform better financially, and are better able to connect with their target audience.

Although the legal context in Europe is different, companies here will also feel addressed by anti-'woke' activists. What happens in the US has worldwide influence, not just through social media. Many multinationals, like McDonald's, have their headquarters in the US, and American political trends often emerge in Europe after some time.

In the Netherlands, for example, the anti-'woke' sentiment is spreading rapidly. Dutch politicians are directly adopting American terms and tactics. VVD leader Dilan Yesilg?z emphasized in her 2022 HJ Schoo lecture that both 'wokeism' and far-right conspiracy thinkers put pressure on freedom of speech and core values of the democratic constitutional state. This placed people fighting for equity on the same level as those who advocate for exclusion and oppression.

And not just Yesilg?z, but the entire right wing of Dutch politics copies anti-'woke' rhetoric from the US. Thierry Baudet talks about "cultural Marxism," a term taken directly from American alt-right circles. Geert Wilders talks about "woke freaks" and Mona Keijzer (BBB) called the victory of trans woman Rikkie Kollé in the Miss Netherlands pageant an "example of woke gender ideology."

DEI's Growing Coalition

At the same time, something else is happening. Something inherent to progress, even when under great pressure. In my work as an advisor on diversity, inclusion, and equity, I see that conversations about this theme are no longer just being held by people of colour, women, or LGBTQIA+ persons.

It's increasingly becoming a matter for everyone who doesn't want to go back to 'then'. A matter for those who want to stand up against misogyny, trans hate, muslim hate, racism, antisemitism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination and exclusion. Social safety and inclusion are becoming more widely supported and thus normalized, and it's precisely for this reason that conservatives are attacking this progress so aggressively.

Hate Campaigns

Therefore, I make an appeal to companies: be open to criticism and adjust your policy where needed, for example when legal improvements are possible. But don't let your organization be intimidated by online hate campaigns. Instead, ensure that your inclusion policy is firmly anchored in your business operations and strategy; that you're not doing it to meet externally imposed requirements or to keep up with competition, but because you truly believe in it.

Ask for help from colleagues, industry organizations, or experts when you come under fire, and speak up when other organizations are attacked. Inclusion is not a political statement but a moral and commercial necessity. Those who oppose inclusion and social safety thereby exclude themselves.

This article was published in Dutch in Newspaper NRC on January 10th 2025.

Relevant update: on Friday, Meta (unsurprisingly) announced it would phase out its DEI programs, following its earlier decision to end content moderation.

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