The parent company of Jack Daniel’s whiskey recently announced its plans to scrap their corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs. What will this mean for the future of inclusion programs in the workspace?
No More Inclusivity Programs for This Whiskey Brand
On August 21, film director and conservative activist Robby Starbuck leaked screenshots of an email from Brown-Forman Corp. across X regarding their plans to get rid of their diversity, equity and inclusion programs entirely, just five years after its initial implementation.
Minority and LGBTQ+ Initiatives Cut
In the email, the executive leadership team at Brown-Forman announced to its staff that they plan to end their participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index Survey, an annual ranking of companies with an LGBTQ-friendly environment. It also mentions their plans to remove their diversity goals for their workforce and their suppliers.
DEI Currently Has a Bad Rap
In recent years, DEI programs in schools and in the workplace have received public backlash – especially by conservative Americans – due to its perceived narrow focus on ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender orientation and its perceived use as a political ploy in “woke” culture and identity politics.
Scrambling to Save Face
Organizations across the country have made efforts to scrap their diversity and inclusion programs in order to avoid further scrutinization from the general public.
DEI at Florida State Colleges – Gone
Earlier this year, the Florida state Board of Governors voted to ban using state or federal funding for diversity and inclusion programs in the state’s 12 public universities, including the University of Florida and Florida State University. This came as part of a larger state-wide initiative to ban these programs after Governor Ron DeSantis passed a law in May 2023 prohibiting state colleges from spending money on DEI programs.
Big Name Brands are Following Suit
Jack Daniels is not the first to announce plans of abandoning their workplace DEI programs. Other companies like John Deere, Tractor Supply Co. and Harley Davidson have all released statements within the past month regarding them dropping DEI functions from their companies.
Mixed Reactions on Both Sides
As more organizations continue to eliminate DEI, Americans on both sides of the political spectrum have something to say about it.
The Right Is Calling It a Win
Conservative Americans are taking this news as a victory in the fight against “wokeness.” As one X user mentioned in a response to Robby Starbuck’s initial post, “These companies have been trying to appease an aggressive death cult, and they know the jig is up.”
The Left Is Concerned, to Say the Least
On the other hand, left-leaning Americans – like Eric Bloem, vice president of programs and corporate advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation – are worried about how decisions to abandon DEI initiatives will impact minority communities. “Hastily abandoning efforts that ensure fair, safe and inclusive work environments for LGBTQ+ people based on manufactured outrage from MAGA bullies is bad business and leaves their employees and millions of LGBTQ+ allied customers behind,” Bloem said.
But What Do People Really Think?
With all of the recent news and controversies associated with DEI programs, the question remains – what do the majority of Americans think of them in the first place?
Most Americans Don’t Know These Rollbacks are Happening
According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, only 38 percent of U.S. adults have seen, read or heard companies getting rid of their DEI initiatives.
Certain Demographics More Likely to Support DEI Rollbacks
While it’s clear that right-leaning Americans are more likely to oppose DEI programs, the same Morning Consult survey also reported that certain groups skew towards this opinion more than others. Men and older adults were reported to be more in favor of decreasing the influence of DEI programs or ending them entirely, while women, younger adults and people of color were more likely to oppose these actions.
Americans Still See Value in DEI
Despite differing opinions, nearly 60 percent of U.S. adults reported that they believe DEI programs are important to the success of most businesses, with a higher percentage stating that they believe the presence of these programs positively impacts their work culture.
However, Americans Are Still Skeptical
Even though a good portion of Americans see the benefit of DEI, another survey from Morning Consult shows that they still question how genuine companies are with their DEI practices.
Most Unsure About Companies’ Sincerity
About 34 percent of Americans think that companies are “somewhat genuine” in their efforts to help minority communities, while 38 percent of Americans think they are not being genuine at all.
Limited Involvement in DEI Initiatives
This same survey also stated that while 41 percent of employed Americans said that their employer either currently has or previously had DEI programs in place, only 20 percent reported being involved in these programs – with even lower involvement numbers from minority groups these programs are aimed to serve.
DEI Moving Forward
As tensions rise and more companies are announcing plans to abandon their DEI programs, what do most Americans think that DEI should look like in the corporate space?
Direct Support Is the Best Support
According to Morning Consult Data, a big portion of U.S. adults believe that staff-centered actions, like recruiting and promoting employees from minority groups, are a better way to achieve workplace equity than through marketing campaigns to the general public.
Taking a Step Back Might Be a Good Idea After All
Since Jack Daniel’s announcement to stop their DEI initiatives, other companies like Ford and Lowes have followed in their footsteps. It seems that in this day and age, the best way for companies to retain their customers is to focus more on consumer behavior rather than political agendas.
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