In an email to employees and suppliers on 6 January, McDonald’s chair and CEO Chris Kempczinski explained it had reviewed “all aspects of inclusion” across its system in 2024.
Reaffirming that its “commitment to inclusion is steadfast”, the fast food chain leader stated that he would modify its aspirational representation goals for senior leadership levels, pause external surveys, retire the supply chain mutual commitment to DEI, and refer to its diversity team instead as the global inclusion team.
At the same time, McDonald’s introduced a new “golden rule” concept of “treating everyone with dignity, fairness and respect, always”, and stated that it was refining its language to “better capture” its commitment to inclusion.
“It’s disappointing to see increased reports of organisations scaling back their DEI efforts in response to the US Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling and political pressure,” Paul Modley, managing director of DEIB at talent solutions firm AMS, told HR magazine.
In September, the US Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action in college admissions was unconstitutional. The Guardian reported commentators referred to the ruling as "the end of the beginning" of dismantling DEI in the workplace.
Modley added: “The move from McDonald’s is reflective of embedding inclusion into business-as-usual operations, and aligning DEI with long-term business objectives.
“This strategic pivot ensures that inclusion remains a fundamental driver of business success rather than a separate initiative.”
Read more: When does DEI in recruitment become discriminatory?
Employers should regularly reassess their DEI initiatives, Modley added.
He advised: “Employers should review their DEI programmes year-on-year and be responsive to significant legal, social or business changes. Continuous reassessment helps ensure that DEI efforts remain relevant and impactful.”
Rolling back DEI initiatives should follow data-driven insights, according to Hanna Naima McCloskey, founder and CEO of DEI training provider Fearless Futures.
Speaking to HR magazine, she advised DEI leaders to “use data-driven insights to inform interventions, and then evaluate the interventions’ effectiveness in measurable ways”. She added: “Of course, reviewing interventions is core to [DEI] work, and could lead to parting ways with certain endeavours if they weren’t working according to the desired goals.
“This would be a rigorous and sensible way to do DEI.”
However, she warned employers against rolling back DEI in the context of political trends.
Read more: HR responds: Does DEI need to be reset?
She added: “McDonald’s is using the specifically American legal context to inform its worldwide approach to DEI. This is a problem. The 2023 Supreme Court decision on affirmative action with respect to race in US college admissions is not a concern for people outside of the US.
“The fact that the US context is consistently exported around the world to shape the DEI terrain may itself be a contributor to DEI backlash in these contexts, where this work feels disconnected from people’s material realities.”
Modley suggested that instead of a focus on rolling back DEI initiatives, employers should ensure that their DEI strategy benefits everyone.
He continued: “The internal and external messaging shouldn’t be about ‘rolling back’, but doing DEI differently to ensure that everyone connects with the underlying principles and understands the benefits in inclusion for all.
“We will be keeping a close eye on how organisations such as McDonald’s uphold their commitment to inclusion, and continue to drive sustained, meaningful impact with these goals removed.”
