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Just a few years ago, companies were touting their diversity and inclusion programs, along with new policies designed to shed light on racial and gender inequality. Now, many of those same companies are altering, watering down, or scrapping these initiatives.
But although the DEI rollback has been well documented, not everyone is walking away from their commitments. The chief external affairs officer of Delta Air Lines, for example, said during an earnings call earlier this year that the company had no plans to change their policies, adding that “diversity, equity, and inclusion is critical to effective human capital management at Delta.” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins shared similar remarks at Davos in January, saying that the company wouldn’t be getting rid of its DEI policies because there’s “too much business value.”
Although business leaders making public statements about DEI is rare, those executives aren’t alone. Around 49% of C-suite leaders surveyed in March by legal firm Littler said they have no plans to roll back their DEI programs, and only 8% say they’re considering making fundamental changes to them.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t scared. Around 55% of leaders surveyed say they have serious concerns about lawsuits, additional government actions, and shareholder votes, forcing them to make serious changes to their programs. Costco and Apple, for example, were recently faced with proposals from anti-DEI shareholder activists, both of which were voted down.
Keeping a cool head right now is critical. Some research suggests that businesses that rapidly change viewpoints on issues customers care about could face backlash for coming off as “inauthentic.” And experts say that despite the fear created by Trump’s recent executive orders focused on eliminating DEI, if a corporate diversity program is open to everyone and compliant with existing civil rights laws, it’s perfectly legal.
“Despite the increased scrutiny, many companies seem to be taking a measured approach, rather than rushing to end or scale back IE&D efforts,” Jeanine Conley Daves, an employment attorney at Littler and member of the firm’s IE&D consulting practice, told Fortune. “It makes sense not to make extensive changes to efforts and initiatives that have helped to build a strong company culture.”
Read more about how companies are publicly standing up for their DEI policies here.
Brit Morse
brit.morse@fortune.com
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Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Sticking up to the man. Despite pressures from the Trump administration, Aurora James, creator of the Fifteen Percent Pledge says companies aren’t bowing out of their commitments. —Sara Braun
Disengagement costs. If top executives get too burned out, it could cost a company $20,000 or more and could affect how others show up to work. —HR Brew
Getting away with more. The tenacious political landscape is having a drastic effect on the workplace, including a rise in overall bad behavior, a new study points out. —Sara Braun