Ford Motor is the latest company to walk back some of its commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The automaker has taken “a fresh look” at its DEI policies and practices over the past year to take in to account the evolving “external and legal environment related to political and social issues,” according to an internal communication that was shared with global Ford employees and posted on X on Wednesday by an anti-DEI activist. Ford confirmed the letter was authentic and said it had no additional comment on the matter.
Ford’s move follows retailer Tractor Supply, which one of the first major companies to stop its DEI efforts, as it severed ties earlier this summer with the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, and retired DEI targets like boosting the number of employees of color at the manager level. Harley Davidson, whose board of directors includes Ford CEO Jim Farley, also decided last week to stop consulting the HRC’s metric for treatment of LGBTQ+ employees and affirmed that it does not have a DEI function.
Home improvement retailer Lowe’s joined the efforts earlier this week, and noted that it might also make additional changes to the policies over time.
The companies have cited conservative backlash or changing social and political environments in their announcements. Tractor Supply and Harley Davidson also noted a desire to appeal to their more rural or conservative-leaning customers.
“I think you will start to see this move towards more politically neutral companies, which is to say that most of these companies didn’t really want to be doing this stuff in the first place,” Liz Hoffman, Semafor’s business and finance editor, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” earlier Wednesday, before the Ford memo was posted.
In the memo Wednesday, Farley said the company will not use quotas for minority dealerships or suppliers, adding that it does not have hiring quotas.
The automaker will also stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, as well as various other “best places to work” lists.
Human Rights Campaign scores over 1,300 companies annually based on their corporate equality measures for LGBTQ+ individuals, including practices like offering spousal medical benefits regardless of sex and having distinct LGBTQ+ community outreach efforts. Ford, in previous years, had received a perfect score on the index.
“Ford Motor Company’s shortsighted decisions will have long-term consequences,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement. “Hastily abandoning efforts that ensure fair, safe, and inclusive work environments is bad for business and leaves Ford’s employees and millions of LGBTQ+-allied consumers behind.”
The organization also added that it evaluates every Fortune 500 company on its equality index, regardless of whether or not the company submits additional information about its priorities, which means Ford will continue to be scored on the list.
“As a global company, we…
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