Home improvement chain Lowe’s is rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining several other companies that have changed their programs since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. prohibited positive discrimination in college admissions or after facing conservative backlash online.
In an internal memo Lowe’s provided to the Associated Press, management said the retailer began “reviewing” its programs following the July 2023 court ruling and that the company recently decided to consolidate its resource groups, which were intended for “individual groups representing different parts of our workforce,” into one umbrella organization.
The retailer will also stop participating in an annual Human Rights Campaign survey that measures workplace inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees, and will also stop sponsoring and participating in events such as festivals and parades that are outside its scope of business.
The changes were made to ensure that Lowe’s policies were “compliant with the law” and consistent with the company’s commitment to “inclusiveness,” the memo said.
“We may make additional changes over time,” the company’s leadership team said in the memo. “What will not change, however, is our commitment to our employees.”
Robby Starbuck, a conservative political commentator who has criticized companies such as Tractor accessories and John Deere, took credit for the changes Monday in a post on XHe said he contacted a Lowe’s executive online last week and outlined his plans to “expose” the company over its hiring policies and other issues such as LGBTQ+ employee resource groups and funding for Pride events.
However, Lowe’s spokesman Steve Salazar refuted that claim in an email Tuesday, noting that Starbucks reached out after the company internally “had already announced changes that had been in the works for a long time.” The company memo did not specify when exactly those changes were implemented, but noted that they were discussed at a meeting on August 21.
Last week, Lowe’s refuted another claim that was circulating on social media, in which a digitally altered image quoted Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison as saying that conservatives who don’t like the company’s values should shop at the competition. Home Depot.
“The CEO of Lowe’s did not make this comment,” the company said wrote on X in reply to several users who shared the image. “Everyone is welcome at Lowe’s.”
Ellison, for his part, has Diversification of the company’s ranksand has brought other women and ethnically diverse leaders on board since taking office in 2018. Ellison, who is black herself and grew up in segregated rural Tennessee, has also been outspoken against racism since the police killing of George Floyd, which sparked major protests for racial justice in 2020.
Criticism of such DEI policies extends far beyond Lowe’s and extends to companies in all industries. This includes calls for boycotts on social media and legal attacks following the Supreme Court ruling on positive discrimination, which many anti-DEI activists want to use to similar precedent in the world of work.
Starbuck, who has a considerable fan base on Xhas used the platform as a megaphone to promote DEI policies on Tractor accessoriesAgricultural equipment manufacturers John DeereMotorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson and whiskey maker Jack Daniels. In an interview with The AP last month, Cuban, 35, said he has a list of companies he wants to publish content about, but is starting with companies that traditionally have a conservative customer base.
Following an online campaign earlier this summer, Tractor Supply and John Deere ended some diversity measures. Last week Harley Davidson has moved away from its DEI policies, although the company noted in its announcement that it “will no longer operate a DEI function as of April 2024.”
A spokesman for Jack Daniels’ parent company Brown-Forman said last week that it had “adapted” its diversity and inclusion strategy to “ensure that it continues to drive our business results while appropriately addressing the current environment we find ourselves in.” Starbuck hinted on X that the company had reacted preemptively after its team reviewed employee profiles on LinkedIn.
While conservative activists welcome these changes, DEI advocates say that by accommodating Starbucks and other right-wing figures, the companies are essentially giving in to hate.
“Racial justice and LGBTQ inclusion are being scapegoated, for lack of a better word, by a small, organized effort that really wants to dictate how companies do business,” said Jen Stark, co-director of the Center for Business and Social Justice at BSR, a consulting network of more than 300 companies.
Stark said the environment for companies today is challenging, but stressed that the majority stick with diversity and inclusion programs because they make business sense. However, following the Supreme Court decision last year, she noted that companies need to make sure their DEI programs are “on solid ground” — and avoid overcorrecting when there is backlash, which she said could cause even more damage.
“This isn’t just a step backwards for jobs,” she said. “It’s really a step backwards from how we normalize practices that remove barriers and obstacles for everyone.”
On Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign, with which Lowe’s is no longer partnering under its new policy, sharply criticized such DEI retreats, pointing out the potential impact on companies’ bottom lines if they alienate LGBTQ+ and other consumers.
Orlando Gonzales, HRC’s senior vice president of programs, research and training, called the changes “shortsighted decisions that are at odds with safe and inclusive workplaces” and would create a “snowball effect with negative long-term consequences.” Gonzales also took specific aim at Starbuck – arguing that companies “shouldn’t intimidate some random guy with no business experience” and that the activist was removed from the Republican Party of Tennessee because it is “so extreme”.
Starbuck, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, said last month that his list included companies that were considered politically mainstream or centrist, including MicrosoftFor a company like the coffee chain StarbucksOn the other hand, it will be “difficult to put pressure on them to boycott,” he said.
Stark noted that the outcome of the U.S. election “will also turn the thermostat up or down in the DEI debate.” A second term for former President Donald Trump would likely increase pressure against DEI policies – many of Trump’s supporters have already signaled they would like to abolish such practices – while his challenger, Kamala Harris, could have the opposite effect.
For example, some companies are bracing for potential changes to their federal contracts, which have historically been an effective way to promote equal employment opportunity. Others may want to change their language or find new workarounds for existing programs.
“We could potentially see a resurgence in DEI-related efforts or a retreat from them,” she said. “I think a common thread will be that companies will resume this work in practice or in name – (but) to what extent they step up publicly will depend on the landscape.”