Corporate America finally appears to have gotten the hint that the adoption of uber-left-wing “diversity” initiatives that prioritize skin color and ethnicity over qualities like training, education, experience, and job performance are a quick path to nowhere.
And lawsuits.
Boardrooms are quietly backing away from the initiatives in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling over the summer striking down affirmative action policies used by college and university admissions departments because they are blatantly racist and unconstitutional.
In June, the high court ruled 6-3 that race-based admissions standards “violate[s] the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment” in the highly awaited cases Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students For Fair Admissions v. the University of North Carolina.
According to Bloomberg Law, an examination of the prior quarter revealed that 3,000 companies listed in the Russell Index reduced their use of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) language by 54% compared to the previous year. That marked the most significant decrease since 2018, The Daily Caller reported.
Recently, Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery have all implemented significant layoffs within their diversity officer roles. Chief diversity officers are currently facing a higher likelihood of being let go compared to counterparts in other departments, and they are experiencing a turnover rate of 40 percent, the outlet reported.
In July, attorneys general from 13 Republican-led states issued a letter to Fortune 100 companies, urging them to cease the practice of employing “explicit racial quotas and preferences” in areas like hiring, recruitment, retention, promotion, and advancement.
Among the companies mentioned in the letter were Airbnb, Apple, Facebook, Google, Lyft, Microsoft, Netflix, Snapchat, TikTok, and Uber, which were accused of utilizing race-based criteria in their hiring, promotions, and contracting processes.
“If I were advising a client right now in this climate, I might say, ‘Maybe say less, rather than more,’” Esther Lander, an employment lawyer and partner at Akin Grump Strauss Hauer & Feld, told Bloomberg Law. “Carefully vet what you say, so you don’t become a target.”
A mere 32% of Americans expressed a strong belief in the significance of an ethnically diverse workplace, labeling it as “very important.” Conversely, 38% indicated that diversity in the workplace was “not too/not at all important” to them. Additionally, funding allocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives has decreased this year. Out of 140 diversity officers surveyed, only 59% intended to augment their DEI budget, compared to 84% in the preceding year, the outlet noted further.
