DEI: What’s Next?

By Sonal Shah, JD, Assistant Director, Employment Law Services
Published January 21, 2025

Following the death of George Floyd in 2020 and the social justice movements that followed, many organizations committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives. When some of these employers faced backlash for their efforts, several well-known companies curtailed or even eliminated their DE&I initiatives. These include McDonald’s, Meta, John Deere, Walmart, Lowe’s, Toyota, Zoom, Harley Davidson, and Stanley Black & Decker.

Nevertheless, many organizations still believe that aiming for a diversity of employees (i.e., different races, genders, sexualities, ethnicities, religions, ability levels, politics, familial statuses, and languages spoken), is important to ensuring all employees feel welcomed, valued, treated and paid fairly, and given opportunities to be heard and to be promoted. 

As we have said before, DE&I is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also good for business. 

We’re not the only ones who feel this way. In fact, Costco's board recently rejected a shareholder proposal aimed at rolling back its DE&I efforts, stating "[o]ur Board has considered this proposal and believes that our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary. Our success has been built on service to our critical stakeholders: employees, members and suppliers. Our efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion follow our code of ethics.”

Despite what the media might suggest, surveys show that most employers continue to retain their commitment to DE&I. According to a recent report, The State of Sustainability in 2024: DEI Will Survive:

• 43% of organizations continue to maintain and promote DE&I goals.
• 67% of organizations have targeted talent programs for diverse talent.
• 70% of organizations have supplier-diversity programs.

This includes companies such as Apple, Mastercard, Coca-Cola, Progressive, Salesforce, Ally, and JP Morgan, who have all publicly said they are committed to DE&I and/or that it’s been good for their business.

Of course, a commitment to DE&I can take significant time, money and resources, and sometimes seem difficult in the wake of increased legal challenges. Still, research in concert with the personal life experience of those who are part of underrepresented groups indicates that they continue to face obstacles both in society and the workplace. While progress in achieving DE&I may not come easily, employers can aim to remove some of these obstacles and strive for a diverse workforce that will ultimately have positive effects for all employees.

HR Source members who need assistance in developing or progressing with their DE&I initiatives can contact us through the HR Hotline Online or at 800-448-4584.