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John Deere has become the latest US organization to scale back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
The farm equipment manufacturer shared a statement Tuesday on X announcing a series of changes to its diversity measures, notably committing to stop participating in and supporting “social or culture awareness parades, festivals, or events.”
Its business resource groups are also set for redirection, which will now focus solely on supporting networking, mentoring, development, and hiring efforts.
John Deere further said it will audit all company-mandated training materials and policies to “ensure the absence of socially motivated messages while being in compliance with federal, state, and local laws,” indicating that the threat of possible lawsuits was a motivator behind the change.
Several companies including NASCAR have faced legal challenges from conservative groups over their DEI policies and processes, following the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action in 2023.
Why has John Deere rolled back DEI commitments?
John Deere did not cite specific criticism that prompted the U-turn but said it is “always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve,” and is trying to meet the expectations of customers in its internal business practices.
The move follows a similar pivot from agricultural retailer Tractor Supply, which similarly axed its DEI program in June. “We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them,” a statement from Tractor Supply noted, as it diverted attention away from “nonbusiness activities” which included sponsorship of Pride festivals.
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Both John Deere and Tractor Supply faced criticism from conservative media personalities and activists, including commentator Robby Starbuck.
On July 9, Starbuck posted on X criticizing John Deere for funding Pride events and running business resource groups focused on supporting people of color and LGBTQ+ employees.
Starbuck has described the announcement as a “huge win,” but has further called on the company to emulate Tractor Supply by eliminating its DEI department in full and ending its participation in the Corporate Equality Index scoring from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a major LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group.
In its statement, John Deere asserted that the business has not and will not use diversity quotas or pronoun identification, but added that it believes a diverse workforce does help it to meet customer needs.
“Because of that we will continue to track and advance the diversity of our organization,” it said.
DEI no longer a “business imperative” at John Deere?
According to an earlier interview between DEI leadership at John Deere and Korn Ferry, the company once described DEI as a “business imperative,” detailing training programs for over 68,000 workers on diversity and inclusion, and the creation of global and regional diversity councils.
But the manufacturer's statement indicates it now longer sees DEI as a business strategy that aligns with its customer base.
Eric Bloem, Vice President of Programs and Corporate Advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign, described the move as “disappointing” and triggered by “a coordinated attack by far-right extremists on American business.”
John Boyd, Jr., President of the National Black Farmers Association, said the decision is the continuation of a failure from John Deere to support Black farmers, highlighting that just one month ago the company agreed to a $1.1million settlement in back wages after alleged systemic hiring discrimination affecting Black and Hispanic applicants.
John Deere “continues to move in the wrong direction,” he stated.
Alongside agricultural giants John Deere and Tractor Supply, Microsoft has also recently announced cutbacks to its diversity program, laying off a DEI team of over 1,000 employees effective July 1.
A leader on the affected team emailed thousands of Microsoft staff informing them of the change, in which they described DEI as “no longer business critical.”
A Microsoft spokesperson contested the assertion in a statement to the media: “Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering and we are holding firm on our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to focus on this work,” they wrote.
Recent research suggests that those caving to pressure to ditch DEI may be in the minority. A report from Bridge Partners polling 400 US-based C-suite leaders and HR decision-makers found that 72% plan to enhance their DEI programs in the next 24 months.
