There are changes happening in Walmart’s work/hiring policies. The retail giant has decided to stop implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies at work. That means Walmart will stop taking into account race or gender while choosing suppliers or hiring people. That isn’t all; the retailer will also stop funding its racial equity training centre that had been set up about four years ago primarily to address the inequalities in various spheres, including education, healthcare, finance, as well as the criminal justice system for Black Americans.
It will no more participate in rankings by an LGBTQ advocacy group (LGBTQ+ workplace equality index) and reconsider supporting Pride events.
The retailer claims that these changes have not been sudden but have been happening gradually at the organisation. For some time now Walmart has refrained from using the term DEI in internal communications or even job titles. The term has been replaced by ‘belonging’. It has eliminated the use of terms such as LatinX in official communications.
Walmart is just one of the many organisations in the US that have stopped promoting diversity initiatives. Ford, Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Tractor Supply and Lowe’s have also reorganised their teams following pressure from activists to do away with DEI policies in the corporate world.
However, even though the movement is gathering steam post the affirmative action ruling, many organisations continue to believe DEI policies ensure diverse talent in the workforce, which is good for business success, productivity and innovation.