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A recent report found that Fortune 100 companies are reducing language traditionally associated with DE&I programs.
Gravity Research analyzed nearly 1,000 earnings calls, reports, and other public documents from Fortune 100 companies. It found that, overall, language like “DE&I” and “diversity” has been used 22% less this year than in 2023, while terms like “belonging” and “diverse perspectives” have been used 59% more.
Just 31% of Fortune 100 companies mentioned “DE&I” in their Q1 earnings calls, compared to 43% in Q1 2023. Companies are also shifting language in reports: The terms “diversity,” “racial equity,” and “allyship” were used 35% less frequently in corporate issue reports published between January and May 2024 than in those published last year, while uses of “belonging” and “diverse experiences” more than doubled.
Overall, mentions of DE&I executives and programs were down about half (49% and 52%, respectively), and there were 66% fewer mentions of representation goals compared to 2023. The analysis also found fewer instances of language associated with DE&I in the workforce, including “underrepresented,” “gender,” and “race.” Fortune 100 companies are instead using broader language, like “talent and culture,” and “people.”
This may be part of a bigger trend of companies walking back DE&I commitments since 2023 due to factors including diversity fatigue, anti-DE&I campaigns from conservative activists, and last year’s Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action. Companies like Kohl’s and GameStop have removed diversity and inclusion goals from their annual reports, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. Even the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), recently announced it will use “I&D,” rather than “DE&I,” going forward to emphasize inclusion.
Despite such changes, public and business support for DE&I programs still appears to be relatively strong: 6 in 10 Americans believe DE&I programs are “a good thing,” according to a recent poll by the Washington Post and Ipsos.
Tory Clarke, co-founder of marketing firm Bridge Partners, told Inc. that DE&I initiatives will press on, even if companies aren’t as vocal about them. “The business case remains, and the intent remains, and we have a generation coming through for whom this conversation is going to be a given.”