Amazon has recently made significant changes to its internal policies, removing explicit references to protections for LGBTQ+ and Black employees from its corporate pledges.
Amazon has quietly removed several policies from its public websites aimed at protecting workers, including "solidarity" pledges with its Black employees and health care benefits for transgender workers.
The changes include several to policy, as well as department titles, bucking the trend of big companies that have abandoned similar commitments as conservative backlash toward DEI policies continues to grow.
The removal of the section that focused on “Equity for Black people” and the omission of the term “transgender” from the company’s human rights guidelines have raised concerns.
A section previously called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” is now “Inclusive Experiences and Technology,” and the section “advance DEI through technology” is now a pledge to “advance the employee experience.”
Amazon’s recent shift aligns with broader trends among major corporations. Companies like Meta, McDonald’s, and Walmart have also restructured their DEI programs, citing a range of reasons including changes in legal and political climates.
The change is the far-right agenda is gaining ground with Trump.
I have to disagree with this assessment. Hiring restrictions on the basis of race, religous, age, and ethnic idenity are already protested under Federal law. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in June, 2020 that extended hiring and employment protection to The U.S. Supreme Court on June 15 issued a landmark ruling, saying Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from employment discrimination. Although this is a gross simplification,
ReplyDeleteobjections to DEI are about perceived overreach - DEI initiatives can sometimes lead to reverse discrimination or prioritize identity over merit. In addtion, layers of management are frequently required to take courses and seminars, authorized by their DEI departments, about how to deal with their own microaggressions in the workplace. The oppostion to DEI departments is not merely about "bringing back discrimination to the workplace".
Thanks Eddi for your your clarifying comment.
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