Lowe's becomes latest company to dial back LGBTQ DEI

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ASPartOfMe
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27 Aug 2024, 4:57 pm

Lowe’s changes follow closely on the heels of announcements by Harley Davidson and Jack Daniel's, as well as similar changes made by Tractor Supply, John Deere and Best Buy.

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Home goods retailer Lowe's is paring back its efforts to promote LGBTQ inclusion — the latest large company to respond to a growing cultural backlash led by conservatives targeting queer representation in public life.

In an internal company memo being widely shared among media organizations, Lowe's told employees it was ending its participation in surveys for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, and would also combine company resource groups designed to support minority employees into one umbrella organization.

The company said it would also end sponsorship and participation in community events such as parades, festivals, or fairs — a reference to pride parades. As recently as 2019, Lowe's was a sponsor of Charlotte, North Carolina's pride parade.

Though some media reports suggested Lowe's was reversing its diversity efforts writ large, the changes appear to specifically target LGBTQ representation. Lowe's has previously earned plaudits as a diversity champion — and earned a perfect score in HRC's most recent corporate equity index that examines its policies protecting LGBTQ workers.

Since 2018, Lowe's has been led by an African American CEO, Marvin Ellison; in June, Ellison was named Ethical Leader of the Year by the Society for Human Resource Management, the nation's largest HR organization.

As of Tuesday morning, Lowe's continued to operate a webpage dedicated to its diversity efforts.


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cyberdad
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27 Aug 2024, 6:11 pm

the market responds based on $$
If association with DEI is impacted customer loyalty then Lowes is entitled to reel back their DEI initiatives. they are a private company after all. the question of whether companies have a civic duty to advertise they are inclusive of their customers is another matter.



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27 Aug 2024, 10:37 pm

When corporation base their hiring policies solely on people's ability to do the work -- not on race, gender, age, religion, physical attractiveness, sexual orientation, et cetera -- there is no need for DEI-based policies.

I always wanted to work for employers who would hire, pay, and promote me for what I do, not for what I am.


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cyberdad
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27 Aug 2024, 11:16 pm

Fnord wrote:
When corporation base their hiring policies solely on people's ability to do the work -- not on race, gender, age, religion, physical attractiveness, sexual orientation, et cetera -- there is no need for DEI-based policies.

I always wanted to work for employers who would hire, pay, and promote me for what I do, not for what I am.


Big companies are not big because they are altruistic. Social inclusivity is/has been a useful marketing tool for some time now. If it didn't work they would not use it. Case in point, South Africa is a predominantly black country. But when advertising clothes to black women 60% of models are white. Why? I will leave you to fill in the blanks but diversity works at least in the fashion business.

But likewise US companies understand companies that have staff of diverse backgrounds are bring more diverse ideas and skills etc....not saying merit based employment is not desirable (it still is) but other factors are considered too.



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28 Aug 2024, 3:32 am

cyberdad wrote:
. . . US companies understand companies that have staff of diverse backgrounds are bring more diverse ideas and skills etc... not saying merit based employment is not desirable (it still is) but other factors are considered too.
Yes.

I have attended industry seminars that had diverse audiences, yet the people running the seminars were the same plain-vanilla types you see running businesses every day.

I have worked places were the more diverse employees were trotted out and introduced to potential customers, clients, and even reporters while the plain-vanilla types continued to do their work.

It seems to me that while organizations are eager to show off and cater to people of diverse backgrounds, it is still the plain-vanilla types who run the shows.


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cyberdad
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28 Aug 2024, 5:06 pm

Fnord wrote:
I have attended industry seminars that had diverse audiences, yet the people running the seminars were the same plain-vanilla types you see running businesses every day.


Yes, there is a perception that background is equivalent to "quality of service". For example I have observed workshops for Universities are attended by a united nations of backgrounds. But the workshop facilitators are always vanilla.