McDonald’s says it is rolling back some of its diversity practices

McDonald’s is the latest large corporation to announce that it’s unwinding some of its diversity initiatives. 

The fast-food giant said it is changing its approach to “inclusion” at the company, according to a memo to restaurant owners and operators as well as employees worldwide, which was posted on its corporate website on Monday. 

Specifically, the company will no longer set “aspirational representation goals,” or targets for achieving diverse representation in senior roles. McDonald’s is also ditching a program it created to encourage its suppliers to make their own diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) pledges and invest in diversity training for their employees. Instead, the company says it will have conversations “with suppliers about inclusion as it relates to business performance.”

Another change: McDonald’s will refer to its diversity team as the “Global Inclusion Team.” 

“This name change is more fitting for McDonald’s in light of our inclusion value and better aligns with this team’s work,” the company said.  Additionally, McDonald’s said it will pause “external surveys,” without providing specifics. 

McDonald’s follows a slew of high-profile corporations including Ford, Lowe’s, John Deere and others, in rolling back its DEI efforts after a Supreme Court ruling reversing affirmative action in college admissions. 

Ford and other employers have declined to participate in a Human Rights Campaign survey that gauges a company’s inclusivity for LGBTQ+ workers. 

In 2024, more than 30% of the company’s leaders were from underrepresented groups, McDonald’s said in the memo. The company also achieved gender pay equity companywide, according to its 2024 Purpose and Impact Report. On the supplier front, the company last year met its goal of spending 25% on diverse-owned suppliers by 2025.