Trump's dei decree: Companies between diversity and legal danger!
Trump's dei decree: Companies between diversity and legal danger!
USA - In the USA, the discussion about diversity, equality and inclusion (Dei) has achieved a new turning point in companies. On January 19, 2025, US President Donald Trump signed a decree that is supposed to significantly restrict the existing DEI programs in the private sector. He described these programs as "destructive and split". The Ordinance provides for an investigation of DEI initiatives that may be illegal. Discussions about the legal framework show that it is difficult to define illegal aspects of these programs, as the lawyer Robin Nunn notes.
The social demand for more support for underrepresented groups had risen sharply after George Floyd's death in 2020. At that time, the dei roles in companies also rose by 55 %. However, current surveys indicate that many companies are now starting to reduce these DEI management positions. Many employees report a high departure of those responsible for DEI, with a fluctuation rate of 33 % at the end of 2022, which is worrying compared to 21 % for other areas. Companies such as Amazon, Applebee’s and Twitter have started layoffs of Dei managers since July 2022.
economic reactions to changes
reactions to Trump's decree are different. While Target has announced that DEI programs are hired, which led to boycott call calls and falling sales, Costco remains loyal to the principles and receives positive feedback from customers. These developments raise questions about the sincerity of corporate obligations on diversity, as Reyhan Ayas from Revelio Labs emphasizes. Despite the adversity, Wade Hinton, an entrepreneur in the DEI industry, remains optimistic and sees potential for progress in organizations that seriously deal with diversity.
At the same time, a study shows that the proportion of Black Employees in the positions of Chief Diversity Officers in companies is only 3.8 %, while white people make up 76.1 % of these positions. Such statistics not only emphasize inequality in corporate management, but also the challenges that are opposite DEI professionals who often have no influence on corporate decisions.
international perspectives and challenges
In international comparison, the situation is different. In Germany, insufficient consideration of diversity in companies is determined. The proportion of underrepresented managers is only 30 %, while 61 % of those who are not managed come from such groups. This shows that corporate culture is still severely affected by discrimination. A third of the non-managing employees have experienced discriminatory behavior, which questions the credibility of Dei initiatives.
In addition, 36 % of companies in Germany are not actively in promoting LGBTQIA+diversity. Even if some progress in diversity is noticeable, there are also many voices that indicate a "diversity fatigue", in which employees and managers are desensitized to diversity policy measures. Reasons for this could be inadequate measures and the challenges due to persistent crises such as wars and environmental disasters.Nevertheless, experts emphasize that various leadership has a positive impact on corporate culture and can increase innovative strength. This gives hope that despite the enormous challenges associated with the discussion about diversity, progress is possible if the strategies are seriously pursued.
In summary, it can be stated that the path to real progress in diversity in both the USA and internationally depends on many factors. A combination of political will, corporate obligations and social commitment will be crucial to achieve the goal of an equal and inclusive world of work. Further information on developments in the field of diversity in companies can be found here: Tagesschau , NBC News and DetailsOrt USA Quellen
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