itstargetnews
David Bahnsen, founder and managing partner of the Bahnsen Group, joins “The Big Money Show” to discuss Dei and ESG Investing’s companies reversing course, UFC CEO Dana White joins on Meta’s Board and the ongoing California Wildfires.
Target announced Friday that it is shrinking its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Policies following President Trump’s executive order to review these initiatives. The move adds target to a growing list of companies scaling back or eliminating their DEI efforts as these programs come under increased scrutiny.
Kiera Fernandez, Target’s chief community and equity officer, said in a memo to employees Friday that the retailer will implement changes as part of its “bullseye membership” strategy that adapts to the external landscape in evolution It includes concluding its three-year goals and ending its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives by 2025, as planned.
“As a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of keeping pace with the evolving external landscape, now and in the future, all in the service of driving growth and winning together Fernandez said.
The Minneapolis-based retailer said it has used “years of data, insights, listening and learning” to share the next chapter in its strategy.
Target’s announcement comes as pressure is on large corporations, especially from social media influencers Robby Starbuck, Initiatives aimed at increasing racial and gender equality in the workplace will be expanded again. The initiatives have also faced fierce criticism from Trump, who on Tuesday signed an executive order directing government agencies to investigate DEI programs at publicly traded corporations, large corporations or nonprofit associations and foundations with assets of ‘at least $500 million. The goal falls into this category.
“The illegal Dei and DEIA policies not only violate the letter and spirit of our federal civil rights laws, they also undermine our national unity by denying, discrediting, and damaging the traditional values of hard work, the “Excellence and individual achievement in favor of a wasteful, corrosive and pernicious system based on identity,” the executive order said.
An employee pulls a Wheeler to restock shelves at a Target store in Chicago on Nov. 26, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Fernandez said the goal is to recruit and retain employees “who represent the communities we serve,” but moving forward, he said he will stop all external surveys focused on diversity, including HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.
Walmart rolls out Dei’s policies, becoming the latest US company to join the growing trend
Target will also change its “Supplier Diversity” team to “Supplier Engagement” to reflect an “inclusive global procurement process across a broad range of suppliers, including our increased focus on small businesses.” Fernandez said in the memo.
| mark | security | last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Target Corp. | 137.25 | +1.48 |
+1.09% |
He will also review corporate partnerships and ensure employee resource groups focus on development and mentoring for all communities.
“We stay focused on driving our business by creating a sense of belonging for our team, guests and communities through a commitment to inclusion. Belonging for all is an essential part of our team and culture, helping the relevance and to consumer business outcomes,” Fernández wrote.
Shoppers outside a Target store in Clifton, New Jersey on November 26, 2024. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
one Lots of companies, Including Amazon, Lowe’s, Meta, McDonald’s, American Airlines and Boeing, they have pulled back their DEI programs as pressure mounted in recent months. In November, Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, announced plans to roll back its policies, including how it monitors products within its marketplace and reviews subsidy funding.
Get Fox Business by clicking here
Conversely, some companies have resisted activist pressure, publicly reaffirming their commitment to maintaining DEI policies.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella He said in the tech company’s annual report in October that it continues to ensure that its “workforce represents the planet we serve and the products we build always meet the needs of our customers” and that it continues to ” hiring, developing and growing a global workforce This is better supported and our customers.”
Shopping carts outside a Target store in Albany on Nov. 18, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Pinterest’s chief legal officer, Wanji Walcott, posted on LinkedIn that the company is “laser-focused on advancing inclusion and diversity both within our organization and across our platform, investing in critical initiatives like internal equity and bodily inclusivity externally.”
Still, the anti-Woke Starbuck activist, who has been taking credit for companies scaling back or ending their DEI programs, said he has no intention of stopping his campaign anytime soon.
Target first introduced the “belonging to the Bullseye” strategy to employees in early 2024, but has been working on it since 2021.
