- Companies are distancing themselves from the controversial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and moving towards employee ‘wellbeing and inclusion’
- Business consultants believe the shift has been accelerated by the Harvard antisemitism row that has dragged the term into a toxic political debate
By ALICE WRIGHT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 10:26 EST, 4 January 2024 | UPDATED: 10:44 EST, 4 January 2024
Companies are distancing themselves from controversial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the wake of the college anti-Semitism row, according to business consultants.
The high-profile issue of antisemitism on some of America’s most elite college campuses has dragged the DEI term further into a toxic political debate that businesses now wish to distance themselves from.
‘Anything that smacks of a quota is out,’ Diana Scott from The Conference Board told Axios.
The focus is moving away from ‘those three words’ towards efforts around ‘wellbeing and inclusion’ Scott explaineD
Businessman Bill Ackman has been a vocal critic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives
Tech billionaire Elon Musk termed DEI as ‘another word for racism.
The policy, often leading to the select hiring of minorities or specific demographics in order to increase diversity, has been roundly criticized by Bill Ackman, who argued it has been ‘the root cause of antisemitism at Harvard.’
Ackman publicly pursued the removal of Harvard president Claudine Gay following her disastrous congressional testimony during a committee hearing on antisemitism on campus.
Gay, alongside the president’s of UPenn and MIT were criticized for failing to unequivocally condemn antisemitism at their universities.
Tech titan Elon Musk threw his support behind Ackman, writing ‘DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it’ in response to a 4,000 word essay by Ackman on the subject.
‘DEI, because it discriminates on the basis of race, gender and many other factors, is not merely immoral, it is also illegal,’ Musk in a subsequent post on his X platform.
DEI, has been panned by conservative critics as pushing a left-wing ideology in educational institutions and businesses, exploded across the corporate sphere following the race marches of 2020.
Last year’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the use of affirmative action in universities has drawn attention to corporate diversity efforts.
Laws limiting the use of DEI policies in public schools have been introduced in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis and in the universities of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott.
Ackman publicly pursued the removal of Harvard president Claudine Gay following her disastrous congressional testimony
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have made repeated overtures about the drawbacks of DEI 
Governor Ron DeSantis has declared Florida the state where ‘woke goes to die’
Businesses are now trying to avoid any hiring programs that could draw legal scrutiny.
Firms are finding new ways to create diversity within their teams, such as Blackrock who are focusing on hiring for socioeconomic diversity, according to Fortune.
‘Companies are really starting to look at other ways to do the work without saying that they’re doing the work,’ said Cinnamon Clark, cofounder of Goodwork Sustainability, a DEI consulting firm.
Clark predicts Businesses will be talking more about ’employee experience’ or ‘wellness,’ rather than focusing purely on diversity in 2024.
Kevin Delaney, co-founder of Charter, a research firm focusing on the future of work, believes the increasing intensity of national politics will also put the breaks on DEI for businesses.
‘It’s hard to imagine with the amped up rhetoric of an election year that people really want to stick out their neck more,’ he said.
DEI has become a key battleground in the ongoing Republican nomination race, and is likely to become a feature in the primaries.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have made repeated overtures about the policy and fellow candidate DeSantis has declared Florida the state where ‘woke goes to die.’