Harley-Davidson dumps DEI policies

The U.S. motorcycle manufacturer has not enforced diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, or DEI, since April, according to a Monday statement. The move follows a recent corporate trend of dumping the hiring concept from company policy. Harley-Davidson will no longer include hiring quotas or supplier diversity goals as it focuses on hiring and retaining the best talent, according to the statement. Employee resources will only focus on professional development, networking, and mentoring, and the company will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s 100-point Corporate Equality Index report. Harley-Davidson sponsorships will be approved centrally and focus only on retaining loyal customers and supporting first responders and the military, the company said. Any socially motivated content will not be included in company training materials which will focus only on business needs, the company added. The decision to dump DEI came after an internal stakeholders review earlier this year and feedback from the Harley-Davidson community, the statement said.

Companies that cut DEI show employees that they simply don’t care about equality in the workplace, according to the Human Rights Campaign Vice President of Programs and Corporate Advocacy Eric Bloem. Harley-Davidson’s choice to pull away from the Corporate Equality Index is an impulsive decision fueled by MAGA extremists, he added in the Tuesday statement.

Who else dumped their DEI programming? Harley-Davidson’s move came weeks after the agricultural giant John Deere dumped its DEI initiatives. Deere also said feedback from customers and employees made the decision, adding that it would no longer support parades or other events focused on what it characterized as social or cultural awareness. Company training materials would also be audited to ensure they include no social messaging, the company added. John Deere’s announcement came weeks after farming competitor Tractor Supply made a similar announcement.

Dig deeper: Read my report for more on John Deere dumping DEI.