Microsoft considered that diversity “is no longer core to the business“We are so focused on inclusion,” one former manager said after the company laid off employees working on inclusion-focused initiatives.
And it is reported that the technology giant fired employees who worked on its diversity initiatives, equity and inclusion (DEI), just four years after promising to double the number of black leaders within the company by 2025.
In this sense, after the news was released, the shares of the technological giant fell by almost 2% (-2.8%). In the last five days, this loss reached 5%.
An email sent by one of the laid-off workers, seen by Business InsiderHe said: “The real systems change work associated with DEI programs everywhere is no longer business-critical or smart as it was in 2020”.
What Microsoft said
However, a spokesperson said the company’s commitments in this area “remain unchanged.” “Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering and we remain steadfast in our expectations, prioritizing accountability and continuing to focus on this work,” she said.
This comes after a wave of companies increased their focus on diversity following the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer. The incident sparked a wave of protests by the Black Lives Matter movement, with the number of employers implementing new diversity and inclusion initiatives nearly tripling in the wake of the demonstrations.
However, many companies have backed away or abandoned such initiatives in recent months as they struggle with rising costs. Meta, Tesla, and X (formerly known as Twitter) have all reduced the size of their respective DEI teams by 50% or more by 2023.
Zoom informed staff earlier this year that it had dismantled its DEI team amid layoffs, reflecting a broader trend in the West.
The number of DEI jobs in the U.S. fell 8% during the first six weeks of 2024, according to data obtained by Revelio Labs and The Washington Post in February.
Diversity consultants expect a similar trend to emerge in the UK. Simon Fanshawe, who was one of six activists who founded LGBT charity Stonewall, said in May that he had seen a change in attitude among employers about the role diversity programmes should play in corporate Britain.
Source: Ambito
I am a 24-year-old writer and journalist who has been working in the news industry for the past two years. I write primarily about market news, so if you’re looking for insights into what’s going on in the stock market or economic indicators, you’ve come to the right place. I also dabble in writing articles on lifestyle trends and pop culture news.
