(The Center Square) – Two Republican members of North Carolina’s Council of State said Thursday their respective departments are ending internal practices related to diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
“DEI is divisive and brings little-to-no return on investment of time and resources,” state Auditor Dave Boliek said in a release.
The Office of the State Auditor is joined by the Department of Labor in making the change.
“I am directing the Office of State Human Resources,” Labor Commissioner Luke Farley said in a statement, “to remove DEI as a core measurement for evaluating NCDOL employee performance and am also directing that NCDOL managers and supervisors no longer consider DEI as an evaluation method.”
He’s adding a performance measure related to safety and health meant to mirror state standards for employers the department judges.
“Ultimately,” Farley said, “my goal is to hire and retain qualified, professional individuals who will provide excellent service to our state.”
President Donald Trump on Wednesday eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion policies throughout the federal government. Boliek cited it and Farley’s decision in his release.
“My goal in the auditor’s office is to establish a professional workplace where individuals are valued and measured based on merit,” Boliek said. “Corporations across the country are abandoning DEI, as are colleges and universities, and it’s time for government to do the same.
Among the familiar names of companies that have either rolled back or abandoned the policies are five of America’s most iconic – McDonald’s, Harley-Davidson, Ford, John Deere and Walmart. Lowe’s, with headquarters in Charlotte, is another. Tractor Supply, Molson Coors, Caterpillar, Boeing, Toyota, Nissan and Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel’s whiskey) continue the list that started last summer and is not even eight months old.
In his executive order, Trump wrote, “Every man and woman should have the opportunity to go as far as their hard work, individual initiative, and competence can take them. In American, excellence, grit and determination is our strength.”