Walt Disney Co. is changing some of its internal diversity, equity and inclusion policies, the latest move in the company’s slow pullback from such efforts.
The Burbank media and entertainment giant will replace the “diversity and inclusion” performance factor for executive compensation planning with a “talent strategies” standard, according to a memo sent Tuesday to executive leaders by Chief Human Resources Officer Sonia Coleman and obtained by The Times.
The change relates to the formula used to calculate executive pay; the company remains committed to “fostering a company culture where everyone belongs,” the memo said.
Other corporations outside the entertainment industry have also pulled back on DEI initiatives, which emerged as a hot topic during Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Since President Trump’s inauguration, retailers such as Target, Walmart and Lowe’s have all announced that they will end or cut back on diversity initiatives, many of which were put into place just a few years ago.
Disney’s new “talent strategies” performance factor will grade how executives uphold company values, incorporate “different perspectives to drive business success,” create an environment where employees can do their best work and “sustain a robust pipeline to ensure long-term organizational strength,” according to the document. It will be used in conjunction with other existing performance standards, including “synergy” and “storytelling and creativity.”
Coleman said in the memo that the change was in line with a planned evolution of Disney’s strategic framework to make the company “the best place to work.” That framework was released in December and is intended to align Disney’s initiatives with its “business goals and company values,” Coleman wrote.
The move comes as Disney softens the public stance it took four years ago to champion diversity and inclusion at the company. In the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Disney pledged millions of dollars to organizations serving underrepresented communities, instituted more gender-inclusive greetings at its theme parks and introduced openly queer characters in its films.
The company has since been hammered by prominent conservative politicians — chief among them Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who branded the company as “woke” after then-Disney Chief Executive Bob Chapek eventually opposed a state law restricting classroom discussions about gender identity.
But the pullback from diversity and inclusion efforts truly began in mid-2023 when Disney’s top diversity head Latondra Newton left her role, which she held for nearly six years. Since then, the company has also dropped a storyline about a trans athlete in its Pixar series, “Win or Lose,” saying “many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”
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