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Dive Briefing:
Molson Coors announced in an email to employees provided to Food Dive that it is changing its corporate diversity metrics. The company will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s scoring system. Instead, it will “build a strong company culture based on our own internal metrics, worker input, and other factors.”
The beverage maker said in March it began working with employees to roll out a policy that focuses on “evolving from a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to a broader perspective where all employees feel welcome.” Molson Coors added that starting next year, executive incentives will be tied to business performance rather than “aspirational representative goals.”
Molson Coors also said it was eliminating supplier diversity quotas, which it said were “complex and subject to factors beyond our control,” and typically involved purchasing from minority- or women-owned businesses.
Dive Insight:
Molson Coors is the latest company to change its approach to diversity.
Brown-Forman, the Kentucky-based manufacturer of alcoholic beverage brands including Jack Daniel's, announced Aug. 21 that it was ending several diversity, equity and inclusion programs in response to changing “legal and external circumstances.” Harley-Davidson, Ford and Tractor Supply have also announced changes.
“The driving force behind this change is the understanding that when all employees feel welcome, they are more engaged, motivated and committed to the company’s collective success,” the Molson Coors memo said.Since then, we have reviewed all of our policies and practices to ensure our work aligns with this new focus.”
Molson Coors received a perfect score on the 2023 edition of the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Index. The LGBTQ advocacy group awarded the beer giant top marks for its inclusive benefits and culture, corporate social responsibility, and internal education initiatives.
“Companies like Molson Coors and Ford are evading their financial responsibility to their employees, consumers, and other stakeholders,” Orlando Gonzalez, senior vice president at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, told Food Dive in an email. “By failing to support women leaders, employees of color, and LGBTQ+ employees, these companies are abdicating their financial obligation to recruit and retain top talent across the entire talent pool.”
