Many people, including business owners, consider diversity, equity and inclusion a good thing in the workplace. However, DEI, which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, has become a politically charged acronym for those who say it values hiring and promoting underrepresented people rather than looking purely at qualifications for the job.
Here in Florida, state leaders aren’t afraid to take on powerful corporations like Disney. They’re now investigating the coffee behemoth Starbucks over its stated commitment to DEI.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations against Starbucks. AG Moody and Gov. Ron DeSantis want an investigation into the company’s hiring practices. The Florida Commission on Human Relations is tasked with enforcing the state’s Civil Rights Act and preventing discrimination.
Is Starbucks implementing “racial quotas?”
Specifically, the complaint targets Starbucks “annual inclusion and diversity goals of achieving BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] representation of at least 30 percent at all corporate levels and at least 40 percent of all retail and manufacturing roles by 2025.” Starbucks initially planned to link a portion of executives’ bonuses to this goal. However, investors rejected that.
The Attorney General has called Starbucks’ goals a way to implement “racial quotas.” She claims that it’s a “violation of our own civil rights laws.
Regardless of the outcome of the investigation into Starbucks stated DEI goals, Florida businesses face some unique challenges in working to prevent discrimination against protected classes in hiring, promotion and other activities while not running afoul of our state leadership’s views of DEI. We help businesses struggling with employment law issues of all kinds. Contact us for a consultation.
