Tractor Supply Announces Immediate Elimination of All DEI Roles
Tractor Supply Company has announced a significant rollback of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, following vocal criticism from conservative commentator Robby Starbuck. Starbuck accused the company of pushing a “woke” agenda that he believed led to division, unfairness, and indoctrination at the workplace. His months-long investigation and public critique on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) highlighted his concerns about the company’s policies.
As a reaction to the backlash, Tractor Supply decided to abolish its DEI roles and retire its current DEI goals, opting instead to focus on core business-related community activities. This includes prioritizing rural America’s needs like agricultural education, animal welfare, and veteran services, and discontinuing involvement in activities that do not directly relate to their business, such as sponsoring pride festivals and certain political movements.
The company also stated it will stop submitting data to the Human Rights Campaign and withdraw from its previous commitments to reduce carbon emissions, instead choosing to concentrate on land and water conservation efforts. It emphasized its dedication to remaining good neighbors in the communities they serve and ensuring that its operations align more closely with the values of its customers.
This decision represents a larger trend observed in some companies stepping back from earlier progressive policies under pressure from conservative groups and social media criticism, focusing instead on activities that align strictly with business operations and more traditional corporate social responsibility areas.
By Jack Davis June 28, 2024 at 7:59am
“Woke” is being plowed under at Tractor Supply, the company announced Friday.
Tractor Supply Company had been under pressure for its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, particularly from conservative commentator Robby Starbuck, who on Monday had criticized the company on X.
Starbuck’s criticism stems from a weeks-long investigation into Tractor Supply.
“No matter what the intentions are, this is an embrace of the left wing ESG/DEI agenda. The way many of us see it, diversity has become division, equity has become unfairness and inclusion has become indoctrination + silencing of dissent. Forcing other people’s political views on you at work doesn’t make you virtuous,” he wrote Monday, citing the past couple of weeks.
Over the past 2 weeks I’ve exposed how the CEO of @TractorSupply has made woke policy and DEI “a strategic priority” for Tractor Supply but now you get to hear him say it himself.
Here he explains how important DEI is to him and credits his DEI push for a white employee helping… pic.twitter.com/lrBSASAUSg
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) June 24, 2024
After its new policy emerged, he wrote Thursday, “After 3 weeks of researching and reporting on @TractorSupply going woke, they responded with the most dramatic policy reversal I’ve ever seen. This is a massive victory for sanity and the single biggest boycott win of our lifetime.”
Yesterday we struck a blow to the heart of the leftism that’s infected corporate America. We showed that normal people want sanity back and we’ll organize to get it.
Companies are worried about who’s next. 👀
This is the beginning of the end for wokeness. pic.twitter.com/zCHNAwdaf2
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) June 28, 2024
Do you shop at Tractor Supply?
“Yesterday we struck a blow to the heart of the leftism that’s infected corporate America. We showed that normal people want sanity back and we’ll organize to get it. Companies are worried about who’s next. This is the beginning of the end for wokeness,” he wrote in another Friday post.
The company said it was listening to its critics.
“We work hard to live up to our Mission and Values every day and represent the values of the communities and customers we serve. We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart,” the company wrote in a statement on its website
“Going forward, we will ensure our activities and giving tie directly to our business,” the company said, adding that it will “No longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign” and “Refocus our Team Member Engagement Groups on mentoring, networking and supporting the business.”
Statement from Tractor Supply pic.twitter.com/ZMweR8JVuy
— Tractor Supply (@TractorSupply) June 27, 2024
The company said it will “Further focus on rural America priorities including ag education, animal welfare, veteran causes and being a good neighbor and stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns.”
Tractor Supply said it will “Eliminate DEI roles and retire our current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment.”
Further, the company said it will “Withdraw our carbon emission goals and focus on our land and water conservation efforts.”
“We are passionate about being good neighbors in our hometowns because without you, we would not be what we are. It is imperative to us that our customers’ hard-earned dollars are taking care of our Team Members and the communities we all love,” Tractor Supply said in its statement.
Tractor Supply had previously said it would achieve net zero emissions by 2040, and that by 2026 it would increase non-white upper management staffing by 50 percent, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Bloomberg framed the change as a response to social media criticism of the chain, adding that more than 50 companies are shifting away from making DEI goals a major part of executive compensation, citing information from Farient Advisors, a consulting firm.
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