The machinery maker has refocused its employee programs on core business goals. DEI advocates say the move could hurt in the long run.
Caterpillar Inc. has introduced new guidelines that refocus the company’s various employee programs on core business goals as part a broader review of its Code of Conduct and other underpinnings of corporate culture.
With the move, the company joins a growing number of U.S. companies that are rethinking policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as such initiatives come under pressure from conservative activists.
The updated guidelines, laid out in a Sept. 19 internal memo from the company’s executive office to employees that was viewed by The Epoch Times, include mandating senior management approval for external speakers at company events, concentrating employee training programs on promoting “high performance,” and establishing new rules for employee resource groups.
Caterpillar executives wrote in the memo that the new guidance comes after a “comprehensive review” of programs and policies, with the changes meant to better align the company’s culture with its enterprise strategy.
“All training, both formal and informal, must be focused on our business and designed to foster high performance and execution of our enterprise strategy,” the memo reads.
Initiatives related to external recognition for employees, such as surveys and awards, must be focused on the company’s business objectives and be approved in writing by upper level management.
The use of any external speakers must also be approved by managers, who are responsible for ensuring that speakers are properly vetted and that the content “aligns to our enterprise strategy and our purpose.”
Employee Resource Groups (ERG), which Caterpillar says exist “to foster an inclusive culture” through networking, mentoring, and staff development opportunities, must now operate explicitly “in support of enterprise strategy,” with the memo indicating that the company will provide more detailed ERG guidelines for staff in the near future.
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who has campaigned against DEI programs at other companies, claimed in a post on social media that the changes at Caterpillar were made after he began communicating with the company last week and threatened “to expose their woke policies.”
By Tom Ozimek
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