An advocacy group that champions diversity won’t be holding John Deere’s feet to the fire, after all. The nonprofit withdrew its shareholder proposal seeking more workforce data “after a number of dialogues over several months with Deere & Co. staff on its intention to pursue strategic human capital management to maximize long-term growth.”
A nonprofit shareholder advocacy group that contends DEI initiatives improve long-term corporate performance has withdrawn a proposal it submitted to John Deere asking the farm equipment giant to disclose more employee recruitment and retainment data.
The conciliatory move by Berkeley, California-based As You Sow raises doubt about the extent to which Deere plans to plow under its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The company drew headlines last July when it announced on social media that it would no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events and that it would audit all training materials “to ensure the absence of socially-motivated messages.”
