EEOC Republican Casts Doubt on ‘Business Case’ for Workplace DEI

EEOC Commissioner Andrea Lucas said she has doubts about studies finding that workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts boost corporate profitability, arguing on Wednesday that DEI driven by profit motives in reality risks harming the traditionally marginalized workers it claims to help.

Lucas, a Republican on the five-member US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said at a conference hosted by New York University School of Law that DEI programs are “check-the-box” efforts that employers implement in response to demands from investors and activists to meet regulatory requirements or enhance public image.

These efforts don’t genuinely seek to foster inclusivity and equity, ...