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Deloitte U.S. has asked employees working in government contracts to remove gender pronouns from email signatures and abandon its broader diversity and inclusion program, the latest in the company’s transfer policy after the Donald Trump election sign.
Advisors at the four major companies working in the U.S. government last week were asked to remove pronouns to indicate their gender in emails sent from outside, according to people familiar with the details.
In emails from the company’s approximately 15,000 employees in government and public service practices, employees were asked to make changes “in line with customer practices and requirements of emerging governments.”
Deloitte America will also “sunset” its diversity goals, annual diversity, equity and inclusion reports, and the company’s DEI “programming,” said another email seen Monday and the Financial Times.
Deloitte US is the latest company to update policies that last week canceled its global diversity goals and population-specific career programs and took “assessment” as “assessment” to “assessment.”
In his first action to return to the White House last month, Trump directed federal agencies to clear all references to “gender ideology” from their exchanges.
The direction is part of an executive order aimed at “restoring the truth of the federal government’s biological science,” which states that, in all official documents and messaging, recognition of gender is only U.S. government policy.
Although the order did not direct private companies to take concrete actions, it requires government agencies to ensure that “federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology” and that agencies should consider “donor preferences” when signing contracts.
An upcoming White House official told reporters at the time that the change would require a review of federal contracts to ensure that they are “not given to them in a way that promotes gender ideology.”
According to the person who received the message, in an email to U.S. government adviser last week, Deloitte provided a new signature template for employees to set up by February 7.
In another email this week, Deloitte U.S. said it would conduct a detailed review of all relevant government directives to ensure we comply with them.
The accounting and consulting firm has previously set a series of DEI goals aimed at achieving by 2025, including spending $200 million with “black-led businesses” and boosting its U.S. partners, principals and managing directors Gender balance and racial diversity.
The email added that the company will continue to carry out some initiatives, including the Heritage Month event, an internal racial network and the “Inclusion Commission”, adding that hiring practices will be continuously improved to make it “equitable, non-discriminatory.”
The news said: “Everyone is welcome to Deloitte.” The staff asked to “please take care of each other.”
Deloitte US confirmed that guidance on email signatures has been provided to employees in government and public service practices, but declined to comment on DEI goals.
It added: “As a U.S. government contractor, we have a long-term record of complying with the new government requirements.”
The White House, which is responsible for government agencies’ spending and the Office of Management and Budget did not respond to requests for comment.
