FT: Deloitte asks consultants to US government to remove gender pronouns from emails

Deloitte US has instructed employees working on government contracts to remove gender pronouns from their email signatures and has decided to discontinue its broader diversity and inclusion (DEI) programs, reflecting a shift in company policies following the election of Donald Trump.

According to sources familiar with the matter, cited by Financial Times, consultants at the Big Four firm who work with the US government were asked last week to remove gender pronouns from their external emails, Caliber.Az reports.

An email sent to employees in Deloitte’s government and public services practice, which employs around 15,000 people, noted that this change was being made “to align with emerging government client practices and requirements.”

In a separate communication sent on February 10, Deloitte US announced it would also “sunset” its diversity goals, the annual diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) report, and its DEI programming.

Deloitte's decision follows a similar move by Accenture, which last week scrapped its global diversity goals and career programs targeting specific demographic groups, citing a review of the evolving political climate in the US.

In one of his first acts after returning to the White House last month, Trump issued an executive order instructing federal agencies to remove all references to “gender ideology” from official communications. The order, aimed at “restoring biological truth” to the federal government, declared that the US government would recognize only two sexes in all official documents.

While the order did not require private companies to take specific actions, it mandated that federal agencies ensure no funds would be used to promote gender ideology and that agencies should consider "grantee preferences" when entering into contracts. This prompted a review of federal contracts to ensure they were not promoting gender ideology.

As part of the changes at Deloitte, the firm issued a new signature template for employees in its US government consulting division, requiring them to update their email signatures by February 7. In another email sent this week, the firm announced it would remove its DEI programs after conducting a “detailed review of all pertinent government directives to ensure compliance.”

Previously, Deloitte had set ambitious DEI goals, including a commitment to spend $200 million with Black-led businesses and to improve gender and ethnic diversity among its US partners, principals, and managing directors by 2025. However, the company will continue certain initiatives, such as Heritage Month events, internal ethnic networks, and inclusion councils. It also emphasized its commitment to fair and non-discriminatory hiring practices.

The company’s message to staff included a note, saying, “Everyone is welcome at Deloitte,” and urging staff to “please take care of each other.”

While Deloitte confirmed it had directed its government consultants to update their email signatures, it declined to comment on the removal of DEI targets. “As a US government contractor, we have a long-standing track record of compliance with new governmental requirements,” the company added.

By Tamilla Hasanova