Does DEIB Make a Difference for MULO Brands?
The issue of DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) has become hot in the U.S. these days. Programs are being slashed at a government level and some of the private sector is following suit.
MULO (multi-location) brands now need to think even harder about their hiring policies and public images. Consumers have taken to social media to publish their own lists of which companies are DEI-friendly and which should be boycotted.
Without getting bogged down in political quagmire, let’s simply look at why having a diverse workforce makes sense for any MULO company.
- Being open to all kinds of talent makes hiring easier, especially for minimum-wage positions. Older adults may be seeking supplemental income and have some of the seasoned customer service skills you seek. Digitally fluent hires of any age will become even more valuable as self-service checkout proliferates and AI becomes commonplace within retail and restaurant operations.
- Your employee base can better serve the local communities in which you operate if they mirror your customer profile.
- As noted above, corporate reputation can lie in the hands of consumers with significant online followings and influence. If a much-respected source of buying data rails against your company for not being sensitive to its consumers, the online truth becomes a reality. Messaging matters.
- Policies may, in fact, have a real bottom-line impact. We saw that Target’s foot traffic declined due to its backpedaling on DEI, while Costco’s sales grew.
Websites like this one have begun reporting on policy decisions as they occur, and shoppers and diners who care about DEI-related issues can easily find them when deciding who will get a share of their wallets.
Marketing media is watching closely to see how DEI pushback will impact the advertising landscape. For example, brands may no longer run targeted campaigns built around Black History Month or International Women’s Day.
Humans (as talent for brick-and-mortar brands and potential spenders) are still very much a part of the tech-powered MULO ecosystem. How you build a leadership team, hire employees and serve your local communities can directly impact your public image, consumer decisions, and talent pool/retention.
To learn more about the human/technology “marriage” and what the MULO workforce of the future may look like, join us at Street Fight LIVE 2025, where we’ll have a panel specifically on that topic. Leave your politics at home and we’ll simply talk about what skills your team needs — today and tomorrow.
