- Lego Drops Diversity Terms from Annual ESG Report
- Movie Chain to Pay $250K in Age Discrimination Lawsuit
- Report: 1 in 5 Remote Workers Plan to Relocate in 2025
- Survey Shows Employees Overwhelmingly Support Expanding DEI Initiatives
Lego Drops Diversity Terms from Annual ESG Report
As reported by The Guardian, Danish toymaker Lego has removed terms such as “diversity,” “LGBTQ+” and “people of color” from its 2024 Sustainability Statement. The 2023 document mentioned “diversity and inclusion” in three places, including in the opening remarks by Lego’s chief executive, Niels Christiansen, but the phrase is missing in its latest release.
The 2024 report does discuss gender breakdown, but for the first time, it makes a point of saying “appointments are made on merit,” echoing language used by the U.S. government. The Guardian reports several companies across the EU have reportedly received letters from U.S. representatives telling them that the rollback applies to firms around the world looking to do business with the States.
Lego told The Guardian it remained fully committed to its diversity and inclusion initiatives. The diversity page on the Lego Group’s website is still active.
“Every year we review and adapt our reporting to ensure it complies with latest requirements and reflects our plans and results,” a Lego spokesperson told the British publication. “The 2024 sustainability statement does not represent a change in our ongoing approach to diversity and inclusion.”
Movie Chain to Pay $250K in Age Discrimination Lawsuit
In an April 10 announcement, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said Allen Theatres, Inc., which operates a chain of movie theaters across New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, will pay a total of $250,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Allen Theatres’ president forced Abby Parrish, who had been a theater manager for 31 years in Clovis, N.M., to retire in September 2020 because he was 73 years old. The company refused to allow him to work in March 2021 when the theaters reopened after the pandemic.
The agency also alleged Allen Theatres had a companywide discriminatory compensation policy that stopped paying for Parrish’s family health insurance coverage because he was over 65 years old and eligible for Medicare.
This same discriminatory pay policy resulted in Allen Theatres paying less compensation to a class of employees, age 65 and over, including Charles Green, director of IT for the company in Las Cruces, N.M.
This alleged conduct violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits discrimination in the hiring, firing, and compensation of employees 40 years old or older because of their age.
Additionally, the EEOC said the two-year consent decree settling the suit requires Allen Theatres to offer health insurance coverage under the company’s health benefit plan to any current employee who is 65 years old or over and not currently enrolled in the company’s health plan.
Report: 1 in 5 Remote Workers Plan to Relocate in 2025
Despite economic uncertainties, 1 in 5 remote workers plan to move in 2025, according to a new report by Howdy, a recruitment software platform. The survey featured 1,002 fully U.S. remote workers.
Top drivers of relocation included:
- Cost of living (40%)
- Family (39%)
- Better lifestyle/weather/amenities (36%)
- More living space (30%)
- Work/life balance (23%)
- Politics (10%)
The report also found:
- 75% of workers are worried about finding another remote position if they quit.
- 59% of workers would accept lower salaries to guarantee permanent remote work
- 56% admit to staying at jobs they don't like because of their remote team status.
The threat of losing remote work flexibility creates anxiety for a third of workers (33%) and would prompt strong reactions if mandated:
- 58% would attempt to negotiate continued remote arrangements.
- 30% would quit outright to find another remote position.
- 12% would comply with a return-to-office mandate.
Survey Shows Employees Overwhelmingly Support Expanding DEI Initiatives
Eighty-four percent of employees believe companies should expand their diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI) efforts despite ongoing political debates and corporate hesitations, according to a recent survey by career platform MyPerfectResume. The company surveyed 1,000 U.S. employees on Feb. 3.
Additional key findings included:
- Only 5% believe DEI should be scaled back.
- 69% fear corporate DEI rollbacks will trigger industry-wide cutbacks.
- 65% say reducing DEI efforts will significantly harm employee retention.
- 64% believe workplace morale will suffer.
The survey also identified key strategies to sustain and enhance DEI initiatives:
- 28% support strengthening employee resource groups.
- 28% want better communication about DEI goals.
- 27% emphasize regular pay equity reviews.
- 27% advocate for more diverse hiring and promotion practices.
- 26% believe leadership must be more accountable for DEI success.
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