Deloitte tells some staff to remove pronouns from their email signatures

Deloitte US told staff it would “sunset” some DEI programs.

Deloitte has told some staff to remove pronouns from their email signatures.

The move by the world’s largest professional services firm comes amid a pullback on its diversity programs in the US that is not being followed by the UK division.

“We will sunset our workforce and business aspirational diversity goals, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Transparency report, and our DEI programming,” Doug Beaudoin, Deloitte’s chief people officer, told employees in an email sent on Monday and seen by B-17.

He wrote that the changes followed “a detailed review of all pertinent government directives to ensure we comply with their requirements, both as a private enterprise and as a government contractor.” That review was in line with “others in the marketplace.”

“Everyone is welcome at Deloitte,” Beaudoin emphasized in bold text in the email.

The memo comes a week after Deloitte asked workers in its Government & Public Services division, which serves the public sector, to remove pronouns from their email signatures.

In a February 5 memo seen by B-17, staff in that division were told to update their email signature template “to align with emerging government client practices and requirements.”

“Please note that the template is limited to name, role information, and business contact information. Any other personal information, including quotes, taglines or pronouns, should not be included,” the directive said.

Government & Public Services workers have a “longstanding commitment to compliance with US government requirements,” the memo said.

The memo about the email signatures was first reported by The Financial Times.

While the changes to DEI programs apply to Deloitte’s 173,000 US employees, its UK operation remained “committed” to diversity goals and would continue to report annually on its progress on inclusion.

The comments were made in a memo sent on Tuesday by Richard Houston, senior partner and chief executive of Deloitte UK, and seen by B-17. Houston said he was sending the memo in response to media coverage of the US DEI changes.

“Events in the external landscape do not change our commitment to building an inclusive culture and helping all our people to reach their full potential,” he wrote.

Addressing Deloitte US’s changes on DEI, Houston told the UK workforce that leaders had “been clear that this reflects the need to remain fully compliant with federal laws.”

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end diversity programs across the federal government and ordered all federal DEI staffers to be placed on leave while their departments are disbanded.

Last week, Trump’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi, instructed the Department of Justice to “investigate, eliminate, and penalize” any “illegal” DEI programs at private sector companies and universities that receive federal funds.

Deloitte receives $3.2 billion annually through its contracts with federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Health and Human Services.

A Deloitte employee in the GPS division, who did not want to be named as they were not permitted to speak to the media, told B-17 the email signature request was made to “minimize potential risk exposure” and “maintain goodwill” with the White House.

“Deloitte is taking the ‘better to be safe, than sorry’ approach here,” the person said.

Deloitte drew criticism from Trump supporters after an employee was accused of leaking JD Vance’s old messages in which he was critical of the president. 

Deloitte has already clashed with the MAGA movement after one of its employees was revealed to have leaked messages sent by now-Vice President JD Vance in 2020 that were highly critical of Trump to The Washington Post.

In September 2024, Donald Trump Jr. posted the name of the Deloitte executive accused of leaking messages on X.

“Deloitte also gets $2B in govt contracts. Maybe it’s time for the GOP to end Deloitte’s taxpayer funded gravy train?” the president’s son said.

The Big Four firm joins a growing list of companies, including Meta, Walmart, and Target, that have rolled back their DEI policies in recent months.

Last week, fellow consulting giant Accenture told staff it was revising its DEI policies. The consultancy chose similar phrasing to Deloitte, telling staff in an internal memo that it was “sunsetting” existing goals and programs.

Deloitte did not immediately respond to a request for comment from B-17.