The Quickshift
- Harley-Davidson issued a statement on X regarding the recent social media controversy about whether it is working to include all of its employees or not
- The company's statement says that it supports the general vibe of employee inclusion, but that it is also not actively taking further concrete action to foster it among employees
- The squeaky wheel essentially got the grease, but the resulting statement is frustratingly vague
What's the first rule of the Internet? No, I'm not talking about rule 34. I'm talking about not feeding the trolls.
Of course, it's a thing that's exponentially more difficult if those trolls have any sort of major platform, and even more so if they're effectively yelling into a digital megaphone.
Yet, Harley could've left things alone. It could've left a handful of trolls spout false things about it being woke. But it chose not to. Instead, it posted a mealymouthed response statement on its official X feed.
I won't quote the whole thing here, because you can read the post in its entirety for yourself. But I will quote the relevant bits because it feels ... well, empty.
We remain committed to listening to all members of our community as we continue on our journey together as one Harley-Davidson. United We Ride. pic.twitter.com/0feGYhTUMh
— Harley-Davidson (@harleydavidson) August 19, 2024
And this feels especially true after I attended Harley Homecoming earlier this year, where I got to see a veritable sea of bikes and the riders who love them. I also got to see how many different groups of people have purposely sought to make Harley-Davidson and its bikes a highly valued part of their lives and personal identities.
But here's what stands out to me about this statement.
Under the bullet point about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), it states, "We see it as every leader's role to ensure we have an employee base that reflects our customers and the geographies in which we operate. It is critical to our business that we hire and retain the best talent and that all employees feel welcome." Emphasis mine.
But then, in the very next sentence, it says "That said, we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today."
Since some folks have twisted the actual meaning of DEI to fit their own purposes, here's how the American Psychological Association defines it:
"Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is a conceptual framework that promotes the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially populations that have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity, disability, etc.
Equity involves providing resources according to the need to help diverse populations achieve their highest state of health and other functioning.
Diversity refers to the representation or composition of various social identity groups in a work group, organization, or community.
Inclusion strives for an environment that offers affirmation, celebration, and appreciation of different approaches, styles, perspectives, and experiences."
That's it. That's the point. The entire point of DEI, by this definition is to do what Harley said earlier in this statement that it wants to do: Make all of its employees feel welcome. White employees, employees of color, straight employees, LGBTQIA+ employees, and folks who might hold more than one of those identities.
As employees anywhere, no matter what our personal backgrounds or differences might be, that should be a thing that we all want. And yet, some people have a problem with this idea. And even more unfortunately, some of those people are very loud.
The other point that Harley mentions in its statement that stood out here is the point that "Harley-Davidson will not participate in HRC scoring going forward."
Presumably, this refers to the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, which rates participating employers on five criteria: Workforce Protections, Inclusive Benefits, Internal Training and Inclusive Culture, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Responsible Citizenship.
We can't say what's in the hearts and minds of anyone involved here, but we can say that Harley's score on the HRC Corporate Equality Index for 2023 wasn't very good. In fact, it only scored 45 points out of a possible 100.
Which, if you're a self-proclaimed "anti-woke crusader," probably doesn't fit your narrative. I mean, it'd be a solid F in 'wokeness' if it was a subject graded in a classroom.
But on the other hand, if you're a fan who was hoping that the internationally renowned American motorcycle company was making positive changes with the times toward inclusivity, it's also a disappointment.
Could that be another reason that the Motor Company no longer wishes to participate in this scoring? Who can say for sure? Certainly not me.
The thing is, I appreciate that Harley-Davidson, as a company, finds itself in a difficult position. Critics have long moaned about the company not making any changes or moving away from iterations of the classic designs that it's been making since practically forever.
In the past few years, it's come up with something genuinely interesting in the Pan-America 1250, which is a solid step into the present and maybe even the future. And then there's LiveWire, which is a whole separate and enormous can of worms.
And yet, there are some fans who find the idea of liquid cooling over air cooling to be controversial, or who might still be salty about the incorporation of fuel injection instead of carburetion. What are you supposed to do with mentalities like that?
But like any company with a long history, it needs to either evolve and change with the times or else die out completely when the last of its aging fanbase finally goes toe up.
So, how do you change? How do you make your employees and customers (including new ones, and potential ones) feel welcome?
I don't have all the answers. But I feel pretty confident in saying that halfhearted walkback statements that seem to do the opposite of what you claim you want to do ain't it. And they ring hollow.
'Answers' like this make no one happy. It might have been a better move to not have said anything at all, if this is the best you could do.
