The controversy began when a whistleblower shared screenshots of an internal Best Buy memo with the O'Keefe Media Group, revealing the existence of "management leadership academy programs" in partnership with global management consultant McKinsey & Company.
These programs aim to enhance employees' leadership skills through a mini-MBA style curriculum. However, the allegations suggest that these programs are excluding white employees.
According to the reported memo, Best Buy announced the partnership with McKinsey & Company, stating, "We're excited to announce awesome news about the McKinsey professional development programs! As a part of Best Buy's commitment to develop and support our employees, we've partnered with McKinsey & Company to offer the McKinsey Leadership Programs."
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The memo further explained that the programs customize their curriculum and discussions to the unique situations, experiences, and opportunities of diverse professionals.
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One of the alleged requirements for consideration in these leadership programs is that candidates must identify as black, Latino, Hispanic, Asian, or Pacific Islander. Screenshots of the online application for the programs show that applicants are asked if they belong to any of these racial categories in order to advance in the application process.
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The O'Keefe Media Group shared the alleged screenshots of the memo and application on Twitter, captioning it, "A citizen journalist has revealed Best Buy is partnering with McKinsey & Company on a Management Training Program. The program is not open to white applicants. 'Candidates must meet the [racial] requirements below.'"
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Best Buy had announced the diversity initiative on its corporate website in July 2022, stating that the leadership programs would help establish a diverse workforce. The website reads, "As part of Best Buy's commitment to develop and support our employees who identify as black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC), we've partnered with McKinsey & Company to offer the McKinsey Management Accelerator program."
The site further explains that the program focuses on professional career development by customizing its curriculum and discussions to the unique situations, experiences, and opportunities of BIPOC professionals.
Joslyn Knight, a Best Buy distribution operations support senior analyst, shared her positive experience with the McKinsey Accelerator Program, saying, "The McKinsey Accelerator Program has been a great challenge for my leadership skillset. Having other people of color in the program took away the facade I've always had to bear as a minority and allowed me to participate as a true student without having to worry about how I appear as a person of color in a space."
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Best Buy initially introduced the McKinsey Accelerator Program in 2020, offering one course exclusively for black employees. Since then, the program has expanded to include Hispanic, Latino, and Asian employees.
McKinsey & Company, the consulting firm partnering with Best Buy, emphasizes its commitment to diversity and inclusion on its website. The company states, "At McKinsey, diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just moral imperatives, they are integral to our dual mission – to help our clients make substantial, lasting performance improvements and to build a firm that attracts, develops, excites, and retains exceptional people."
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McKinsey also highlights its dedication to addressing climate change and achieving net-zero climate impact by 2030.
The controversy surrounding Best Buy's alleged exclusion of white employees from the leadership programs has sparked calls for a boycott on social media. One Twitter user declared, "It's time to Bud Light Best Buy." However, Best Buy has not responded to requests for comment from TheStreet.
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This is not the first time Best Buy has faced controversy. In 2021, the company offered "mental health resources" and "counseling services" to employees distressed over Kyle Rittenhouse being acquitted of all charges from the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Mark Irvin, the chief inclusion, diversity, and talent officer for Best Buy, addressed the situation, stating, "The verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse's trial stirs many emotions, and it's another difficult moment for our nation." He encouraged employees to reflect on the values that unite them and assured them of Best Buy's support for their mental health and emotional well-being.
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