There might be a better title but it’ll do.
Corporations insincerely adopt progressive themes because, at least in most Western countries, it’s become increasingly accepted, popular and seen as ethical in the dominant culture, and therefore is a good marketing strategy for reputation management.
This phenomenon is widespread, but some core examples are pink/rainbow capitalism, greenwashing, and spin (e.g. presenting exploitation such as outsourcing labor to cheaper markets as “diversity”, as opposed to actual diversity programs). A classic example of this insincerity is various companies (Bethesda, BMW, Cisco, General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, Pfizer, Vogue and many more) famously adopting social media rainbow Pride logos only in some regions but not others - improving conditions for SGM is evidently not a true company value, it’s marketing.
I assume that before the normalization of progressive values in these markets, the same type of phony value signaling existed to exploit the dominant values of the time. For example, in the US, patriotism and Christianity.
I believe this is an useful topic to explore, because it can give us tools to explain to some of the more casual ‘anti-woke’ crowd the difference between progressivism and insincere corporate pandering, perhaps by comparing it with examples of corporate pandering abusing their values, perhaps the notorious commercialization of Christmas and Easter holidays for an example.
You’re missing a major incentive. Over the course of several decades, laws prohibiting discriminatory behavior internally and externally were passed. At the same time, unions became less militant and less democratic. So workers try to turn to the new laws to stand up for themselves. Especially middle- and upper- sections because they have the independent resources and systemic support.
The various waves of HR interventions are defenses against the above. Polices, trainings, disciplines, hiring practices, codes of conduct etc. Which are implemented in ways that are unserious, under-resourced, lots of loopsholes, designed to breed resentment, etc. But enough that if there is a problem, the boss can say “we did everything we could”. So any legal consequences will be eliminated or reduced.
Rainbow capitalism is a slightly different situation but in context of the above. After the western AIDS crisis settled down, LGBTQ+ leadership was entirely seized by wealthy people who were the least dead and least traumatized of everyone. They took advantage of work done by others to benefit their own individual positions.
It’s all in the context of capitalism being inherently about exploitation. There is no such thing as a woke corporation. it can’t happen.