I don't want to do "DEI Work" at work

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

I am a POc and it’s annoying AF. I don’t want to do an DEI training. Such a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

I am a POc and it’s annoying AF. I don’t want to do an DEI training. Such a waste of time.

Another minority here who thinks dei = BS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do a little DEI work and work closely with a number of DEI consultants (some much better than others). One reality of DEI work is that when a company or organization chooses to value it and "push it" among their workforce, there will absolutely be people who push back to various degrees, don't participate, or find it problematic/unpleasant/not worth it. And most of the time, if the organization is being consistent and not performative, those people find their way out either on their own or because their value/culture-conflict begins to impact their work and ability to interact well with colleagues negatively.

So, looks like some people here need to find a new job.

As long as it’s for checking a box, it’s fine. However, when sup-optimal decisions start getting made based on it, people start walking. I left an agency that got worked up by DEI. Suddenly, you couldn’t interview if you didn’t have candidates from several races, especially black. Same with the interview panel. If you didn’t hire a minority, management and HR wanted to review the options and understand why the minority wasn’t selected. Sometimes, they agreed that the minority was not the best qualified candidate but argued that we should provide them an opportunity and coach them.

Same thing with existing minorities. Suddenly, they started getting promotions for no reason. Some completed degrees at terrible online colleges, but management and HR decided that a degree was a degree and so these people were now qualified for jobs that required a degree. In reality, their responsibilities didn’t change much, but their titles and pay did.

In sum, the agency became a sh*t show of incompetency, but some greatly benefited from it. No thank you.

True story: my FIL works in finance and he went on and on at Christmas about how the woman who got promoted ahead of him only got the job because she’s Asian and it’s a DEI thing. The fact that he’s a raging ahole and a whiny baby who no one wants to work for honestly does not occur to him. Genuinely, it’s incredible. I mean I can’t think of anyone I would rather have as a manager less. I’d rather report to that chat bot. But he genuinely believes he was passed over because of DEI-driven hiring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

But truly, what?? People are treated as people at my workplace. They don't deal with any crap that's different from the rest of us.

White supremacy culture. Perfectionism, punctuality, etc. These are all standards for the workplace created by whites that contribute to harming minorities.

What tortured mental gymnastics. So POC should be allowed to be 3 hours late or it is “white supremacy?” You are deranged.

DP but I think they were joking. Hope so, at least!

Yes, there is some racist B on this board who is obsessed with DEI topics. She doesn’t have any actual arguments she can articulate so all she does is try to mock and ridicule in bad-faith. She should be ordered to undergo sensitivity training.

Actually, there are those arguing that valuing punctuality is racist: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_bias_of_professionalism_standards (scroll to “timeliness” paragraph)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

But truly, what?? People are treated as people at my workplace. They don't deal with any crap that's different from the rest of us.

White supremacy culture. Perfectionism, punctuality, etc. These are all standards for the workplace created by whites that contribute to harming minorities.

+1. Also performance metrics. Another invention of the white supremacists to suppress minorities.

This is the shit I can’t get behind. Performance metrics were created to suppress minorities? Performance metrics evaluate whether you’re meeting the expectations of your job.

Yes, but the metrics themselves are often racist and discriminatory. E.g., maybe a salesperson is not a top seller but they contribute in other ways to the office.

I'm the PP that wrote about metrics and it's exactly this. Notice all the racist white people that jumped down my throat when I posted that.

I’m confused why it’s racist to expect a salesperson to make sales. If they do other things, that’s a different job entirely (bookkeeper, office manager, etc).

DP. Metrics, numbers, “bottom lines”—these are arguably racist things.

How? Could you explain the argument?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work for a smallish company (40 or so people) and my company decided we need to begin a DEI learning journey. Now, I understand that everyone has their own priorities in this type of work and also that it's a very personal thing. Why is my company, whose work/clients are not related to DEI (we work in consulting), forcing this on us as a staff? I just want to focus on my work, support my clients/projects, and not have to do all this other stuff that will add hours to the already too short work days.

Why is this a part of our workplace? What if I don't want to have these conversations with my coworkers. I don't want them to know my racial/cultural backgrounds and how I feel about certain issues.

Anyone else dealing with this? It feels forced and uncomfortable.

I feel like we get a new version of this post every two or three months. Are you people 100 years old or what? My federal agency, which has a lot of old fossils and more than its share of white dudes that have been perpetually in charge has successfully accepted DEI.

I think this is one in a series of trolls. If it's not, then OP you need to retire or get with the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

But truly, what?? People are treated as people at my workplace. They don't deal with any crap that's different from the rest of us.

I get it, OP, this post is EXACTLY why DEI is needed.You have no clue what they deal with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

But truly, what?? People are treated as people at my workplace. They don't deal with any crap that's different from the rest of us.

I get it, OP, this post is EXACTLY why DEI is needed.You have no clue what they deal with.

So can anyone explain what they actually deal with? So far we’ve had one pretty white girl who thinks this is needed even though she herself hasn’t experienced any discrimination. I’d like to hear from those who have.

[Anonymous]

The best way for me to do “DEI work” was to go and spend sometime somewhere where l was “an only”. A Black church as “white” person”, an all woman-team as a man, a work environment where English was not the main language spoken or used daily, etx. It really opens your eyes to how others feel in a space that feels natural to oneself— like a fish unaware of the water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best way for me to do “DEI work” was to go and spend sometime somewhere where l was “an only”. A Black church as “white” person”, an all woman-team as a man, a work environment where English was not the main language spoken or used daily, etx. It really opens your eyes to how others feel in a space that feels natural to oneself— like a fish unaware of the water.

No one was “mean” or disrespectful to me in those spaces but just a little more of my psychological energy was spent feeling out of place, and that definitely took a toll on my productivity and/or ability to perform tasks assigned

[Anonymous]

OP

If everything looks good and diverse to you and you think bringing in this facilitator is a waste and can cause harm, as the lead, why don't you conduct a confidential survey to ask specific question around how valuable people feel about their contributions, opinions, work, and general socialization in your workplace? Ask questions about respect, how people feel respected by peers, external clients, leadership, and for leaders (since you indicated you also have a very diverse cross representation at all levels) those not in leadership that they lead or in other divisions of your organization.

If your organization is really as great as you think along the lines of DEIA, you will get a good number of respondents, they will want to tell you how they feel valued and respected.

Low response rate? This is telling you that visually diverse group you see with no problems can't even get it together to complete maybe 8-10 questions on their perceptions of their value and respect given to them.

Or, you may be surprised about the answers you get of those who respond.

You don't need to ask gender, race, orientation, or disability status. People are telling you about their value and respect and if they feel they have a voice or avenue to address perceived conflicts with receiving or giving either.

DEIA in the workplace is about practices and cultures that allow for respect and how well they value their staff. That's my opinion on this.

Leave some open text for comments to any of the questions.

These are the things you want to center your employee sessions around. It's not about making someone feel worse than the way they've ignored or made others feel. It's about the positive reinforcement of behaviors that revolve around value, respect, and working together to communicate and get your organizations work accomplished.

Or you can just continue to revel in your discomfort and how this could be the worst session possible. And it will be, so you never have to do it again and people can continue to stay in their comfort zone and not be challenged to act and interact differently that is honest, direct, respectful, and kind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

I am a POc and it’s annoying AF. I don’t want to do an DEI training. Such a waste of time.

Another minority here who thinks dei = BS

Only because it's preaching to the choir and you straight up racists won't change.

[Anonymous]

You have lived too long.

It is 2023 Rip Van Winkle, and this is on everyone's agenda now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

I am a POc and it’s annoying AF. I don’t want to do an DEI training. Such a waste of time.

Another minority here who thinks dei = BS

Only because it's preaching to the choir and you straight up racists won't change.

x1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s uncomfortable, a distraction, and unpleasant. Which is exactly how your non-white/gay/whatever colleagues may well feel about the crap that they deal with every day in the workplace.

Exactly.