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> In additon to your points, one thing about DEI initiatives that I don't like is how they ignore other types of diversity, including people with disabilities
by kenjackson 3y ago
> In additon to your points, one thing about DEI initiatives that I don't like is how they ignore other types of diversity, including people with disabilities
This varies. I've led DEI initiatives and one of the points I make is "there's diversity in diversity". Meaning it isn't just gender and ethnicity. I do believe that actually caring about people is the most important thing, and I've found that people who do care about others generally share the trait that they want diversity in their environment -- at least certain types of diversity that aren't inherently detrimental to the work they do (e.g., you probably don't want small/light offensive linemen). The reason for this is because I think most rational people who care realize they have major gaps in their understanding and want to bring in more people, in whatever capacity makes sense.
While I don't have anything near conclusive data, the people most against DEI tend to be the most insular in general. That said, often those the most extreme for "DEI initiatives" aren't really pro-DEI -- rather they are just pro their specific group, which just reduces to being the same as those that are against DEI.
- giantg2 3y agoI've seen people say this sort of stuff, even within/leading the programs. But actions speak louder than words. The organizations specifically track ethnicity and gender without tracking other diversity factors. My own organization contracted with Auticon for an extremely small number of roles and made a huge publicity push about it. When asked what programs or assistance they have for neurodivergent employees, they had none. Any sort of career pathing or placement assistance for candidates with this issue - no. The people leading the efforts or training might care, but the people in power don't.
- kenjackson 3y agoThe people in power in your company may care more than you think. The issue is that the folks that track this stuff outside of the company probably don't care. The reason for this is because there are certain classes of diversity that are legally protected (at least in the US). And there is historical context that generally increases sensitivity around those issues. At least for us, that resulted in us having to make sure we had tracking data for, race, sex, age, and disability. But other types of diversity we still cared about, but didn't spend the same amount of time on. It's not a perfect system, but the intent was there.
- 8f2ab37a-ed6c 3y agoUnfortunately, believing that Diversity isn't just "visual diversity" will get you fired at the world's finest corporations: https://nypost.com/2017/11/17/apples-diversity-chief-lasts-just-six-months/ https://nypost.com/2017/11/17/apples-diversity-chief-lasts-j...