5 ms·

> "We ask people what they think about diversity, and we did weed people out because of that" Is that kind of questioning even legal during an interview? Or i

by notsony 12y ago

> "We ask people what they think about diversity, and we did weed people out because of that" Is that kind of questioning even legal during an interview? Or is it done after hours, at a drink to get to know the candidate better? Does the interviewer pretend to be a bigot just to see what the candidate's reaction is? What happened to just hiring the best people for a job rather than trying to create a corporate utopia?

zaroth 12y ago
Yes, it is legal. Your opinions on workplace diversity are not a protected class. If it's not a protected class, it is legal to discriminate based on it. Hiring standards cannot create an "artificial, arbitrary, or unnecessary barrier to employment" ... "which adversely affects equal employment opportunity for a protected class of persons." So e.g. weightlifting requirement, if not central to the job at hand (as in the case I quoted) would not be allowed because it's an artificial barrier which excludes women. This standard is arguably artificial and unnecessary, but it would be hard to show it adversely affects employment opportunity of a protected class.
na85 12y ago
>What happened to just hiring the best people for a job rather than trying to create a corporate utopia? Perhaps Ms. Pao feels that pro-diversity attitudes make the best hires, even if it means a small compromise on coding quality. It's Reddit after all: users are already tolerant and accepting of horrid site performance ;)
- bjones22 12y ago
  I'll get the ice. Personally though I always wonder why their stack stands as it does. Does anyone else get the impression that it is somewhat monolithic? Would be interested to hear from some one whose had the opportunity to comb through more of their code then I have.
smt88 12y ago
> What happened to just hiring the best people for a job rather than trying to create a corporate utopia? What makes you think someone's level of bigotry does not have an effect on whether they're the best person for a job? Diversity, meaning racial and gender diversity, has been repeatedly shown to be an advantage for a company. So has some degree of cultural fit, meaning having similar values. When M&As fail (and they often do), it's almost always because of cultural mismatch. So I, and the research, would argue that asking people if they believe in and value diversity is an important indicator of their success at a company like Reddit, or any other company striving to be a diverse and equal workplace.
- A_COMPUTER 12y ago
  Well, what's bigotry? If it's true, can it still be bigoted? Where's the line? I agree with you 100%, racial and gender diversity is a good thing to some extent empirically so, and also that too much diversity is a bad thing, also with empirical evidence (Putnam.) The second half of that sentence won't fly with a diversity consultant. I just lost a job at Reddit. Good thing I know enough to lie on trap interview questions and use a fake name on Hacker News. And it is a trap question to filter for ideological purity.
jkrems 12y ago
> What happened to just hiring the best people for a job rather than trying to create a corporate utopia? When hiring one candidate severely restricts hiring others (e.g. because that first candidate would make them feel uncomfortable and/or not welcome), then this has nothing to do with a "corporate utopia" and everything with hiring the best people for a job.

by notsony 12y ago

zaroth 12y ago

Yes, it is legal. Your opinions on workplace diversity are not a protected class. If it's not a protected class, it is legal to discriminate based on it. Hiring standards cannot create an "artificial, arbitrary, or unnecessary barrier to employment" ... "which adversely affects equal employment opportunity for a protected class of persons." So e.g. weightlifting requirement, if not central to the job at hand (as in the case I quoted) would not be allowed because it's an artificial barrier which excludes women. This standard is arguably artificial and unnecessary, but it would be hard to show it adversely affects employment opportunity of a protected class.

na85 12y ago

>What happened to just hiring the best people for a job rather than trying to create a corporate utopia? Perhaps Ms. Pao feels that pro-diversity attitudes make the best hires, even if it means a small compromise on coding quality. It's Reddit after all: users are already tolerant and accepting of horrid site performance ;)

bjones22 12y ago
I'll get the ice. Personally though I always wonder why their stack stands as it does. Does anyone else get the impression that it is somewhat monolithic? Would be interested to hear from some one whose had the opportunity to comb through more of their code then I have.

smt88 12y ago

> What happened to just hiring the best people for a job rather than trying to create a corporate utopia? What makes you think someone's level of bigotry does not have an effect on whether they're the best person for a job? Diversity, meaning racial and gender diversity, has been repeatedly shown to be an advantage for a company. So has some degree of cultural fit, meaning having similar values. When M&As fail (and they often do), it's almost always because of cultural mismatch. So I, and the research, would argue that asking people if they believe in and value diversity is an important indicator of their success at a company like Reddit, or any other company striving to be a diverse and equal workplace.

A_COMPUTER 12y ago
Well, what's bigotry? If it's true, can it still be bigoted? Where's the line? I agree with you 100%, racial and gender diversity is a good thing to some extent empirically so, and also that too much diversity is a bad thing, also with empirical evidence (Putnam.) The second half of that sentence won't fly with a diversity consultant. I just lost a job at Reddit. Good thing I know enough to lie on trap interview questions and use a fake name on Hacker News. And it is a trap question to filter for ideological purity.

jkrems 12y ago

> What happened to just hiring the best people for a job rather than trying to create a corporate utopia? When hiring one candidate severely restricts hiring others (e.g. because that first candidate would make them feel uncomfortable and/or not welcome), then this has nothing to do with a "corporate utopia" and everything with hiring the best people for a job.