Work place re education training. Is this really good for the business?

Posted by RandRat 4 years, 9 months ago to Business
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The following is a real company directive. Identify the premise. Have discussion on how this would impact a large retail business and its employees. I have a very strong opinion about this as it directly offends... err... impacts me.


From: Shxxx Oxxx, Chief Diversity Officer
To: All Mxxx Colleagues

Coming Soon: Companywide Inclusive Workplace Training

One of the simplest ways to help promote diversity and inclusion at Xxxxx is to avoid bias in how we think, act and operate. Bias is one of the greatest roadblocks to an inclusive culture, especially because while the judgements we sometimes make about individuals or groups are often unintentional, they can have a big impact.

On Monday, June xx, we’re launching a new required course, Inclusive Workplace: Understanding and Managing Unconscious Bias, that will teach you how to understand, identify and mitigate bias. This is an expansion of the instructor-led course that Directors and above completed last year.

The new, online course will shed light on the impact of unconscious bias in the workplace and identify strategies to help you manage bias in everyday interactions with colleagues and, as applicable, customers. You’ll learn simple tips to start using immediately. If you participated in an unconscious bias session last year, this will be a great refresher.

The companywide training schedule is below. Timing varies based on your function and role. Look for an email with additional course information and instructions when it’s time to complete your training.

Corporate and Support Functions (including Sxxx Cxxxx)
• June xx-July xx | People Leaders and all Exempt Colleagues
• July x-August xx | Non-exempt Colleagues without direct reports

Xxxxx
• July x-xx | People Leaders and all Exempt Colleagues
• July xx-September xx | Non-exempt Colleagues without direct reports

Fostering a diverse and inclusive culture isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s crucial to building our business, developing top talent and responding effectively to changing customer expectations. The small choices that you make in the moments that matter can have a big impact on our colleagues, customers and community.

Thank you for your participation and support.


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  • Posted by $ Abaco 4 years, 9 months ago
    I'm going into some re-education like this in about 30 minutes. While getting my coffee I was standing with a few very wonderful female coworkers. I told them, "I'm going in to the policy training a little later this morning. So, I thought I'd take the opportunity now to tell you that you all look wonderful today. (they laughed) After the meeting I'll never say such things again." One said, "Yeah, we'll have to act like we don't like each other." I walked off with, "I never liked that guy, anyway..." They laughed some more. This is all so stupid...

    I'm quick to call out racism no matter who it's directed to or coming from. That's real equality. The leftists hate that. So be it. I'm too old to start living a lie...
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  • Posted by mccannon01 4 years, 9 months ago
    The "diversity" training that was clearly understood while I was employed at a large corporation was that any job posting that stated "Diverse candidates welcome" meant "white male need not apply".
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  • Posted by Solver 4 years, 9 months ago
    Professor Jordan Peterson has lectures on this kind of far left brainwashing scheme. He says there is zero evidence of positive impact yet some evidence of negative impact.

    Here is a six minute video snippet from 2017 where Jordan Peterson is having a deeply rational scientific discussion with some other professors about this type of “training” being made mandatory in many colleges, universities and now workplaces.
    https://youtu.be/TXPGuWQHqNw
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    • Posted by Solver 4 years, 9 months ago
      Adding another short video where Jordan Peterson testifies infront of politicians against this type of procedure until he is cut off.
      https://youtu.be/yx1CEsUBYVM
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      • Posted by $ blarman 4 years, 9 months ago
        "We need concise answers..."

        You're talking about a very complicated issue - an issue you don't even begin to understand - and you're going to legislate according to your own explicit biases and ignorance rather than listen to a subject-matter expert testify... Yup. That's one of the reasons I have no desire to emulate Canada.
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  • Posted by $ servo75 4 years, 9 months ago
    "Fostering a diverse and inclusive culture..." I love it when they recycle the same vacuous cliched terms without any clue what they mean. Been there. Tells you that there's some serious learnin' to take place. I used to work in Academia, you can only imagine...
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    • Posted by Solver 4 years, 9 months ago
      Just add the word “equity” and you have the three words that signifies the far left has gone too far. Kind of like “We are superior to you” means another group has gone to far.
      Both groups tend to become authoritarians in training.
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      • Posted by Charner59 4 years, 9 months ago
        This is not training. If it were I would be happy to attend so to gain value. There is nothing that values my self interest in mandatory re education boot camps.
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        • Posted by Solver 4 years, 9 months ago
          I disagree. They have a much bigger plans for the world. What we are experiencing now is like they have training wheels on to limit their brutalness.
          I probably should’ve said, “brutal authoritarians in training.”
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          • Posted by Charner59 4 years, 9 months ago
            Training at this company and in my previous career meant endeavors to improve your skill sets or learn something of value. At this company training is offered to those who seek to improve themselves and hence the company. In this case the word "training" is being used to circumvent and cover true intention of brainwashing. For those who have stopped rational thought will jump at the chance for some additional "training". To the non thinking lemmings at this company they see training as a chance to advance and be in the good graces of their leaders. This is a great real world example of a stolen concept. Reminds me of Kubricks "Clockwork Orange". Operative conditioning I believe they called it.
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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 4 years, 9 months ago
    I worked for a subcontractor on a Boeing contract back when they had their big sexual harassment scandal. Part of the settlement imposed on them was that they had to "educate" all the workers (including subcontractors) that sexual harassment was wrong. At the conclusion of the education session, the Boeing educator asked if anyone had any comments, and regretted it, as I said I felt I had just received a sermon on abstinence from the owner of a bordello.
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  • Posted by Leitchj 4 years, 9 months ago
    Here's our company's inclusion and diversity policy given to every new employee during inprocessing: "Race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age don't matter here. The only two things that matter are integrity and performance. Welcome!"
    We practice what we preach too and have a very diverse workforce of professionals who embrace our policy.
    BTW, if you knew how HARD the government was ramming diversity and inclusion down all government employee and contractor's throats, it would make you nauseous.
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    • Posted by Solver 4 years, 9 months ago
      Only thing that matters to the people behind these feel good mandates is power, and that you agree unquestionably to THEIR ideological biases.

      What is their actual “policy?”
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  • Posted by edweaver 4 years, 9 months ago
    I have a client that seems to be on this path. They are requiring employees and vendors to be on board. There is no formal training for vendors but claim they are allowed to review vendor policies upon request. This is a large world wide corporation.
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  • Posted by Charner59 4 years, 9 months ago
    I was not sure of the category to submit.
    Philosophy is deeply involved as ethics and principals guide the premise of the directive. This company sees it employees (and customers) driven by sub conscious bias and thinking in their relationships. Which code the authors of the directive base their assumptions of individuals is not stated. Certainly worthy of ethical discussion. Who thinks of this stuff and why? Politics may have been an obvious choice but for the lack of a stated agenda. This directive is PC driven and reflects where our culture is going. This is for sure political push back following the 2016 POTUS decision of US voters. Education also a viable choice for category. From where do these directive authors get this type of thinking? I don't believe humans are born with such evil outlooks of other humans. At least not to the extent of sending us all off to re-education and sub conscious alteration training. The Chief Diversity Officer of this company most likely is a product of 4 to 8 year higher education camps.
    Business was my selection. The impacts on my personal economy via business are paramount to my life. I want my business to succeed. As it does so do I. When an entity comes along and threatens my business, I react. This directive has made me react. Thoughts?
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 4 years, 9 months ago
    Ok, I haven't read any comments yet so, I will ask:
    has your company experienced bias and non inclusion in the past?...I doubt you have, save for HR which is always making stuff up in my observation.

    Second: is this training really going to do any good? I doubt that too. from now on, everyone will be walking on egg shells and will rarely say anything to anyone.

    Another company bits the dust.
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    • Posted by Charner59 4 years, 9 months ago
      In my 19 years with them...so far I have seen nor heard of any "bias" or whatever that really means. Is why I interpret that term to mean we are a bunch of sub consciousness bigots in their eyes. Fine way to be treated after my dedication to service of the company.
      This is not training. It is mandatory attendance to brainwashing. Nothing less than that. At this point I will refuse to attend while filing a conscious objection complaint. Should they fire me over it I will welcome the forced retirement golden parachute. I am an objectavist. Not a pawn of tyranny. This is all due to 2016 political nonsense. My company has fallen pray to them. And yes another great business bites the dust. So sad.
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      • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 4 years, 9 months ago
        They recently pulled that crap here at Connecticut Hospice, where I have been for 9 years after the crash of 08/09.
        This is the LAST place on earth to be accused of bias and non inclusion.
        Hospice means: Hospitality.

        I asked all sorts of questions as to why they thought we needed to be targeted and we eventually got away from the subject to everyone's delight...score one for the people, score 0 for HR...I don't think she's come out of her office since.
        Suits me just fine...but now I am labeled recalcitrant.
        That too, suits me just fine.
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  • Posted by chad 4 years, 9 months ago
    I refuse to be inclusive of everyone. I discriminate with every choice and person I meet. I decide if it is in my intereste to interact with every individual. How else can you avoid interactions that will harm you? I decide based on moral guidelines who I want to interact with. Others may use what I would consider faulty guidelines, I do not consider that it is my place to impose guidelines upon them. I was shopping today and arrived at the register just as a lady with a full basket of items noticed me and offered to let me go first because I only had one item. I deffered, because she was there first and she was a lady. She insisted and I accepted her invitation. I thanked her and when I was done I thanked her again for being gracious. It was a pleasant encounter with someone who was being generous and she knew I appreciated her willingness to wait a few moments. I wonder how many unconscious biases' we were guilty of? I never tolerated laziness or unsafe behavior from my employees and when the state got involved and wanted to use violence to ensure proper behavior on my part I got out of the employee business.
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    • Posted by Charner59 4 years, 9 months ago
      So I will be required to attend this re education training. Before I do that do I go to HR and report this as offensive office place aggression? What do individuals do with this type practice by their employer? Sit by and watch and pretend to accept it? Do I voice any pushback?
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      • Posted by chad 4 years, 9 months ago
        Tell your employer this requirement is making you feel microaggression and that you think they are guilty of unconscious biases against you and you don't think you should be required to attend in order to maintain your employment. Then endure the class because I doubt any reasonable or even attempt to be humorous will result in any change in the environment. There are too many bureaucrats involved that will see any attempt at change as an assault on their right to control others.
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  • Posted by term2 4 years, 9 months ago
    Its pure bullshit. The companies that adopt it will eventually fail unless propped up by government favors
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    • Posted by KevinSchwinkendorf 4 years, 9 months ago
      Well, the Twentieth Century Motor Company (under new management) announced they would implement Marxist ideology by "from each, according to his ability, to each, according to his need," and John Galt walked out. He would have NOTHING to do with it...
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    • Posted by Charner59 4 years, 9 months ago
      I like my company. I especially pride myself with the systems I have built and manage. They have provided me with opportunities to be successful at my life endeavors. But this directive was a brutal slap in my face. Do I tell my company that they are making a fatal flaw? Or just quit, give up, leave and hand them the means to their destruction? A philosophical conundrum for me for sure.
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  • Posted by $ 25n56il4 4 years, 9 months ago
    A representative of our federal government paid a call on me. She reviewed my performance and asked for a list of my patients by ethnicity. I informed her, 'I don't keep a list by ethnicity. I list patients by illness!' She hugged me and said, "oh my, you're color-blind!' I assured her I was and couldn't tell black or brown from white!
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  • Posted by $ Radio_Randy 4 years, 9 months ago
    Our agency puts on a monthly "Diversity and Inclusion" discussion, via conference call, or direct attendance. Subjects vary from accepting ex-cons into our workplace to bringing infant children to work with us.

    The next discussion is covering the very subject of diversity and inclusion and how accepting people "different" from ourselves is somehow exceedingly beneficial to our organization (though it's never made clear, exactly why this is so). In fact, it reminds me of similar periodic discussions I had to attend, while in the Marine Corps (which were also a total waste of time).

    All I've got to say is that I'm glad that I'm retiring at the end of the year. At that point, I will feel absolutely NO obligation to accept any kind of moral perversion. If I offend someone...I'll only answer to myself (and my wife, but she generally agrees with me).
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  • Posted by KevinSchwinkendorf 4 years, 9 months ago
    Diversity retraining (re-education) is always one sided. Suppose they're going to lecture about how all the blacks and other minorities are looking for something to be offended at? Or do you suppose the subject matter will be nothing more than "White Privilege" crap. If it were even a mixture of the two, that might not be a bad idea. But, you know how its going to turn out before you even go. I've never had to submit to such crap, and I never will. (My current boss at the engineering company I work for also voted for Trump; as a businessman, he appreciates what is good for business, and liberalism "ain't it.")
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 4 years, 9 months ago
    Looks to me like it would just suppress freedom of speech and create an atmosphere of fear in the place.--Don't get me wrong, it is is private enterprise, I suppose the company owners have a right to do it. But i don't really approve of it.
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  • Posted by Owlsrayne 4 years, 9 months ago
    In college, I never had a Prof who spoke like Jordan Peterson. I had taken a number of Psych courses and none of them approach his level of expertise. I always had a hard time with team building training. The submersion of my own individuality was always bothersome. Even going to the Steven Covey seminars as required by my place of employment didn't help either. I would fake working together that's probably why I would only last 7-8 years at a job. Watching several of the other Peterson videos I got some understanding of myself, I will definitely read his book.
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  • Posted by exceller 4 years, 9 months ago
    All this does is making people's lives miserable.

    You are not allowed to think independently, let alone freely, lest something creeps in there that is considered biased. People would feel guilty all the time, which is the idea behind this crap.

    Guilty people are easy to control.
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    • Posted by Charner59 4 years, 9 months ago
      Im afraid if I pushback and tell HR my true feelings that I will meet their goal of sniffing out the "bad apples". Do I push back on this? Let it go, attend the indoctrination camp and compromise my principals? I suppose I could make an official complaint to HR that this is offensive work place aggression. My desire is to have top executives understand this will destroy the company in a few short years.
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  • Posted by shaifferg 4 years, 9 months ago
    To see how impossible this is and how remote the chances of success search out a copy of Joel Barkers "the business of paradigms". I challenge you to spot the problem with a deck of cards on the first pass. We all have these "blinders"; some of us are aware they exist.
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  • Posted by exceller 4 years, 9 months ago
    I am sick and tired of "diversity and inclusion".

    The most visible effect of this directive is tolerating underperforming employees who would otherwise be terminated.

    We need to "understand" and be emphatic.

    Companies are hiring people with degrees in "Gender studies" to lead and head these efforts.

    That must be very effective tackling underperforming business units!
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