Browsing LinkedIn recently, I was invited by a commenter from Australia to watch a podcast in which he insisted that DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is a discriminatory practice that prevents companies from hiring straight, white, able-bodied men like him. He asked for my thoughts and offered to find some time for the two of us to talk and we soon did.
Prior to our meeting, I watched his podcast and noticed how his valid complaints about “DEI” sounded very familiar. He stated how he would go into interviews and be told:
We can’t hire straight, white, able-bodied males anymore because we already have too many.
We think you are qualified for the role but we have to hire a woman, LGBTQI+ people, BIPoC, PwD (people living with a disability) or someone from another marginalized community.
“You’re a great fit but it is not fashionable to hire straight white dudes.”
This podcaster explained how he grew up poor and had to work for everything he attained. He didn’t have a legacy endowment or generational wealth to pay for his schooling, he did it on his own while working long nights. I’ll be honest, I laughed at hearing all this because I’d been nodding in agreement the entire time. Everything he was lamenting has been the experience of women, BIPoC, LGBTQI+ people, PwD and other historically marginalized communities for generations, not just in the last four years since the promised “Racial Reckoning” after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. My new podcasting friend seemed unaware of the grim history of our western societies (the Americas, Europe and Australia) in which it was illegal for women to work, BIPoC people were rarely hired, pay inequality was rampant, employers didn’t have to make any accommodations for people with disabilities, workers could be instantly fired upon discovery of being LGBTQ+ and so many other workplace injustices, all of them embedded in law and all of them denying people the ability to create the generational wealth that others have.
I explained to this Australian man how it took, yes, generations of studies, protests and boycotts just to get marginalized people a seat at the table and even at this current pace of legislative change (not including these new setbacks of US companies and its federal government abandoning their DEI initiatives), Catalyst reports that it will take another 80 years for women to achieve gender parity at the CEO level, not to mention the challenges of other marginalized groups. It’s important to understand this history, as it informs the work we do and why it’s necessary. I find it fascinating how it took generations to even get close to a level playing field but now that straight white able-bodied men have experienced just a taste of that injustice in the space of only four years, DEI has been completely vilified and now being banned in the US. Darren Beattie, a speechwriter for Donald Trump, is now being given a key role in the State Department after this post on Twitter on Oct. 4, 2024:“Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work. Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities, and demoralizing competent white men.”Our entire national ideology? What? Beattie’s comments are racist, sexist and entirely incorrect.
My one-word answer for what DEI really is? Belonging. We all want to belong. I surprised the Australian man by explaining that what was preventing this straight, white, able-bodied man from being hired was not diversity, equity nor inclusion but discrimination. Yes, I agreed, he was being discriminated against in these interviews. The public has been force-fed this notion that DEI is about hiring people based solely on their race, gender or sexual orientation. This is not DEI. Hiring, promotion, and retention are all important aspects of any successful diversity and inclusion program but it’s not about quotas, it’s about helping organizations look beyond their usual, limited networks of potential candidates to find qualified talent from historically underrepresented groups. It’s not about hiring unqualified people because they’re a minority, it’s about not hiring unqualified people just because they’re the majority. Whether we call it DEI or EDI or IDEA (A is for Accessibility!) or JEDI (adding a J for Justice) or FAIR (Fairness, Access, Inclusion, and Representation), the goal is the same: a diverse workforce that values differences in identity, thinking and more while treating everyone equitably in pay, promotions and accommodations for PwD. In an inclusive workplace with a strong sense of belonging, everyone can be their best and do their best to achieve the organization’s goals. Straight white able-bodied men benefit from this diversity of viewpoints too!
I joke that companies like Meta, Tesla, Home Depot, John Deere and Walmart who have all loudly dialled back their DEI programs while spending so much more money on “artificial intelligence,” should simply ask ChatGPT what DEI really is. They would receive this response:
“DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which are core principles and practices aimed at fostering fairness, representation, and belonging within organizations, communities, and society. Here’s a breakdown of the components:
1. Diversity:
Refers to the presence of differences within a given setting. These differences can include race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, education, and more. Diversity emphasizes bringing a variety of perspectives, identities, and experiences to the table.
2. Equity:
Focuses on ensuring fairness by addressing systemic barriers and unequal starting points. Equity seeks to provide everyone with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, recognizing that different individuals or groups may require different levels of support to achieve fairness.
3. Inclusion:
The practice of creating environments where everyone feels welcomed, valued, respected, and empowered to participate fully. Inclusion ensures that diverse voices are heard and that people from all backgrounds feel they belong.
DEI initiatives are often implemented in workplaces, schools, and communities to improve organizational culture, address social inequalities, and promote innovation through varied perspectives. These efforts are increasingly recognized as essential for success, growth, and harmony in a globalized world.”
Funny how the AI technology hailed as revolutionary and necessary for business today understands what DEI actually is. Notice how nowhere in that information culled from the internet does it state that unqualified people are being hired because they are women, BIPoC, LGBTQ+ or PwD. There’s no sight of the silly and demeaning phrase “DEI Hire” which, and let’s be honest here, is now being used as a not-so-sly code for saying slurs. “DEI hire” is being tossed off whenever the speaker really wants to say the N-word (for Black peoples), the B-word (for Women), the F-word (for gay people) or various other hateful pejoratives. Like the guy on Twitter who called Grammy, Emmy and Pulitzer-winning artist Kendrick Lamar’s stunning Super Bowl performance “DEI halftime show.” It’s just ignorant people who have no concept of what DEI actually means, how to implement it well or what innovations it can bring, like new product lines, increased profits and productivity, and direct ROI benefits. We’ll get into more of all that in next week’s Secret Sauce…!
To learn more, please schedule a talk with me today: https://calendly.com/jefferson7/30min
Let's Break Some Eggs!
– Jefferson Darrell, Founder and CEO, Breakfast Culture™ Inc.
Comments