What Diversity and Inclusion Is and Is NOT

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This particular poster does not propagate diversity and inclusion, and instead could contribute to a hostile work environment.

This particular poster does not propagate diversity and inclusion, and instead could contribute to a hostile work environment.

UPDATE June, 2020.  This blog was written 5 years ago.  Things have changed so much.  I no longer support the use of the language “All Lives Matter” since that minimizes and denies the grave injustice of racism that Black people face.

My current position: I feel I need to respond to those people, when they see a “Black Lives Matter” post or picture, respond back with “All Lives Matter.”

Yes, all lives do matter but at this time we have to focus more on the extreme injustice done to black people. How many white people are shot while they jog through a neighborhood? How many unarmed white men are killed by police over a minor offense? How many white teenagers are shot walking through their neighborhoods? Let’s not hide behind this “all lives matter” rhetoric to avoid discussing the scourge of racism in this country.

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Do check out the links to some additional blogs about diversity and inclusion at the bottom on this page!

As a diversity consultant, I do get into a lot of interesting discussions. One discussion which can be quite controversial is around people who believe that it is their right within diversity to issue derogatory or “less than” statements about other groups. I believe that is totally unacceptable and not part of legitimate diversity and inclusion. Let me explain and provide some examples.

First, I do want to share that the diversity topic has progressed over the decades from diversity and tolerance to diversity and inclusion. Tolerance is more about accepting difference, sometimes even grudgingly. Inclusion means to fully accept others who are different as equals, deserving of full equal rights, and realizing that the workplace and the world are stronger because of the diversity that is in it. Diversity and inclusion should be a competitive advantage for companies that want to win in the marketplace and organizations that want to provide superior customer service.

So what is NOT legitimate diversity and inclusion? It is anything that propagates that one form of diversity is the only form acceptable, or is superior to other forms of diversity.

An example – let’s assume a man may want to place a poster in his work space that says “Marriage = One Man + One Woman” and claim that is his right under a company’s diversity policy. I disagree. This poster creates a hostile workplace for those in same gender relationships since its intent is to declare that only heterosexual relationships are legitimate. It would be far better for this employee to show his love for heterosexual marriage with a photo of him and his wife with a caption such as “I love my marriage” or “I love my wife.” This celebrates his diversity as a heterosexual man without putting down other options.

This poster shares its message in a positive and inclusive way.

This poster shares its message in a positive and inclusive way.  See note above – as of June, 2020, I do not agree totally with this particular message

So what about supporting the “Black Lives Matter” campaign in the workplace? That is fine because it makes a statement about supporting the diversity of Black people without minimizing those of another race. What would not be acceptable is a poster that states “ONLY Black Lives Matter” or “Black Lives Matter MORE.”

Human Resources Diversity Practitioners will need to continue to educate all in the workplace that diversity and inclusion is a practice that values and includes everyone without putting others down or propagating that one aspect of diversity is better than another.

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ADDITIONAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION RELATED BLOGS:

A blog that explores the two theories of diversity – melting pot and salad bowl.

“The Various Growing Types of Diversity” – over the past decades, diversity has expanded so much further beyond the gender and race areas.

A discussion on “Diversity as a Key Strategic Initiative.”

The Business Case for Diversity also provides a methodology for developing a financial business case to invest in diversity programs.

And finally – “Three Components of Diversity and Inclusion Training.”

Why Do We Tolerate Bad Bosses?

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Far too many people leave a job to get away from that "boss from hell."

Far too many people leave a job to get away from that “boss from hell.”

As a diversity and career development consultant, I often teach workshops for Human Resources Professionals and Business Owners on the importance of investing in talent development. Part of that investment will be providing tools and resources to assist employees in building their skills and growing their longer range careers

One of the tools I provide is an analytical way to evaluate if a potential new position is a good fit. Unfortunately, many people do not make job decisions based on logical rationale, but often on more emotional issues, with the top one being to get away from that “boss from hell.” Too often people leave a decent job and run to a less than optimal position that does not really meet their professional or career goals.

In a recent workshop with HR professionals, I emphatically asked, “Why do we tolerate bad bosses?” They often cost our companies millions of dollars in lost employee productivity and attrition cost. With the high cost of recruiting and onboarding new employees, the cost of employees quitting to escape that bad boss is a large loss. And the remaining demoralized employees will spend too much time complaining about that bad boss or looking for a new job instead of focusing on delivering outstanding business results.

I believe HR professionals need to take the lead on addressing “bad bosses.” Some recommendations:

1. For a fairly new manager or first time offender, do offer training to address the manager’s shortcomings. Hopefully the manager will understand their issues and work hard to correct them. If the manager won’t even admit they are lacking in management skills, they need to be removed.

2. Managers with a repeated record of employee complaints and poor ratings on employee engagement surveys simply need to be removed from people management roles. One alternative to firing a bad manager is moving them laterally or perhaps demoted into an individual contributor role.

3. Offer a track to senior leadership that is based on strategic and technical skills that does not involve managing staff. There can be some excellent technical leaders who simply cannot learn how to manage others, yet they feel the pressure to move into management as the only option of growing their careers.

The most common objection I receive to not removing bad managers is “But they deliver business results. They get the job done” But really? Are the results that a bad manager may deliver worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars of recruiting and onboarding costs to replace departing employees? And are the results worth the poor morale and productivity? Something to think about.