“DEI Hire?” Seriously?!
Calling someone a “DEI hire” is a racist, bigoted, and misogynistic insult. It implies that the only reason a person in a position of power or authority got their job was because of a handout or a numerical preference based on race, ethnicity, or gender. It also wrongly assumes that any white male in a senior position earned his role purely on merit, which anyone who has worked with or for an...
INTENT versus IMPACT
Introduction This fundamental concept is one of the core principles of my work and integral to DTG’s approach to dealing with Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) issues in the workplace and marketplace. D&I issues or employee relation issues (among people who are different) typically involve two people or more. The perpetrator or the initiator of the behavior is one party and the target or...
Take Pride In Our Differences!
It was August 22rd, 1978 and my very first day as a freshman at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. All of the theater school students were gathered together in the mainstage for a welcome speech by the school’s director. As I looked around me, I realized it was a very diverse group of young people, all with stars in their eyes, just like me. And within a week after I started taking...
“Are They Talking About Me?”
Recently, clients in the global financial services sector have asked for our guidance on a challenging workplace issue that I’ll call “the assumption of negative intent.” Shortly after the Israeli-Hamas conflict exploded in October, Jewish employees in these large companies based on the US’s East Coast began complaining to HR about other employees speaking in Arabic to each other at work...
Dear Corporate America: By Not Talking About It, You’re Sending a Clear Message
Shortly after the death of George Floyd in May of 2020, corporate statements and earnings call mentions of support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) jumped through the roof. At that time and for at least two years afterward, it seemed that everyone was talking about the importance of DEI, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and Sustainability. Corporate leaders had finally...
The Changing Landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become an increasingly prominent focus for organizations over the last two decades. The murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 sparked a wave of public declarations of support by major US companies. However, recent political and legal developments have created new challenges and uncertainties around corporate and institutional DEI efforts. To better...
Here’s Why Your Employees Aren’t Talking
This article was originally published by Inc.com. Thank you Maya Hu-Chan for allowing us to republish your work. If you’re met with silence when you ask for input, these tips can start a dialogue. A question I often get from my clients is, “How do I get my employees to speak up?” They ask their teams to share their opinions and speak their minds, but they are most often met...
Celebrate Black history. All of it.
This is the first Black History Month in a time in which lynching is a federal crime and Juneteenth is a national holiday. Last March, President Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act — only three Republicans voted against the measure in the House, and the Senate passed it by unanimous consent. The preceding summer, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act became law, when it, too,...
8 Ways to celebrate Black History Month in the workplace
As I mentioned last week, we will be honoring Black History Month weekly with the Respectfully Resist newsletter. Let us look inward and how you can create a safe and collaborative process to celebrate in the workplace. Here is part of a blog by Hi Bob Inc. If you haven’t already created events at your organization, let this article assist you in the brainstorming process. How can we celebrate...