Tractor Supply Co. joins the long list of companies abandoning their DEI policies. My company hasn't dropped diversity and inclusion but I definitely feel a shift in the messaging. Anyone else notice the same? Do you agree with the changes you're seeing? https://www.inc.com/bruce-crumley/anti-woke-critics-force-tractor-supply-co-to-scrap-its-dei-policies.html
Mentor
I don’t agree with what I’m seeing at all. I agree with representative Jasmine Crockett when she’s so astutely pointed out that people are mistakenly equating diversity with incompetence. Diversity does not mean “incompetent.” Diversity does not mean “unqualified.” It simply means “diverse,” as in “different.”
When I see companies dropping their DEI initiatives, to me that signals that they are given in to racists, and using that as an excuse to discriminate against diverse backgrounds in their hiring. Especially since anyone who is non-white but get promoted or hired into a senior senior position is going to to get tagged with a DEI label. And this tells me that the company is going to use that as an excuse to not hire that person. Or if they do hire them, they’ll use an excuse to get rid of of them.
I would not support a company that drop their DEI policy. I would prefer a company that stood the ground, and let people know that DEI does not mean unqualified, it stands for quality of a different nature.
You know why they are dropping it right? Because ultra conservatives swarmed them and gave them a hard time for supporting pride month. Not sure I'd treat them as any old company quietly sunsetting their Dei programs - more of an abrupt pivot caving after a very public incident
No, that's not what I meant to say and not actually what happened. When you have a viral twitter campaign flooding a business it's not something coming from their customer base or happening organically. amazing to see your energy bumping this old thread though 😂
https://www.axios.com/2024/07/15/hr-dei-diversity-equity-shrm
Such a poor decision!
I do think it is unfortunate that these companies are coming under so much fire, and then abandon everything they were doing. If anything, I hope that when a company does start DEI campaigns they will stick with them even if they get critics. Would rather see companies that will stick with them instead of rolling them back.
I totally disagree with these rollbacks, but also acknowledge that the pendulum swings left and right and back again until we find a center. Right out of college, I was hired into an engineering firm with the words "Affirmative Action Applicant" stamped across my resume (as a woman). I always felt mixed about that, because I know that without that stamp, I probably wouldn't have gotten the job. In recent years, I've helped businesses attain "social equity" business operating licenses. Unfortunately, that means in most cases a big company recruits a brown person to be the face of a cannabis dispensary. I am grateful that the individuals do get opportunities, but these initiatives don't go far enough in fixing the core issues. I personally believe that investing in kids -getting them good food, good schools, good music, art, and advanced programs. Also stop putting black and brown people in prisons where they earn a PhD in crime. We need real rehabilitation for many people who had no role model. (end rant)
Subject Expert
I wouldn’t feel bad about having your application say affirmative action higher. The only reason we think that’s bad is because ignorant people have flooded the Infosphere with their Ignorance.
Affirmative action does not mean unqualified. All it means is that if you had two candidates of equal skills and no relevant differences in their skill set and/or qualifications, the companies were encouraged to hire the minority candidate due to historical discrimination.
Companies have never been forced to hire unqualified people, the government has only tried to incentivize them to undo centuries of discrimination.
But never has the government required or even ask any company to hire an unqualified worker. Any company that hired an unqualified worker only so did so because they were either stupid or trying to create a narrative that minorities were unqualified.
The companies that I have been with have really seem to only focus on certain elements of diversity. For example, they have focused on women rights, black culture, gender rights. But they seem to completely ignore west Asian cultures and Hispanic. (We have a large number of west asian contractors) I get that contractors aren’t part of your company but if it makes up 1/2 of your departments, there should be some focus there.
But one thing I have noticed even though my current company hasn’t dropped DEI, I am noticing that the FTE individuals that are visually ethnically diverse seem to be disappearing via layoffs, re-orgs, or retirements, etc. the diversity coming in seems to be through the contractor base.
Subject Expert
Damn. That’s sad.
DEI has been a boondoggle at many companies. The principal of DEI are good; it's often the implementation that is terrible. In many cases it is just racism, sexism, and/or discrimination at different targets. It's not right and many companies are starting to wake up.
Ah yes, the ol' protect us from white men trope. Fortunately the world appears to be waking up to this BS.
I work for company in the fortune 5, my teams are heavily Asian and Indian. I tech we are 90% plus male. Why? Because that's who is out there to hire. Why? Because CS/engineering and Boot camp graduates for tech/engineering skew very heavily male. If I was hiring in a female dominated field I would have the opposite problem.
To act like there is a pool of qualified women or minorities sitting out there who we won't hire (because racism or sexism) is a lie. I don't care about your gender or race, I am looking for qualified hard working individuals. That's it. I have worked with many awesome, kickass, women and/or minorities (who were, gasp, highly qualified and capable). I have also worked with, and fired, under performing white men.
Most tech is like me. We care about qualifications and abilities first. You want more women and minorities in tech? Then we need more graduates to hire. We are full up with fluff degrees, in fact we are letting them go ASAP. If your degree ends in " Studies" then good luck 😂