(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
The problem with DEI, and what to do about it [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-02-02
There is an incorrect assumption that has crept into perceptions of DEI, that is, that it is a zero sum game. It's perfectly understandable why that would be, especially for someone who didn't get a job they felt they deserved. However, if we zoom out to a national level, the intent is to address the large pockets of under-utilized talent that we have in this country. That talent could be working as electricians, welders, coders, etc., and paying taxes. Instead, they are in jail, on street corners, or on welfare. If we could get these people into the workforce, everybody benefits.
The problem is those people who feel they got passed over. We need to focus on that person who feels that they missed out and make sure that they are made whole. Whether or not that person was, IN FACT PASSED OVER, their perception is real and it must be resolved.
Let me tell you what we did. Our company desperately needed skilled maintenance techs. We advertised; attended job fairs. Nada. We set up a scholarship program with a local Community College. Kids with a HS degree got free tuition and were virtually guaranteed a middle class job if they completed the Associates degree in technical maintenance. Crickets.
We were located in a burb where the definition of success was four year degree. Nobody applied.
Then we mobilized a number of employees to go to inner city high schools to tell kids face-to-face about the program. We were amazed. The kids couldn't believe what we were saying. They couldn't imagine living that kind of life. We took them to the CC to see for themselves. We toured them through the plant. Gradually we established credibility. The pipeline started filling up.
The company benefited. The kids benefited. The community benefited.
Nobody got left behind.
We need to enlist our creative talents to find ways to make that happen repeatedly; a more positive form of DEI where people don't feel discriminated against. It can be done.
The key to the success of this program is that the company focused on the root cause of the racial disparity in the existing workforce, not on quotas in the hiring process. The root cause in our case was that the minority kids were living in a DESERT OF IMAGINATION. That desert does not get irrigated without the integrated resources of a company or other organization.
I’ve heard so many people lamenting the demise of DEI. They talk about keeping it on life support by pushing it individually. I think that’s great. But they can't replace a corporate DEI program.
We need to change the way DEI is implemented, but we CANNOT throw it out. We should be appalled at the idea of wasting so many human resources. DEI should be a national goal. Corporations are a powerful part of the USA. They need to participate as well. DEI needs to be recognized as part of corporate goals and it needs to have a name. Call it DEI, Affirmative Action, whatever. It's fine if people do what they can on their own, but nothing is really going to happen unless corporations get behind it. If we do nothing, nothing is going to change.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/2/2300817/-The-problem-with-DEI-and-what-to-do-about-it?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
