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Thread: Diversity at work?

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    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Diversity at work?

    There are 24 people in my department. One is a black man who just finished a very marketable master's degree, so he will leave soon. One is a Lesbian who is a year or two from retirement. There are 6 straight, white men -- one of which is the team secretary and one of which is the tippy-top dog.

    All told there are 6 of the 24 that are managers. 5 of the managers are straight, white women.

    Would you consider this a diverse workforce?

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    Workforce?
    The workforce would entail ALL departments. If you want diversity in all departments, then you need to start looking for/at wants that may take over if someone is qualified and wants to do that job. So if you have mostly men in janitorial, now you would be looking for a transgender little person of some non white color, in a wheelchair?

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    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ultralight View Post
    There are 24 people in my department. One is a black man who just finished a very marketable master's degree, so he will leave soon. One is a Lesbian who is a year or two from retirement. There are 6 straight, white men -- one of which is the team secretary and one of which is the tippy-top dog.

    All told there are 6 of the 24 that are managers. 5 of the managers are straight, white women.

    Would you consider this a diverse workforce?
    oh yes! Gender gender gender! And maybe age! Depends on if they are over 40, and
    I am betting at least some are. It all counts! I don't think the gay woman counts unless there is some sort of State or local law commanding love for this particular minority, but who knows. Being out of the workaday world I no longer have to track these concepts.

    I remember one personnel issue in particular at my workplace. I was sitting in the office of our HR head along with my boss. All of us were double minorities, meaning we had 2 of the characteristics of age/gender/race/ preligion on our side in that game. And the HR person mentioned possible legal issue with discrmination, and I thought to myself “well who ISNT a minority here in our workplace these days? So Everyone is a protected class? “

    Just relax for a couple of years, UL, and then you join them in a protected class. Once you turn 40 you are there, providing diversity to your workplace. Then you will add value.

    In this analysis, I use gubmnt defined employment law to define “diverse.” Otherwise, it just becomes an exercise in imprecise banter.

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    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff View Post
    Workforce?
    The workforce would entail ALL departments. If you want diversity in all departments, then you need to start looking for/at wants that may take over if someone is qualified and wants to do that job. So if you have mostly men in janitorial, now you would be looking for a transgender little person of some non white color, in a wheelchair?
    I meant my department's workforce specifically.

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    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by iris lilies View Post
    oh yes! Gender gender gender! And maybe age! Depends on if they are over 40, and
    I am betting at least some are. It all counts! I don't think the gay woman counts unless there is some sort of State or local law commanding love for this particular minority, but who knows. Being out of the workaday world I no longer have to track these concepts.

    I remember one personnel issue in particular at my workplace. I was sitting in the office of our HR head along with my boss. All of us were double minorities, meaning we had 2 of the characteristics of age/gender/race/ preligion on our side in that game. And the HR person mentioned possible legal issue with discrmination, and I thought to myself “well who ISNT a minority here in our workplace these days? So Everyone is a protected class? “

    Just relax for a couple of years, UL, and then you join them in a protected class. Once you turn 40 you are there, providing diversity to your workplace. Then you will add value.

    In this analysis, I use gubmnt defined employment law to define “diverse.” Otherwise, it just becomes an exercise in imprecise banter.
    I don't think being 40+ is a protected class.

    I also don't think being a straight, white guy is a protected class either.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ultralight View Post
    I don't think being 40+ is a protected class.

    I also don't think being a straight, white guy is a protected class either.
    Age 40 IS protected status. Straight white is not.

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    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gardnr View Post
    Age 40 IS protected status.
    One more year to go!

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    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gardnr View Post
    Age 40 IS protected status. Straight white is not.

    How do they know an employee is straight, white, or male?

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    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    How do they know an employee is straight, white, or male?
    Our HR department would, each month, issue reports of employees by gender and race to our board. Race is really really important in St. Louis. I suppose each employee is plugged into a box by either employee admission or HR observation.

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    Seems like public universities do a pretty good job of having a diverse workforce - pretty much as required by law. My replacement when I retired was a young, black woman. I will be glad when in some distant future we don't have all these labels for humans. I went to a lecture on ageism the other day and was surprised by all the things that are considered ageist. Stuff I never even thought about...like referring to someone as young or elderly/senior. Also, I could care less what someone's sexual preference is.

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