Diversity (and other) Training at Work

I'm really hoping awareness training dies of death pretty soon. good diversity training (it does exist!) uses evidence to support the work and there is very little academic research on trans based experiences of work because no one can reliably define what a trans person is for a research paper. Saying it's how someone identifies is a little tenuous when the majority of work and theoretical perspectives on diversity focus on how other people identify (and stereotype) you. A paper that uses the trans umbrella as a sampling frame certainly wouldn't be published in any decent journal.

I’ve tried, oh how I have tried to question this nonsense at work. If you recognise my username it may be that you read my thread a couple of months ago about how I stuck my head above the parapet (I took the thread down, just in case, but thank you for all responses). I took my concerns to the very highest levels and to be fair, they did hear me out. However, they concluded that my views (TWANW) were transphobic and therefore at odds with our company’s inclusion stance. My arguments around the equality act, protected beliefs, diversity of belief and, later, the Forstater judgment have quite simply been ignored. The only feedback I have had is a veiled threat in the form of an official objective to "understand what it means to be a leader viz supporting our inclusion stance". I now find myself in a difficult position because every time I raise a concern (about lack of balance in training for example), people will just dismiss me as the transphobe. Maybe it would have been more effective not to have come out as GC myself, but to have expressed concern for people who might have GC/protected beliefs. I would then be able to continue raising the subject with less risk to myself and with more chance that the powers that be actually respond to my emails.

Thanks to you for an enjoyably amusing thread, albeit with serious undertones.

Shame it's disappeared. It was starting to feel a little cruel, though.

Is it acceptable to smile at ignorance and incomprehension when allied with self-confident bragging? I wondered if lack of self-awareness was failing to insulate its holder just a little in the end.

Be that as it may. I still think your best strategy - supposing you have the status to get away with it - would be to go and just laugh at the nonsense. That stuff is plain daft - essentially risible. So, in circumstances where it tries to be taken seriously, it is appropriate just to laugh.

This is the Mail link, in case the Telegraph share runs out over time. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11073493/Mixed-race-Sky-engineer-wins-14k-white-colleague-claimed-oppressed.html

Trying to tell people or train people what to think, if their current beliefs are reasonable, is dangerous,. And I understand research suggests it is ineffective.

I’d like to know this too, because otherwise such “training” is akin to the pushing of an ideological stance.

Thank you for sharing, the outcome here is really useful to know.

I’m currently questioning a comment made by a professional during a training session where someone (white) stated ‘I’m racist’ and when questioned said everyone who isn’t from an ethnic minority is, by default and not agreeing with this stance was considered an issue.

They usually get deleted because MN would have to spend a lot of time dealing with reporting and because its a small business.

Imo it always gets funny/intresting when the its all transphobic crew turn up & tbf that one poster came as close as I have ever seen to 100% captioning the Simba & Mufasa sun meme🤷🏼‍♀️

Why was that thread deleted? FGS.
It was funny as well as interesting

It was an interesting thread, and the derailment and everything that went with it was like a real time example of what one might be up against.

I look forward to you reporting back!

Thank you for starting the original thread. I didn't manage to get through it all and was hoping to finish it to tonight. It did take a turn as I thought it would, as they tend to go. Anyway, wishing you all the best for the training session.

Given that employers are liable and not the companies delivering faulty training, I'm surprised more companies don't seem to do due diligence.

Have a look at Simon Fanshawe's work. He was a founder of Stonewall, and now does what seems to be really solid, thoughtful diversity work (not tick box stuff).

Caveat: I haven't done his training, and I have nothing to do with his company - but I've heard him interviewed about it by Julian Vigo (iirc) and other critical thinkers.

Yes, I don't support menopause being made a separate characteristic, it's already covered under "sex".

2, although 'menopause' could be mistaken for a third, given the frequency of communication and lack of clarity on who this affects.

Disclaimer - in my organisation only, judging by EDI comms

Yes, I think they should all be given the same amount of weight and discussion time, far too many organisations appear to think there is only one protected characteristic.

When I say skim I don’t mean I leave it out or diminish it, I just explain it the same way I do other PCs.

I am an EDI trainer and I always refer to the wording of the protected characteristics. I skim over trans and say it is emerging practice and refer to the Forstater case. I always sense huge relief.

That sounds great Ozymandiax. Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone for your advice on the previous thread.

And for the laugh 😉.

I've started to put together a letter to my boss raising some questions about the purpose of the training and some questions around legal compliance. I'm using some info from Sex Matters which is really helpful.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Without any names.

(although it strikes me if you put yourself up on the internet with your life story, and selling your training, other people on the interent are free to discuss and critique your offer. But whatever, another rule, to protect the feelings of only one group of people...)

I would also be asking how big the budget is for training. I worked for a national media company where there would be huge "away days" outside the building which produced very little if anything.

Look what a mess these diversity officers created for themselves:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/02/diversity-officer-guilty-racism-telling-colleague-must-have/

That's a really helpful post SolasAnla
Professionals everywhere are being deskilled and encouraged to remove / ignore basic safeguarding principles, all legally based because....... reasons and be kind.
We all need to focus on what the law says, ignore Stonewall "the law as I would like it to be" and insist that training and advice is legally and ethically solid.

Thank you for starting a thread; I was about to do so myself.
I would be interested in the outcome/experience of the OP from the other thread (anonymised maybe) as I think how HR deal with issues like equality and diversity is something we should share info about as much as possible.

An important thing to remember is if/when the court summons start flying your employers legal team is not your legal team. Their job is to protect your employer.

Your testimony is public record so if your job had responsibilty and there are specific legislation you need to be aware of go to the source document (the legislation and case law) and read it and make sure your policy documents clearly outlines how you comply with the law. And any training has to reinforce the policy not "nearly align" with the policy
For obvious reasons you should insure that policy documents are dated and changes tracked.

If you even suspect that you would be involved in work place litigation (civil or criminal) ask HR if they have officers insurance and if you are included on the policy.

Remember your employers legal team is not your legal team.