Given the article on the BBC’s Prode network, I wondered what others thought about staff networks.
My work only started having these networks around 5 years ago. I was originally on the women’s network as a senior sponsor but dropped out as their views were too extreme for me. This was before TWAW but there was no room for nuance and no room for debate of any orthodoxy.
Since then, we have loads more - race, race allies, LGB, LGB allies etc - and lots of internal diversity training. Of course, the pronouns in emails and focus on micro aggressions of all kinds.
The message from the networks is that if you’re not from the disadvantaged group, your job is to listen and be educated. It is all a one-way transmission.
And lots on ‘intersectionality’ and the women’s network welcomes all women and that those who disagree with TWAW or with TW in women’s sports are bigots.
I am conflicted. I totally get that there is prejudice and stereotyping and that we need to do something for a fairer society. But the focus sometimes seems to make people hyper aware of differences and divisions and not much on healing them and working together. There is no focus on building a shared culture. It feels performative and with a few exceptions (more apprenticeships for disadvantaged groups which I totally aupport) few concrete actions but a lot of lip service and public proclamations of ‘ally ship’ from our white middle-class middle England management.
It takes up a huge amount of senior time, away from the actual purpose of the organisation and can feel like it makes me hyper aware of difference compared to before this all started.
I find it toxic and counterproductive. Concrete actions to reach on recruitment and to monitor our make-up, yes, but internally the focus should be on a shared culture and purpose not student politics.