99% of people who are “anti-DEI” have no idea how DEI actually works in Canada.
In this interview on Global News Morning, I explain one of the most misunderstood aspects of DEI work, which is equity in hiring.
I still remember this white male CEO from Newfoundland who shared with me that because of his “Newfie” accent he is treated like “the dumbest guy” at the table when he meets his peers in Toronto.
And he feels he has had to work twice as hard to prove that he is as competent as someone from Ontario.
We talked about how accent bias contributes to unfair hiring practices and lack of inclusion in the workplace and how we could use bias training for recruiters and HR managers as one tool to address this.
It is just another example of how DEI is conflated with “unfair advantages” for Black people (and others) but in reality there are MANY benefits for EVERYONE.
I fear people will only understand this point once it is too late, and all of the equity that workplaces have fought for has been clawed back.
DEI is the reason new moms can have access to a lactation room instead of pumping milk in a dusty storage closet.
DEI is the reason people of all faiths can step away from their desk and have a space to pray.
DEI is the reason every corporate event must have vegan, kosher and halal options.
DEI is the reason that neurodivergence in the workplace is being accommodated.
DEI is the reason you can sue an employer if they refuse to reasonably accommodate your disability.
DEI is the reason you can still advocate to work from home even though the pandemic is over.
Thank you to the entire crew at CTV Your Morning for hosting me.
A good and wise friend reminded me that it’s important to keep speaking up because the DEI movement is a small part of the wider accountability movement.
It’s part of the reason our culture evolved to a point where it became safe for someone like Cassie to come out publicly against someone as powerful as Diddy.
My core frustration with this current DEI backlash is the people who are loudest are the people who don’t even have a concept of a clue of what DEI is about. DEI does not advocate for people to be hired BECAUSE they are racialized, or queer or disabled. It advocates for people NOT to be excluded from a candidate pool BECAUSE they are racialized, queer or disabled among other things.
So DEI hiring IS actually about merit based hiring. Because there are LOTS of people who are OVERQUALIFIED for jobs and not getting them BECAUSE of their race, gender or ability etc …
If we actually had merit based hiring we would never need DEI. But we don’t have merit based hiring. So here we are.