As the nation burned in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020, companies fearing being victims of a woke digital mob put forth a new policy that was the mother of all window dressings: hiring diversity, equity, and inclusion directors. You'd be correct if you think this sounds like wasted salary space. Andm if you assumed that this was more of a fad than something genuine, you’re a jackpot winner. The reason for these positions being phased out in the workplace is simple: it’s racism.
I’m kidding. It’s not, but you could guess this will be the position liberals take to explain why these DEI positions are fading faster than a bunch of senior citizens watching the Macy’s Christmas Parade. The term “golden handcuffs” were used in an NBC News article about the erasure of these jobs. Companies were initially keen on hiring these folks but never got legitimate front-office support. Also, would it shock you that most DEI personnel were white (via NBC News):
Diversity, equity and inclusion leaders, who were hired in waves to help companies achieve an ethnically balanced workforce after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, are being phased out, surveys indicate, leaving experts in the field concerned that corporations’ talk of affecting change was just empty words.
DEI roles increased by 55% following demands for broader racial equity and justice after Floyd’s murder, the Society for Human Resource Management reported in 2020. But instead of creating fair opportunities and a comfortable work culture for Black employees, a pair of recent reports indicate, DEI professionals are losing their jobs, as layoffs across the economy have gained momentum.
The attrition rate for DEI roles was 33% at the end of 2022, compared to 21% for non-DEI roles. Amazon, Applebees and Twitter lead the way with DEI layoffs since July 2022, according to Revelio Labs, a New York-based company that uses data to analyze workforce dynamics and trends.
Another survey showed that Black employees represent only 3.8% of chief diversity officers overall, with white people making up 76.1% of the roles. Those of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity make up 7.8% and those of Asian ethnicity make up 7.7%
Reyhan Ayas, a senior economist at Revelio Labs, which surveyed DEI layoffs, said the data shows the pledge to impact change was not followed by genuine effort.
White progressives are the most rigid regarding a host of social issues, even more so than non-whites, who know there are still issues about equity but recognize progress has been made. White liberals of this mold—college educated and wealthy—still see America in the Reconstruction days. Even worse, an Americanized version of apartheid. It got to the point where white leftists were at the helm of Black Lives Matter protests, which raised some eyebrows among black leaders.
It all boils down to the simple fact that companies care about staying in business. And it doesn’t matter what race you are. Companies don’t care if you’re black, Asian, white, brown, or orange; they care about green, the color of money. If you contribute to that by working hard and doing your job well, who cares about your skin color or politics? It’s about who is best for the job, a phrase now considered politically incorrect but accurate.
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