Hello Management,
Thank you for the email alerting our workforce to the new federal guidance on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) initiatives. I had a few questions, however, given the dramatic reversal from previous guidance I had received only a few months ago.
Before this new directive eliminating DEI from all aspects of our work, DEI was consistently communicated to the workforce as “relevant to everything we do.” Adherence to DEI was formally included as essential criteria when evaluating for hiring, promotion, and special awards.
Annual performance reviews required us to explain what we had done in furtherance of DEI. HR (with management encouragement) regularly sponsored and advertised DEI events to the workforce on such topics as unconscious bias, microaggressions, intersectionality, respecting pronouns, being an ally to LGBT coworkers, antiracism, BIPOC identity, neurodiversity, white privilege, and cisgender norms. Our organization maintained a website devoted to DEI and a “DEI certification program,” and a monthly DEI newsletter was circulated to all employees.
Official guidance from management and HR frequently encouraged the workforce to embrace DEI, such as including pronouns in email signatures. We were told failure to honor DEI initiatives was potentially a violation of federal regulations such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Failure to respect fellow employees’ preferred pronouns, it was explained, would be viewed as discriminatory, prejudicial, and a potential violation of the No Fear Act. […]
— Read More: thefederalist.com
