The ups and downs of America's diversity chief

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against affirmative action in higher education admissions, large corporations fear they could be sued for employment policies that focus too much on race, according to the Wall Street Journal. The head of diversity was fired.

Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts appear to be a "knee-knee reaction" following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, diversity executives say.

You could even call it the rise and fall of the poly executive.

Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery recently announced that their diversity chiefs were leaving, and thousands of diversity-focused employees have been let go over the past year. The move was accelerated by widespread technology layoffs.

“These are knee-jerk reactions,” said Dani Monroe, chief diversity officer at Massachusetts General Hospital through 2021, of the company’s unfettered hiring of diversity chiefs and rollout of diversity initiatives. , fair and inclusive recruitment plan.

Data from headhunters underscores the sharp decline in demand for diversity executives at many companies. Jason Hanold, CEO of Hanold Associates Executive Search, which works with Fortune 100 companies to find DEI and HR executives, has seen CDO searches drop 75% in the past year, according to CEO Jason Hanold.

This is Hanold's minimum demand for diverse executives in 30 years.

Shah Paikeday, global head of executive search firm Russell Reynolds DEI Practice, said the small number of clients still looking for a diversity executive are looking for someone who can help them navigate the new political and legal environment.

"They realized that it was smart to act early," Packday said.

slim chance

Along the same lines, fired DEI executives struggled to find new job opportunities and became disillusioned with the field.

Drizly's former diversity chief, Stephanie Lubin, was fired in May. After dozens of applications for the new DEI position fell through, Lubin kept going.

“I applied to 300 jobs, and then I didn’t count them,” Lubin said. Lubin went to 16 interviews for a particular job opening, but fell through. She has now given up working on diversity, equity and inclusion entirely.

What makes the job of a CDO all the more problematic is that despite all the emphasis on the need for social justice, there is little support from the CEO and top management, and cautiousness at best from colleagues.

“Even if you report to the CEO, it’s still an uphill battle and it’s under budget.” Melinda Stubbard, former head of human resources and diversity at AT&T, Starbucks, and OfferUp ( Melinda Starbird) said. Nine months ago, OfferUp fired her, and Starbird has yet to find a new job.

According to a survey of 138 diverse executives by a Fortune 50 group, only 41% feel supported by middle management, down 8 percentage points from 2022, and only 82% feel they have what it takes to do their jobs. The required influence is down 6 percentage points from a year ago.

Litigation on the horizon?

First Liberty Institute attorney Josh Hammer told Newsmax that, in fact, the Supreme Court's affirmative action rulings in the Student Fair Admissions (SFFA) Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina lawsuits are clear.

The court's opinion did not directly address Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, but state attorneys general have cited the provision in their calls for fair, non-race-based employment. Title VII protects employees and job applicants from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and natural origin.

“Fortune 100 CEOs are now aware that racial quotas and race-based preferences are illegal in employment and contracting practices,” Hammer noted. “Fortune 100 DEI Commissioners, watch yourselves.”

Hamer added: "The results could not be more clear: With the legal triumph of true human 'equality' and the defeat of trendy left-wing notions of 'fairness' in SFFA (Supreme Court Affirmative Action decisions), nationwide DEI agencies should proceed with extreme caution."

(Compilation: Chen Bingxuan)

(Editor in charge: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: New Sancai first release)