Uber recently held two employee sessions on race entitled: Don’t Call Me Karen. (The Karen persona is slang for entitled white women who complain to the manager and report people of color to the authorities.) As part of its efforts to have “an open and honest conversation about race,” Uber’s head of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) moderated the sessions to explore the “spectrum of the American White woman’s experience.” What was meant to be a dialogue turned into a scolding for employees who objected to the topic. Backlash ensued and the head of DEI has been placed on leave.
Cultural clashes in the workplace over race and L.G.B.T.Q. rights have been widely reported in recent years. The clashes are newsworthy but not representative in our experience. The reality is many workplaces maneuver these issues with sensible, ongoing training–particularly of front line managers. The essence of all training and education is imparting information with respect. There is no need to go far afield with provocative topics to create a harmonious workplace.
We have provided training on a range of topics–including race and identity–for years. We have created several series with succinct, easy to digest sessions–because respect includes respecting your time too. Check out a summary of our training menu. We can help with fixed fee training on any workplace topic to any group or individual. Contact us.