Employees globally are voicing a need for more diverse and equitable workplaces despite the recent backlash against DEI initiatives, a survey has found. The How to Talk About Diversity With Employees to Achieve Your Company’s Objectives survey by Catalyst had over 6000 employees across 11 countries reveal their thoughts. A Call For Vocal DEI Efforts The survey revealed that 9 in 10 (93%) employees believe it’s crucial for organizations to be vocal about their DEI efforts. Additionally, 3 in 4 (76%) of the respondents claimed that organizations should actively strive
MeVitae, a UK-based Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) startup, has successfully secured a $1.8 million (€1.7 million) seed round spearheaded by Apex Black. MeVitae Founded by Oxford University alumni, Neuroscientist Riham Satti and Computer Scientist Vivek Doraiswamy, MeVitae specializes in offering a comprehensive DEI ecosystem of HR tools. These tools, developed from a blend of AI ethics and neuroscience perspectives, are designed to detect and mitigate biases, to enhance smarter, faster, and fairer hiring decisions. “Growing up, I never considered that my gender or skin color might impede opportunities. It
Snap and Zoom’s mass layoffs have impacted workers in various roles across the company, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) teams at both tech companies. Snap’s Layoffs Snap, the maker of Snapchat and Bitmoji, has laid off around 500 employees this month. The layoffs were most often conducted over brief video calls. According to Business Insider, engineers, content moderation teams, and a small number of people doing trust and safety work were impacted. This included several people working on a team within HR that helped with internal employee analytics, including surveys
Uber has hired Snaps Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Oona King as their new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Meet Oona King Oona King is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) executive with over twenty years of experience. King has made her mark in several companies, including the Chief Diversity Officer at Channel 4 for over seven years, Global Director of Diverse Marketing at YouTube, and Director of Diversity Strategy at Google. She also became the second Black woman elected to the British Parliament in 1997 and was an advisor
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a major player in the accounting industry, has recently revised its diversity and inclusion initiatives in response to legal and social pressures in the United States. With a workforce of 46,000 in the U.S., PwC’s adaptations signal a significant shift in corporate diversity strategies. The firm has altered its approach following a Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious university admissions, which has wider implications for employment practices. This change has led PwC to eliminate race-based criteria in its student internship program and professional accounting exam preparation scholarships. These initiatives
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is currently funding several programs to address racism in environmental and civil engineering to make the field more diverse. According to the Daily Caller, the NSF also aims to train engineers representing Black and Latinx communities. The grants are part of a broader effort by the NSF to push racial equity in STEM. In 2021, nearly a quarter (24%) of the US workforce was employed in STEM. However, Hispanic workers represented 15%, and Black workers only represented 9%. NSF’s funds aim to change that as they are
In recent days, Elon Musk has drawn criticism from business, tech, and civil rights leaders for his disparaging tweets about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). DEI initiatives aim to rectify historical and ongoing discrimination by providing equal access and opportunities for underrepresented groups. However, South African billionaire and owner of Tesla, Space X, and X – formerly known as Twitter – has repeatedly labeled these efforts discriminatory and called for them to “die”. “DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it,” Musk said in a
Claudine Gay, Havard University’s first Black president, has resigned following allegations of plagiarism and criticism over her comments about antisemitism on campus. Gay released a letter announcing her resignation, saying it was in the university’s best interests for her to go. “It has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor,” she said. “This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words.” She said she had been subjected to personal threats and racial animus. Anti-semitism comments
After making pledges following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, companies such as Google have cut back on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and hiring. Following Floyd’s murder in 2020, companies set pledges to prioritize DEI. Between June and August 2020, there was a 55% increase in corporate DEI roles, and leading corporations pledged $12.3 billion to fight racism. Google, in particular, aimed to improve the representation of underrepresented groups in leadership by 30% by 2025 and address representation issues in hiring, retention, and promotions. Over the last year, however,
“DEI must DIE,” Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, boldly declared in a Twitter/X post on December 15. “The point was to end discrimination, not replace it with different discrimination.” The South African Tesla and Twitter/X owner doubled down the following day, adding, “‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ are propaganda words for racism, sexism and other -isms. This is just as morally wrong as any other racism and sexism.” Who benefits from DEI? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives aim to rectify historical and ongoing discrimination by providing equal access and opportunities
