The Joys of Mandatory Workplace Diversity Training, a Guided Tour

NRO

  . . . "Just a few clicks into the sterile legalese, I was quickly reminded why I’d developed such an instinctive resentment of the task. Diversity-and-inclusion training is a modern necessity for any substantial employer, and I do not doubt that a diverse and inclusive workforce drives innovation and engagement, thereby enhancing the bottom line. 

But it cannot be ignored that the reason diversity training exists as a mandate rather than an option is that trial lawyers have scared corporations into a defensive pose. Because large companies cannot trust that management in multiple locations will navigate the myriad legal tar pits that may result in a lawsuit, they are driven to establish that they’ve done their utmost to prevent a lapse. In other words, the whole thing has become a check-the-box activity: You certify that you’ve received the training, and we’ll produce that document in a court of law should an applicable suit be filed against us." . . .

. . . "People don’t like being treated like dull children, no matter how much effort you put into crafting diversity scenarios or uploading cheerful stock photography. And people don’t like operating under an ever-expanding list of unwitting micro-aggressions. And seemingly out of resourceful paths to take, they’ve turned to Trump as a sort of collective middle finger to the grievance culture ceaselessly holding them accountable for some new misdeed."