More Than Ever, Employees Want a Say in How Their Companies Are Run (qz.com)

Two readers share a report: While workers have traditionally looked to unions to address their grievances, a new generation is trusting in the power of petitions to force changes. At the Wall Street Journal, 160 reporters and editors, delivered a letter to their managers protesting the lack of women and minorities running the organization, Business Insider reported yesterday. "Nearly all the people at high levels at the paper deciding what we cover and how are white men," the letter read. IBM employees are circulating an online petition objecting to the tone of CEO Ginni Rometty's letter to US president Donald Trump, and calling on her affirm what they call the company's progressive values. [...] Other employee petitions call for Oracle to oppose US president Donald Trump's second travel ban, and to let men who work at US regional supermarket Publix grow beards. Employee petitions are now so popular there's a website, coworker.org, devoted to hosting them. In some cases, the campaigns work: Starbuck's relaxed its rules about visible tattoos and unnatural hair color for baristas after thousands signed petitions asking for a change. Sometimes, they fail disastrously. Interns at one (unnamed) company described in a blog about being fired en masse after signing a petition asking for a more relaxed dress code.

Comments

this is really getting tiring

[ganjadude]

there are zero barriers for entry in the workforce today. this push for diversity for nothing other than the sake of diversity is pointless.

the best person for the job regardless of race or gender is how it should be, nothing else.

Re:this is really getting tiring

[silas_moeckel]

But making false numbers games are how SJW's survive.

As a business owner I would have a huge pushback on the force change bit if stuff this simple requires a petition your management is probably already dysfunctional.

Re:this is really getting tiring

[Anonymous Coward]

- Different people from different viewpoints are almost invariably GOOD for an organization. Those that don't have diversity tend to wither and die due to stagnation.

Proof?

Re: this is really getting tiring

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not rightist and centrists who keep bringing traits like race, gender, sexual preference, and so on into every situation and discussion. They aren't constantly pushing identity politics. It's the leftists who are doing that.

Everybody but the leftists have moved on. The leftists draw their power from exploiting the differences between groups of people, however. So they need to continually foster disagreement and disruption. Leftists need this disunity in order for their failed belief systems to survive. They need to constantly create new 'victims' in order to exploit society.

Re:this is really getting tiring

[grasshoppa]

The problem is folks get outcomes confused with opportunity. Just because a certain gender or color isn't present in representative numbers in upper management and certain jobs doesn't mean they didn't have the opportunity to pursue that job. Equal Opportunity does not equate to Equal Outcomes, essentially.

Amusingly, what these folks are advocating for is a lowering of the bar which only applies to certain genders or skin colors...which makes them, you guessed it, bigots.

Re:this is really getting tiring

[epyT-R]

I'm sure if we gave non whites enough other distractions "to be totally disgusted about", we could avoid having to respect their rights too. Doesn't make it right, however.

Re:this is really getting tiring

[cayenne8]

Those that don't have diversity tend to wither and die due to stagnation.

I"ve yet to see that ever.

I suppose if the business is catering to a specific market where no one is a part of or knows that market it could be detrimental (all white guys trying to see black women gerry curl, or whatever it is called).

On the other hand...throwing out or not hiring people due to their race and ONLY being interested in meeting quotas for diversity sake, I have seen tank a company's abilities.

I have no problem with hiring whomever is the best for the job.

Hell, why is it no one complains there aren't enough white jewish men playing in the NBA? I mean, you look at those teams....no diversity there, just a bunch of tall black guys, with the occasional token tall white boy in there.

Re:this is really getting tiring

[clonehappy]

If a group of people has been told by leftists their entire life that they can't get a job because of their skin color (or sexual preference/orientation, religion, whatever), they then develop a chip on their shoulder about their skin color, and are then unable to obtain a job because of their skin color.

If those same groups of people would just stop listening to leftists, they could break the feedback loop and find success.

Re:this is really getting tiring

[Anonymous Coward]

That IS simply an incredibly ignorant statement.

If you step outside of the progressive bubble you will find many people of all types who say the same thing. There ARE zero barriers for anyone who has a shred of competence, self-confidence and determination.

And last I checked, those three attributes, are not individually nor collectively a gender or a race.

Re:this is really getting tiring

[KozmoStevnNaut]

I'm guessing your last name isn't "Abdul" or "Hussein".

Illegal discrimination is alive and well.

Sure To Be Effective

[tsqr]

I'm convinced that these petitions will be at least as effective as the ones posted on whitehouse.gov.

How cute

[Anonymous Coward]

The workers think they have an opinion that matters.

The current American culture gives absolutely no shits what workers think, only that they show up and do what it says on the tin.

You want to have an opinion? Fight for it. Walk out. Organize. Use the tools that are available to you, not spineless open letters that only provide the status quo with targets to aim at.

And, btw, when you have that opinion, don't give it up. Remind everybody that you fought hard for the right to have a voice, as opposed to workers in the 70s, 80s, and 90s that happily gave up their ability to affect change.

Interns != Employees

[Rob Riggs]

That intern was taught an invaluable business lesson.

Re:Translation

[Anonymous Coward]

1. Dress codes (outside of safety) have little to do with working hard and more to do with enforcing unnecessary conformity. As long as your clothing's sanitary and safe for the typical workday environment, I don't see a reason why it can't be worn to work. Employees undistracted by uncomfortable clothing are productive employees. Asking for this should got get one fired as it has nothing to do with workload.

2. In mentioning 'white men' the letter's author exposes a racist viewpoint. Just because someone's white and male does not mean he is responsible for all suffering.

Only if there was something

[future assassin]

say we used the word Union. It would be an organization of people from the same industry banded for the benefit of all workers. Maybe the workers could donate a little of their monthly income so the Union could hire lawyers and lobbying power. Its just an idea...

Re:Translation

[CaptainDork]

We're sorry, but North Carolina will have to see your birth certificate, please.

Re:Translation

[cayenne8]

1. Dress codes (outside of safety) have little to do with working hard and more to do with enforcing unnecessary conformity.

They also promote the image the company wants to project publicly in many cases.

I hate the dress codes too, but they can be there for a reason.

I was at a place that started out having all men wear ties, women were dresses, or if in pants they had to be pretty formal looking.

After a few years there, they relaxed the dress codes to much more casual when in the work place when not meeting or being seen by customers.

But if we had to meet with customers or they were coming into our building, we had to go back to ties and formal looks those days.

And hell, for the times it is for conformity, I'd think the snowflake generation would be used to wearing the "school uniform"...don't most public and private schools today require uniforms?

Re:Translation

[cayenne8]

I've never seen a public school in the USA have a uniform for anything other than sports teams. Hell dress code has only gotten even laxer since I graduated in 2000.

I don't know where in the US you are located, but where I live, pretty much all the public schools require uniforms, it was put in to keep the poor kids from feeling bad next to the better dressed wealthier kids.

Re:Translation

[Marxist Hacker 42]

http://dilbert.com/strip/2017-03-29

You're missing the boat. The lazy slacker is the most efficient employee you can have. He'll find a way to get the job done in a quarter of the time and a tenth of the cost- just so he can goof off the rest of the day.

Re:Translation

[epyT-R]

It is a cultural problem. A problem you've illustrated quite well. Why does a tie imply professionalism? Why not focus on how efficient your employees are and the accomplishments of your company instead of associating it with arbitrary fashion? This applies to your customers as well. I realize you're bowing to pragmatic reality, but fashion obsession is anything but professional (unless of course you work in the fashion biz).