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Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

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Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#2
Ain't not gonna happen. From what I can tell from articles and company brochures diversity means young, good-looking people in an open office all staring at the same screen.

There will be no diversity regarding introverts, shy, disabled, fat, ugly or other types of people.

Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#3
I honestly think remote work is pretty detrimental to innovation and progress. Many of the best projects that I've worked on started as hallway conversations.

Obviously, this isn't true for everyone and all situations... It's just like, my opinion... man.

Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#4
A big part of the rational and moral justification for diversity initiatives and affirmative action programs, as I understand them, is as a means to help correct the history of institutional racism and discrimination in this country.

So while the idea that meeting and working "with folks from all over the world—Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, the Philippines, Mexico, and others" is appealing, for me it sidesteps the major issues diversity efforts should be addressing. And as an outsourcing mechanism, it can serve as a means of wage suppression, which has also exacerbated social divisions in this country.

Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#5
post #3

I honestly think remote work is pretty detrimental to innovation and progress. Many of the best projects that I've worked on started as hallway conversations. Obviously, this isn't true for everyone and all situations... It's just like, my opinion... man.

Also, your physical presence is pretty much required if you want to have any sort of career progression. But it's great if you don't care about it and just want a steady paycheck that isn't eaten up by high cost of living.

Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#6
post #3

I honestly think remote work is pretty detrimental to innovation and progress. Many of the best projects that I've worked on started as hallway conversations. Obviously, this isn't true for everyone and all situations... It's just like, my opinion... man.

Thankfully the vast majority of work has nothing to do with innovation.

I'd love to hear your argument for "progress", whatever that is.

Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#7
post #3

I honestly think remote work is pretty detrimental to innovation and progress. Many of the best projects that I've worked on started as hallway conversations. Obviously, this isn't true for everyone and all situations... It's just like, my opinion... man.

When I worked at a remote company we had a lot of "hallway conversations" on Skype. I would argue that we had more creative ideas then than I ever see in my current company at the office.

In the end it comes down to people. Either people are innovative or not.

Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#8
post #4

A big part of the rational and moral justification for diversity initiatives and affirmative action programs, as I understand them, is as a means to help correct the history of institutional racism and discrimination in this country. So while the idea that meeting and working "with folks from all over the world—Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, the Philippines, Mexico, and others" is appealing, for me…

I think more emphasis should be given on the benefit that diversity brings to the organization. A university or a company with lots of young white middle-class people will miss a lot of ideias that people from other backgrounds might bring.

Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#9
post #2

Ain't not gonna happen. From what I can tell from articles and company brochures diversity means young, good-looking people in an open office all staring at the same screen. There will be no diversity regarding introverts, shy, disabled, fat, ugly or other types of people.

This made me wonder: What does it take to become a protected/victim group?

Ugly and socially-unskilled people are not protected/victim groups even though their lives are harder.

My current hypothesis is that the main reason that a group gets that status is that they have an emotionally compelling victim-story (although I think there's some randomness due to political movements).

Under this hypothesis, the struggles of the ugly and socially-unskilled may be less emotionally compelling because they are less likable and so we have less empathy for them.

Disclaimer: All of this is just descriptive speculation. I don't very well understand the relative struggles of different groups and don't endorse poor treatment of anyone. And I'd love for anyone to show flaws in my hypothesis or present a better one.

Re: Tech companies: make remote work part of your diversity and inclusion efforts

#10
post #3

I honestly think remote work is pretty detrimental to innovation and progress. Many of the best projects that I've worked on started as hallway conversations. Obviously, this isn't true for everyone and all situations... It's just like, my opinion... man.

I disagree, a good office culture extends beyond meatspace. I've worked at plenty of companies where the general atmosphere was... not good. These are places where the "hallway conversation" was either nonexistent or didn't extend beyond small talk about TV or the weather. If your employees aren't comfortable sending instant messages to each other, they definitely aren't going to be comfortable being in the same room together.
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