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Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

economist.com

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Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#31

Post by buzzy_hacker »

duped wrote: post #21
eric4smith wrote: post #7

People are human. But work is work. The canonical point of a workplace is to come together to fulfill the aims of the entrepreneurs. The personal aims of the workers are fulfilled best outside of work. Just stop to think about it logically for a minute... is the workplace the best place to circulate a petition condemning something that has nothing to do with work? The workplace necessarily is going to bring together…

The office exists within society. Some things exist everywhere you go in society. You don't give up ethics and morals because you cross the threshold of your place of business. Ignoring social problems in the workplace because it is a workplace is how we avoid solving those problems as a society. The office is exactly where we should be advocating for things, because it is where we spend the most time and can affect…

I feel there is room in the middle. While we should not leave ethics at the door, not every ethical issue is applicable to work (as I’m sure you would agree.)

So while it might be relevant to discuss “woke” issues like discrimination on group characteristics at work because that’s an issue that could manifest itself at work, I don’t think it’s relevant to call for a statement about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by Google, as is suggested in the article.

Open-minded to contrary opinions though.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#32

Post by kokanator »

throwaway292893 wrote: post #24
seibelj wrote: post #16

Why can’t we just let the market sort it out? Let the people who want to talk politics all day start, lead, and work at firms that encourage it. And those that don’t will do the same. It’s my same issue with socialists who want democratic control of companies. If it’s so obviously better, why not start one yourself? Or use government money to do so (socialists, after all). I just wish everyone would voluntarily assoc…

* others response to you * Hey get that libertarian common sense out of here! Downvote!

Am I to understand by your comment that libertarians are not tolerated on HN?

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#33

Post by stephc_int13 »

The reason why politics is traditionally frowned upon in the workplace is to avoid toxic peer pressure and the resulting uniformity.

It is illegal to discriminate against employees for their political opinions, religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnic background, etc. Allowing or even encouraging open political debates in the workplace jeopardizes it.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#34

Post by president »

What I learned recently is that a lot of the "woke" efforts in these large public companies are directed by boards who are answering to Wall St, who are answering to elites and politicians. It's no wonder none of the "wokism" feels so in-your-face instead of genuine and organic.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#35

Post by blast »

Tycho wrote: post #30

The weird thing is how it’s all seems so co-ordinated. As if the HR departments of every firm get their marching orders from some central advocacy group.

I bet this is a side effect of the internet and especially social media. Rapid spread of ideas/memes creates large zones of homogeneity, sort of like the fill-colour operation in paint programs. Suddenly we have "tribes", but with millions of people.

The same phenomenon drives the homogeneous subgroups to extremes, since externally they define themselves in opposition to other subgroups, and internally they egg each other on, rewarding the members who find the most intense new ways to express the identity.

It's not coordinated, except in the sense that the technology allows for forms of replication that never existed before. Because our brains don't expect that sort of world, this maps to a feeling of "it all seems so coordinated", even if we resist that explanation intellectually.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#36

Post by [deleted] »

archsurface wrote: post #2

I have no tolerance for politics at work. As far as woke at work goes, not too long ago someone in my office commented on slack "I don't approve of unnecessarily gendered emoji" - I can't even begin to imagine what sort of mind produces such thoughts. First world problems? No idea.

[deleted]

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#38

Post by swyx »

yakshaving_jgt wrote: post #10
tshaddox wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn’t sound like the internal petition was calling for the firm to solve the conflict. That would be unrealistic, but it’s not at all the case here.

Then it would seem the statement is inconsequential — at least in my view. How is it constructive to point out a conflict which is already at the forefront of everyone's minds because of mass civilian deaths and the associate global media coverage?

its a very interesting conundrum because both agree it is inconsequential:

- the left get mad because it is "the least we can do"

- the right get mad because it is performative

ultimately people who have made up their mind on what the right thing to do is aren't really listening to those who disagree because they have believe they own the moral or procedural high ground.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#39

Post by lliamander »

archsurface wrote: post #2

I have no tolerance for politics at work. As far as woke at work goes, not too long ago someone in my office commented on slack "I don't approve of unnecessarily gendered emoji" - I can't even begin to imagine what sort of mind produces such thoughts. First world problems? No idea.

I'm not sure the idea of "no politics at work" is exactly the right mindset.

I like the idea that a narrow mission (corporate or otherwise) allows for coalition building, and that you can sometimes put your differences aside and build something great the world can benefit from (this was an idea pushed by the early defenders of open source and the OSI).

When you build these coalitions, it also somewhat forces you to humanize the people not from your political faction.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#40

Post by [deleted] »

[deleted] wrote: post #26
duped wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The office exists within society. Some things exist everywhere you go in society. You don't give up ethics and morals because you cross the threshold of your place of business. Ignoring social problems in the workplace because it is a workplace is how we avoid solving those problems as a society. The office is exactly where we should be advocating for things, because it is where we spend the most time and can affect…

[deleted]

[deleted]
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