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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

#51

Post by kokanator »

j2kun wrote: post #44
stephc_int13 wrote: post #33

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.

Seems more likely it's so that employers can prevent their employees from discussing their working conditions with each other and enforce _more_ uniformity by stifling demands for better treatment.

This is significantly and historically more the case.

The previous comment confuses Bullying with Political discussion. Though it is true bullies can participate in political discussions a bully is typically a bully in all areas.

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

#52

Post by hluska »

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…

I can’t help but wonder if the tech industry did this to itself. Tech companies offer so many amenities at the office from free food, to laundry, to massages that the line between office and home has blurred. Maybe the solution is making offices feel like offices and normalizing forty hour work weeks?

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

#53

Post by MattGaiser »

foota wrote: post #46
stephc_int13 wrote: post #33

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.

This isn't true, political opinions aren't a protected class in the US.

It seems to be in some places like California.

https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/labor/harassment/political-reta...

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

#54

Post by stephc_int13 »

SeanBoocock wrote: post #43
stephc_int13 wrote: post #33

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.

Political opinions are not protected in the same way, nor should they be, as the protected classes you cite (gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc).

Oh, really? I am not from the US, so I am a bit ignorant about the laws there.

In France it is illegal to discriminate against an employee because of his political views.

It is not allowed to ask.

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

#55

Post by worik »

oogabooga123 wrote: post #4

These problems fix themselves given enough time. Less productive firms go out of business and take their cultures with them. Social norms are evolved , not designed.

But there are many solutions to that. Many "better" states firms could evolve into.

I agree that social norms are evolved, but part of that evolution is the activism of the people within.

So the fact that social norms evolve does not mean we should stop working on them

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

#56

Post by Opt_Out_Fed_IRS »

This sort of stuff happens when society reaches a level of prosperity so high that it starts worrying about nonsense

None of this happens in Mexico

The US needs to import fresh blood and fresh brains if it wants to survive.

Less people studying social trends and more studying consumer trends.

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

#57

Post by nxmnxm99 »

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.

Yeah. I grew up in a third world country and moved to North America pretty late. I never realized how sheltered and weak Americans were till I joined a well known YC company.

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

#58

Post by stephc_int13 »

foota wrote: post #46
stephc_int13 wrote: post #33

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.

This isn't true, political opinions aren't a protected class in the US.

Wow.

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

#59

Post by [deleted] »

stephc_int13 wrote: post #33

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.

[deleted]

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

#60

Post by hluska »

ixacto wrote: post #50
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…

Advocating for what things exactly? It might be a strawman, but I’m going to guess and it would be something like an end to perceived workplace raceism/sexism/*isms. If you let in political advocacy movements from the left do you really want political movements from the right? Or is it just ok if the left is advocating for it? I kinda think the left is trying to have their equity cake and eat it too… To some people (…

Isn’t ending workplace sexism/racism a net benefit to the workplace? How are divisive, hate driven policies related?
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