179041
  • Log in
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Forum
  • Donate
  • Newsletter
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result

The Demise of the Chief Diversity Officer

by Will Jones
22 July 2023 3:00 PM

Two years ago Chief Diversity Officers were some of the hottest hires into executive ranks. Now, they increasingly feel left out in the cold, write Te-Ping Chen and Lauren Webber in the Wall Street Journal. Here’s an excerpt.

Companies including Netflix, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have recently said that high-profile diversity, equity and inclusion executives will be leaving their jobs. Thousands of diversity-focused workers have been laid off since last year, and some companies are scaling back racial justice commitments.

Diversity, equity and inclusion — or DEI — jobs were put in the crosshairs after many companies started re-examining their executive ranks during the tech sector’s shake out last fall. Some Chief Diversity Officers say their work is facing additional scrutiny since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions and companies brace for potential legal challenges. DEI work has also become a political target.

“There’s a combination of grief, being very tired, and being, in some cases, overwhelmed,” says Miriam Warren, Chief Diversity Officer for Yelp, of the challenges facing executives in the field. Warren says the fear that company commitments are imperilled fuel her and others to feel “more committed to the work than ever.” Yelp’s DEI budget has grown for the past five years.

In interviews, current and former Chief Diversity Officers said company executives at times didn’t want to change hiring or promotion processes, despite initially telling CDOs they were hired to improve the talent pipeline. The quick about-face shows company enthusiasm for diversity initiatives hasn’t always proved durable, leaving some diversity officers now questioning their career path. 

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in police custody in May 2020, companies scrambled to hire Chief Diversity Officers, changing the face of the C-suite. In 2018, less than half the companies in the S&P 500 employed someone in the role, and by 2022 three out four companies had created a position, according to a study from Russell Reynolds, an executive search firm. 

Once mostly tasked with HR matters, today’s diversity leaders are expected to weigh in on new product development, marketing efforts and current events that have an impact on how workers and consumers are feeling. Warren and other CDOs said the expanded remit is playing out in a politically divided environment where corporate diversity efforts are the subject of frequent social-media firestorms. 

New analysis from employment data provider Live Data Technologies shows that Chief Diversity Officers have been more vulnerable to layoffs than their human resources counterparts, experiencing 40% higher turnover. Their job searches are also taking longer. 

“I got to 300 applications and then I stopped tracking,” says Stephanie Lubin, who was laid off from her role as Diversity Head at Drizly, an online alcohol marketplace, in May following the company’s acquisition by Uber. In one case, Lubin says she went through 16 rounds of interviews for a role she didn’t get, and says she is now planning to pivot out of DEI work.

The number of CDO searches is down 75% in the past year, says Jason Hanold, Chief Executive of Hanold Associates Executive Search, which works with Fortune 100 companies to recruit HR and DEI executives, among other roles. Demand is the lowest he has seen in his 30 years of recruiting.

At the same time, he says, more executives are feeling skittish about taking on diversity roles.

“They’re telling us, the only way I want to go into another role with DEI is if it includes something else,” he says of the requests for broader titles that offer more responsibilities and resources. He estimates that 60% of diversity roles he is currently filling combine the title with another position, such as Chief Human Resources Officer, up from about 10% five years ago.

Worth reading in full.

Tags: diversityEDIESGWoke capitalismWoke CorporationWoke GobbledegookWokus-Dei

Donate

We depend on your donations to keep this site going. Please give what you can.

Donate Today

Comment on this Article

You’ll need to set up an account to comment if you don’t already have one. We ask for a minimum donation of £5 if you'd like to make a comment or post in our Forums.

Sign Up
Previous Post

Is it Something in the Water?

Next Post

The Great Berlin Lion Panic of 2023

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
Please log in to comment

Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.

19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

 

DONATE

PODCAST

Nick Dixon and Toby Young Talk About the Fall of Russell Brand, the BBC’s Trans Rights Activism and Graham Linehan Topping the Bestseller List

by Will Jones
19 September 2023
10

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editors Picks

Lucy Letby Must Be Allowed an Appeal

11 September 2023
by Dr David Livermore

Canadian Parliament Gives Standing Ovation to Man Who Served in Waffen SS

24 September 2023
by Noah Carl

Heart Failure Deaths in 2023 Up 26% on Pre-Pandemic Levels, Data Show

24 September 2023
by Nick Rendell

News Round-Up

24 September 2023
by Will Jones

Football Focus in Peril as Viewing Figures Plummet Following Replacement of Dan Walker With Alex Scott

23 September 2023
by Will Jones

News Round-Up

78

U.K. Health Security Agency Head: We’ll Behave More Like Sweden When the Next Pandemic Hits

38

Heart Failure Deaths in 2023 Up 26% on Pre-Pandemic Levels, Data Show

36

Members of England Ladies’ Angling Team Refuse to Compete in World Championships After Team Picks Trans ‘Woman’ Who Used to Be a Rugby Player

34

MPs Who Believe ‘Women Have a Penis’ Will Be Named and Shamed Ahead of General Election

25

Canadian Parliament Gives Standing Ovation to Man Who Served in Waffen SS

24 September 2023
by Noah Carl

Heart Failure Deaths in 2023 Up 26% on Pre-Pandemic Levels, Data Show

24 September 2023
by Nick Rendell

German Whistleblower Finds DNA Contamination Up To 354 Times Recommended Limit in BioNTech-Pfizer Vaccine

23 September 2023
by Robert Kogon

Decades of Mismanagement Are Dooming Britain to Decline

22 September 2023
by Dr Angus Dalgleish

The Measles Scaremongering Doesn’t Stand Up to Scrutiny

22 September 2023
by Dr Ros Jones

POSTS BY DATE

July 2023
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
« Jun   Aug »

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union
  • Home
  • About us
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

RSS

Subscribe to our newsletter

© Skeptics Ltd.

No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Forum
  • Donate
  • Newsletter

© Skeptics Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Please note: To be able to comment on our articles you'll need to be a registered donor

Already have an account?
Please click here to login Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
wpDiscuz
You are going to send email to

Move Comment