PC Principal thread

[NynJa]

Straight guys don't understand why LGBT people need LGBT support groups at work.

More at 11

Is there any reason they should be doing this on the clock? You go to work to do your job, not to have a SJW convention about priviledge and how to tell your boss that the heterosexual males are doing offensive things.

[Byrthnoth]

It makes sense for there to be LBGT groups of your workers at work because:
1) LBGT people are uncommon, so they are unlikely to find each other without such a group
2) Work is somewhere they all go, so it's a convenient place to meet
3) LBGT people face/present different social challenges than others that your company and employees might not be prepared to deal with. Having such a group can help them identify systemic problems/offenders earlier and report them instead of it going undetected for 10 years and culminating in a big, expensive, class action lawsuit.

The reason to let it be on the clock is to encourage participation. No one wants to meet at 4-5 on a Wednesday. Plus, see #1. You're not losing that much productivity when your 4% of your workers get together for an hour.

[Salodin]

Straight guys don't understand why LGBT people need LGBT support groups at work.

More at 11

No, there is a need for some education on LGBT in the workplace in general, because like it or not we do or say things that really are politically incorrect and often times insensitive and we just don't realize it. But to say this and not at the same time admit that this is sometimes taken too far and out of context is disingenuous. Context matters, and sometimes people need to take criticism with out the crutch of crying discrimination to avoid the changes this criticism is trying to affect. This is life; this is what constructive criticism does in education and business. It's not meant to keep you down; it's meant to illustrate to you what you are doing wrong or can do better with the hope that you will listen and actually make yourself better. Unfortunately, and I don't know if this was always a thing or I just notice it more now that I'm older, people aren't interested in actually making themselves better; they're content to just make themselves feel like they're better.

It really is like you don't read the posts.

I'll add to this and say that I'm the first to admit I've done and said cringe worthy things before, even (or especially) on these forums. I don't always mean for them to come out like they do, and I've learned from those mistakes. I don't mean to come off as insensitive, or even worse racist, and after rereading some things I've posted I've realized the mistake and cried (on the inside). Sure it sometimes sucks, but you suck it up and move on. Why some people would fight this is beyond me, and a lot of the articles posted in this thread illustrate just that, people fighting back against their schema being confronted and forced to change. It's quite sad.

[NynJa]

The reason to let it be on the clock is to encourage participation. No one wants to meet at 4-5 on a Wednesday. Plus, see #1. You're not losing that much productivity when your 4% of your workers get together for an hour.

What happens when its not an hour? What happens when you're already behind as is? What happens if they're not actually discussing LGBT support shit but just shooting the breeze?

Most importantly, is a meeting every fucking week to discuss new ways to make your co-workers walk on eggshells really necessary? How much shit can happen in 40 hours in the work place that requires a new meeting every week for it?

[Jaybar]

What happens when its not an hour? What happens when you're already behind as is? What happens if they're not actually discussing LGBT support shit but just shooting the breeze?

Most importantly, is a meeting every fucking week to discuss new ways to make your co-workers walk on eggshells really necessary? How much shit can happen in 40 hours in the work place that requires a new meeting every week for it?

This isn't a discussion about what people might be doing in these groups, but what they are meant for. Jesus christ.

[Jaybar]

lol internet double post

[Azull]

I would assume they were meant for wasting time and not working while having a bulletproof excuse to not get called out for not working.

[Salodin]

This isn't a discussion about what people might be doing in these groups, but what they are meant for. Jesus christ.

This is correct, but from the point of view of some one who isn't LGBT, it's a real concern. It's the same thing with smoke breaks; I don't smoke and continue to be productive while my coworkers take a 10 minute paid break multiple times a day to kill their lungs. People started to speak up about smoke breaks, and now they're practically a thing of the past.

If LGBT groups are having paid meetings to discuss how to convince their coworkers to treat them with the same consideration they give any one else, what happens if the meetings get off topic and non-LGBT people begin to take notice? Again, I'd be irked if my coworkers are getting paid for these meetings and I walk by the room and see them laughing it up because some one is showing pictures of their cute dog doing tricks from their facebook. And what if you try to speak up about it? You know full well they'd cry discrimination even though you are absolutely right to be annoyed with people getting paid to have fun while you continue to work and be productive.

Before Kuya comments again, I'll say I do support LGBT meetings in the work place. But context and content matter. Is once a week pretty often? I'd think so, unless the situation is particularly egregious, in which case HR should have been called the day of to come and deal with it; at which point begs the question of why need a weekly meeting if HR needs to be called to deal with shit any ways?

The idea of that kind of support for LGBT is great imo, but as always context matters. I'd say weekly is too often unless your workplace is particularly bigoted.

[Churchill]

I was always shafted because you don't get dip breaks, you just dip.

[Koul]

Once a week seems pretty severe imo. The only place we would have weekly meetings was at Boeing and when I was in them I had no idea what anyone was talking about so I just felt like I was wasting company time. Personally, I would never join any type of LGBT work thing because I don't let my sexuality define me.

[Zetanio]

I'm allowed to vape in the office. Only reason I vape. Startups ftw.

[Salodin]

I was always shafted because you don't get dip breaks, you just dip.

Did they at least give you a nae nae break?

[Thunder]

There's a certain amount of irony with all the white privilege stuff

If these people keep walking around and demanding everyone to help them with their emotional baggage then it should be no surprise the people who don't have that baggage will be preferred in the workspace, treated differently, or paid more

It'd be different if there were signs of this PC bullshit letting up and dwindling down after being so intrusive... but according to every metric it's just accelerating so nobody should be surprised when a few years down the line white privilege is even more privileged

[Blubbartron]

Since people are talking about it a lot, there's a couple things that need cleared up. I don't remember for sure if they were weekly meetings. They were probably only once or twice a month. It was nearly 2 years ago and my memory isn't perfect. As for content, a good chunk (>30%) of the meetings were about stupid bullshit like movie nights, potluck dinners, and so on. The rest of the time they were discussing crazy shit requiring an absurd amount of money committed by the company. Shit like doing demo in existing buildings in order to revamp all bathrooms into unisex bathrooms. The vibe I got from the notes I was reading was not "this company has prejudiced hiring practices and inappropriate workplace behaviors that need to change" but instead more like "what kind of shit can we get them to do FOR US."

[Yuri-G]

every one of you working a bullshit cubicle job would take an hour-long break once a week to shoot the shit if it was given to you, and don't you fucking lie and tell me you wouldn't. you're just jelly.

[Churchill]

Nah, I wouldn't ever take an hour long break once a week to shoot the shit if everyone else I worked with could see me taking that break and not be involved themselves.

That's how you make people think you're a worthless sack of shit.

[vivbiibasjiu]

Nah, I wouldn't ever take an hour long break once a week to shoot the shit if everyone else I worked with could see me taking that break and not be involved themselves.

That's how you make people think you're a worthless sack of shit.

I thought you said you don't care what people think about you?

[Thunder]

I thought you said you don't care what people think about you?

he probably cares how everyone treats him though

[Yuri-G]

Nah, I wouldn't ever take an hour long break once a week to shoot the shit if everyone else I worked with could see me taking that break and not be involved themselves.

That's how you make people think you're a worthless sack of shit.

Your sense of nobility in regards to employment means you either have a job that actually means something to you, or you are the kind of person I just do not understand. Either way, good luck to you sir. Me, I'll take the hour off in exchange for the respect of people who mean nothing to me and an employer who would gladly shove me on the streets and replace me with a small Indian child if their spreadsheets told them it would be more cost-efficient.

[vivbiibasjiu]

he probably cares how everyone treats him though

How someone treats you is directly tied to what they think of you so it doesn't make sense either way.

Besides, it's always the people who say "I don't care what people think about me!" who care the most lol