“The REAL problem is the BS Diversity movement. In many venues, it makes it very difficult (if not impossible) for white males to get hired.”
The other problem is it is so hard to find competent minorities and females to fill those quotas that companies are willing to invest a lot more time & money in them.
It is 5:00 pm in the workplace and the edict comes down from corporate to pull a significant amount of data and deliver a full analysis to corporate by 9:00 am the next morning. You can almost certainly guarantee the single mothers will be out the door no matter what their title or responsibility. The minorities who had “plans” for the evening or raise other objections will also leave. It will likely be a grey haired white male, who possibly works for a female or minority boss, and several unmarried young white males and females who will pull the all-nighter to get the work done. The division manager (white, black, female or male) who went home at the normal time will receive credit for the work. If the work is unacceptable, the grey haired white male will be reprimanded or fired. After all, someone has to be accountable.
At review time HR will provide the quotas to the division manager. The requisite number of minorities and females will be promoted with any remaining promotions given to a few white males who are absolutely critical to getting the work done in a crunch. Raises will be handed out according to a bell curve, with the division manager acutely aware corporate will be looking at the average percent increase for minorities versus whites and females versus males. If the division manager wants to get ahead, the distribution of raises will meet or exceed the expected outcome no matter what the actual performance of individuals. What counts is the group result, not individual performance.
White males over age 50 in most large corporations are an endangered species. Those who remain in the organization have either made it to the executive suite, have very specific technical skills which cannot be replicated and are essential to the survival of the organization, or are the “go to” middle management guy in departments. In sales, finance, and operations there are a few grey headed whites who have decades of institutional knowledge the smart minorities and females on their way up realize they have to leverage in order to advance their careers. In the dog eat dog, constantly downsizing corporate organizations, those survivors keep the train running on schedule while the rest play out the political game.
Over the past 30 years most American corporations have endured significant downsizing and restructuring, all in the name of increasing competitiveness as free trade has opened up the US market to the rest of the world and waves of government edicts have required corporations to meet specific quotas for women and minorities at all levels. Millions of white males have been jettisoned in the process, most moving on to lower paying jobs in small businesses or exiting the workforce if they could afford to retire.
It would be interesting to do a study of large organizations who have failed over the past 30 years. It may be one of the determining factors has been the brain and skills drain from the exodus of white males from middle management, not to mention the loss of work ethic in the workplace.
Seven years ago I sat in a senior management meeting of a large corporation and listened to a then 42 year old white male executive VP who had risen rapidly through the corporate staff to run the largest operating group in the company without having ever run a division office, a sales force or a factory. The CEO and Board made him a group president overseeing 20 operating divisions, seven billion dollars in sales, and multiple factories all over the planet. He was as prepared for this job by his working experience churning out financial statements and strategic plans in the corporate office as Barack Obama was prepared for being President of the United States. In his speech to the senior management committee he spoke of the coming demographic changes in America and the need to replace the aging white male workforce with young energetic minorities and women. He talked about the financial benefits of exiting white males approaching age 50 — lower pension costs, lower healthcare costs.
He then proceeded to execute this program in the operating companies under his administration. He exited thousands of middle aged white males. He reorganized the operating units, combining divisions, exiting their white male leaders, and promoting promising young females and minorities into the senior roles. The new “matrix” organization structures with dozens of bright young minority and female executives had unclear lines of authority and accountability. The downsized middle management was overwhelmed with work and did not understand how to function in a world where one might be reporting to three different vice presidents in the modern virtual matrix organization. Customers could not understand who to engage with in a new organization where they might be called on by “customer management teams” with no apparent leader ultimately responsible for results. Within two years, what had been the largest and most profitable business in the corporation and its industry was in shambles. Today it is a shell of its former self, spun off by the parent company, marginally profitable, and drowning in debt. Tens of thousands of people lost their jobs and a great organization over 100 years old was ruined thanks to the “vision” of one man.
By the way, the man responsible for this disaster, left the company with a large severance package, and moved on to run another company which he filled with bright young people. This new company is currently going through a significant downsizing “due to the economy”.