I run a department in a medium-sized company where we had a lot of discussions about more inclusive hiring practices. Although we do well for the sexes, we are about 85 percent white. Our motives for more diversity are somewhat altruistic – we pay very well, so hiring minorities makes a small contribution to compensating for the wealth gap – but also business-related as our customer base is becoming more diverse and the workforce is becoming more diverse could help us meet their needs better to meet.
We work in a niche industry and our company is little known outside of that. very few minorities apply for vacancies. As we hire, we encourage current employees to reach out to their social, professional, and alumni networks and get the word out. The problem is that our predominantly white employees have predominantly white networks. So we started recruiting from colleges and universities, which historically have had more minorities, and also through minority-focused organizations and networks. I attend several recruiting events through these organizations and will speak to potential candidates and collect résumés. I am usually allowed to bring one or two more people with me. When I asked one of the black women who work for me to come with me, she refused. She complained that I was showing her around to prove that we have minorities in the company (which she felt offensive) and that it was dishonest to suggest to potential candidates that we have more black employees than we do.
Should I ask other minority colleagues to join me? I don’t want to misrepresent our company, but if we show a more diverse group of people at these events we could increase diversity. When I graduated as an engineer 25 years ago, many employers were only represented by men, and it was difficult for me to see where a young woman would fit in. The companies that posted female representatives immediately felt more welcome to me. I wasn’t surprised to learn that most companies are male-dominated. And although I didn’t just make my job decisions based on who was sent to recruit new employees, first impressions count and I’m sure it influenced my decision about where to apply. Name withheld
Your own experience as a job applicant says. Seeing an engineer at the recruiting event didn’t mislead you about the make-up of the company. It suggested the company was making an effort – worrying about the concerns a potential woman might have about being a woman in a male-dominated profession. Therefore, I do not accept the charge of dishonesty. Speaking to a potential color candidate, you and your co-worker could say that you have fewer minority employees than you would like and that the company wants to do something about it. Of course, you don’t want to make people believe that their contribution to racial diversity is all that interests you. Yet many potential blacks will find it helpful to have someone with their racial identity who is able to discuss what it is like in the workplace.
Perhaps she felt that the burden of diversifying the workforce shouldn’t be borne particularly by black employees.
Does this mean that your black colleague and her resistance to your promotion of diversity are part of the problem? Let’s see what else could be going on here. Perhaps she felt that the burden of diversifying the workforce shouldn’t be borne particularly by black employees. Perhaps, as a member of an underrepresented group, she has already been asked to do a number of things that add to the burden. Or maybe she would have preferred to consult on ways to diversify the workforce than to be drawn into an initiative she was not involved in shaping.
I cannot say whether this is correct. But such thoughts arise from the fact that in a racially divided society, conversations in the workplace about breaking down disparities can be tricky. How should i know I was often the only non-white person in a philosophy department, and that meant I was asked to participate in activities designed to help diversify a more white profession. Such thoughts have occasionally crossed my mind. But like you, I think the goal here is a worthwhile one, and I share your instinct that your recruiting efforts could be helped by the visibility of black workers. Despite this one rejection, you should keep trying.
Recently, my husband and I booked a vacation with a high-end resort company to celebrate our anniversary. As a covid caution, I took out travel insurance from a company that works with the resort. Two days before our trip, my father had torn a quadriceps tendon and needed an operation. I was willing to cancel the trip but my mother insisted that we take advantage of the vacation and hired my brother to look after our father. At the airport we learned that the resort had misspelled my first name on the ticket and if you are flying internationally the name on the ticket must exactly match the name on the passport. Neither the resort nor the airline were able to fix the bug and the vacation was buried. Flying another day would be impossible due to the Covid requirements. Then the resort, although responsible for the misspelling, informed us that our vacation was “non-refundable” and suggested that we file a claim with the insurance company. Since the insurance policy did not cover naming errors, but medical emergencies, I submitted the insurance claim with my father’s injury as a reason for termination. I also filed a complaint with the credit card company.
The credit card company found our favor and a full refund was issued. After that, I called travel insurance several times to report that the money was refunded. Nonetheless, I just heard from them that they will issue the $ 5,000 refund (which is essentially a second refund). Do I tear up the check? Should I cash the check and refund the credit card company? Do I need to cash the check and donate the money to charity? Or do I laugh my head off on the way to the bank? Although my family is doing well financially, we are in the process of sending three children to college and the extra funding would come in handy. Name withheld, Connecticut
It is worth underlining that you made a false declaration for the cancellation of your vacation when you submitted your application. That was an ethical mistake. And insurance company fraud increases insurance costs for everyone. The FBI estimates that more than $ 40 billion in non-health fraud is committed each year, and that costs the average family between $ 400 and $ 700 annually in increased premiums. We should all do our part to control insurance costs. You don’t. In this respect, you have left everyone who uses such travel insurance in the lurch.
At this point, however, both damages occurred. You apparently told the credit card people that you discovered the misspelled name on the ticket at the airport while telling insurance that you were unable to go to the airport due to a family medical situation. I suspect you will not be inclined to let the insurance company know that you have deceived them. And the bank that issued your credit card almost certainly took a chargeback from the resort, so no refund will be required. (I suppose you could initiate a chargeback, but in that case the money would go to the resort.)
Simply putting the money in your children’s college fund account would mean not recognizing to yourself – on the forum of your own conscience – that you did something wrong. But not cashing the check is also a bad idea. Corporations are generally required to hand un cashed checks to the state as unclaimed property. The travel insurance company will have wasted time and resources dealing with the situation, and most likely someone in the treasurer’s office had to take and file the report. You will have made things worse. If you’re not ready to get along with the insurer, I recommend cashing the check and donating the money to a good cause.
Kwame Anthony Appiah teaches philosophy at NYU. His books include Cosmopolitanism, The Honor Code, and The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity. To make an inquiry: send an email to ethicist@nytimes.com; or email The Ethicist, The New York Times Magazine, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018. (Provide a phone number for the day.)
