Diversity and inclusion left the Teams chat? Former Diversity Chief slams Microsoft for dismissing its DEI team due to "changing business needs

[Windows Central]

Microsoft recently laid off its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team. The former team lead indicated the department was disbanded due to "changing business needs."

Diversity and inclusion left the Teams chat? Former Diversity Chief slams Microsoft for dismissing its DEI team due to "changing business needs : Read more

 

[fjtorres5591]

Translation: The tea leaves say DEI has run its course and they see a new flavor of the week is coming. Welcome to 2025. (FY2025)

Anybody even remember the earlier fads like PDSA or Reengineering the corporation? As Ecclesiastes (and the Byrds) said: To everything there is a season.

Gotta prepare for the post-election world.
(And preserve the stock price.)
Nadella's MS is nothing if not flexible.

 

[KJKirby]

If Microsoft are sensible they will get IAMCP to pick up the bulk of this DEI work now that there is no internal team to do it. In fact IAMCP have been working on the DEI playbook for sometime so the transition should be obvious and seamless... and Microsoft's committment to DEI is then re-confirmed. Will watch this space with interest.

 

[fjtorres5591]

If Microsoft are sensible they will get IAMCP to pick up the bulk of this DEI work now that there is no internal team to do it. In fact IAMCP have been working on the DEI playbook for sometime so the transition should be obvious and seamless... and Microsoft's committment to DEI is then re-confirmed. Will watch this space with interest.

Yes. Watch and see.

But the smart bet is whatever they do will be, as before 2022, quiet and merit based rather than PR-driven chest thumping. MS has always been diverse and inclusive but not ideological about it. Not a GOOGLE.

No need to spend millions touting how politically correct they are. As they said, it brings no ROI.

 

[Cmndr_Bytes]

Yes. Watch and see.

But the smart bet is whatever they do will be, as before 2022, quiet and merit based rather than PR-driven chest thumping. MS has always been diverse and inclusive but not ideological about it. Not a GOOGLE.

No need to spend millions touting how politically correct they are. As they said, it brings no ROI.

I feel sometimes ROI can't really be accounted for (pardon the pun) by the bean counters in some areas.
Invest in employees. Help keep them happy and healthy both mentally and physically and I say this helps productivity and creativity.
They started DEI around 2019? 2020?

Per Copilot
As of July 18, 2024, the price of Microsoft’s stock is $437.1531. The stock has experienced a steady increase over the years. For instance, the average stock price in 2019 was $124.6044, which increased to $186.3600 in 2020, $268.9961 in 2021, $264.2249 in 2022, and $311.6099 in 2023.

Good loyal employees make good products which in turn make stock prices go up which in turn keep share holders happy. Something the upper echelon sometimes seem to ignore.

Side note. As for Project 2025. That is a very bad wish list.

 

[fjtorres5591]

I feel sometimes ROI can't really be accounted for (pardon the pun) by the bean counters in some areas.
Invest in employees. Help keep them happy and healthy both mentally and physically and I say this helps productivity and creativity.
They started DEI around 2019? 2020?

Per Copilot
As of July 18, 2024, the price of Microsoft’s stock is $437.1531. The stock has experienced a steady increase over the years. For instance, the average stock price in 2019 was $124.6044, which increased to $186.3600 in 2020, $268.9961 in 2021, $264.2249 in 2022, and $311.6099 in 2023.

Good loyal employees make good products which in turn make stock prices go up which in turn keep share holders happy. Something the upper echelon sometimes seem to ignore.

Side note. As for Project 2025. That is a very bad wish list.

Not interested in talking politics so I'll pass on P2025 as irrelevant.

DEI at MS is recent, which is why the "diversity chief" is squealing at being shown the door. Dead weight doesn't last long there.

Diversity and Inclusion aren't new, though, since MS has been reaching out all over for decades. And they were rated one of the better tech paces to work long before the activists started promoting the buzzword. Without going too far, Nadella didn't make CEO because of his melanin count. Look at their executive org charts to see how diverse they've been this century.

Likewise, their stock price raise goes all the way to the last years of the Ballmer era (starting around 2010) who for all his antics, put cash cow AZURE in place and started their diversifictation into two dozen separate billion dollar businesses.

MS is hardly perfect but they don't need ideological political activists telling them how to run their business. They generally strike a fair balance between keeping the staff content (if not always happy) and keeping the stockholders happy. Watching Roi and keeping margins in the 45% range goes a long way towards the latter.