Not An Equal Opportunity Employer – Despite Saying We Are

Workplaces should be an equal representation of the general population. No one should ever be discriminated against based on the colour of their skin, their age, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.

That’s not only the right thing to do – it’s the law.

So how come whenever I see a job posting with “We are anequal opportunity employer,” plastered somewhere within it, I know they are looking for everyone except white men?

White technically is the absence of colour, and black – again technically – is the combination of all colours. However when we’re talking human beings, we come in white, black, brown, olive and many other skin colours.

So again, why are employers that claim to be non-discriminatory, being extremely discriminating in their hiring selections when it comes to men, and specifically white men?

This isn't some rant just because I fall into this category – which I do. Rather, it’s something I've noticed over the past decade, and I've read objective research papers on too.

At the turn of the century, when the industrial revolution started, workplaces were frightful places to be. There weren't any employee protection laws, and employers more interested in getting rich than your welfare would force their employees to work in unsavoury  often dangerous conditions, for little or no pay.

Labour unions formed, strikes happened, governments created labour laws to protect workers and the world was a better place.

Nope. It was still a man’s world. A white man’s world – especially in white collar office jobs. All the higher ups running the show were white men, and they hired white men to work along side them.

Women worked too, but often at substantially lower wages, and in dead-end administrative jobs.

Throughout the decade of rebellion – the 1960’s – the women’s movement took steam, and made great strides in improving working conditions, pay and job opportunities for women.

It’s taken a while, but now there are many female executives running some of the largest corporations in the world. Yahoo’s president is a woman – they stole this high powered female executive from Google – another mega-large, well respected and branded international corporation.

But now the tables of turned completely the other way. As more women are running the show, they are hiring more women.

Over the past decade, I've been in senior roles reporting to female executives and senior managers, often being one of the few men on the team.

I've been on many teams, where I felt isolated and alone, being the only white man on a predominantly female team of mixed races.

Yet when I travel around my city, my province and my country, that’s not an equal representation of the population that I see.

I see white men and women, black men and women, brown men and women, and various combinations.

But I don’t see these various combinations in the workplace of today – especially in corporations boldly bragging “we are an equalopportunity employer.”

Funny how political-correct speak can be used to do just what it was initially created NOT to do – and discriminate against fellow human beings.