It’s DEI’s fault! Why companies are proudly cutting DEI

Wildfires in LA? Clearly, DEI’s to blame! Companies like Meta and Walmart are proudly cutting back their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs. Just as DEI continues to take the blame for everything from a bridge collapse in Baltimore to a NZ Navy ship accident and now this week the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles. Today, we speak with two guests to outline what’s going on, what this could mean for Australia, and just how damaging the rhetoric about DEI is to those who already face additional challenges in their careers. Prabha Nandagopal is a human rights and discrimination lawyer who recently established Elevat Consulting Partners. She outlines the issue and urges leaders to consider the evidence regarding diversity and inclusion practices. Jemi Jeng is an entrepreneur (founder of Penny) and also works int he NSW public sector. She shares a personal take on the damage this rhetoric about D&I programs can do, and the casse for inclusive practices to better tap the full potential of the workforce. More on our guests Prabha Nandagopal has been involved in eliminating sexual harm, sexual harassment and systemic discrimination in Australia for many years, including with the development of the positive duty to eliminate sexual harassment and sex discrimination from inception to implementation. In 2020, she was senior legal advisor to the Respect@Work National Inquiry and helped shape the positive duty regulatory scheme. She also led the development of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s new positive duty guidance material and established the Commission’s positive duty compliance and enforcement team.She founded Elevate Consulting Partners in 2022 to support the work of organisations committed to positive change. Jemi Jeng is the founder of Penny - a startup helping women achieve their homeownership and financial goals. She is also a Program Manager with the NSW Department of Customer Service. Jemi has undertaken her own research on racism at work and written on the topic for Women’s Agenda. Jemi recently shared a mini keynote with Women's Agenda. See a preview here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.