Diversity training ‘forces workers to hide beliefs’ to keep their jobs

‘Everyone is too scared to speak any more ... Certainly free speech doesn’t exist in my company’ ‘Ironically, the training conflicts most with values held by minority groups it purports to benefit’

ALMOST two-thirds of staff who undergo diversity training at work say they have had to conceal what they really think through fear of losing their jobs, according to a survey by the Free Speech Union.

Nearly a quarter say they have been compelled to say things they don’t believe after attending the courses.

Members of the minority communities, which the schemes are meant to benefit most, were more likely to find the training conflicted with their views, the survey of 800 employees found.

One person surveyed, a white woman in her late 50s, said: “I think everyone is too scared to speak about topics like this any more and certainly free speech doesn’t exist in my company.”

It comes after Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, told The Telegraph that Britain’s diversity push had been “counterproductive” and many equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives are “snake oil”.

The Free Speech Union was set up by journalist Toby Young to oppose cancel culture. Tom Harris, director of data and impact at the group, said: “We knew already from our casework that EDI training has been suppressing free speech in the workplace, but even we were shocked to discover the extent of the self-censorship going on – 62 per cent of the employees who go on the training have had to conceal what they really think.

“Authoritarian EDI training has become a fiscal drag on the bottom lines of British business. While millions of pounds continue to be spent on these courses, our research demonstrates that the most ambitious employees are leaving companies because of it and, ironically, the training conflicts most with the values held by the minority groups it purports to benefit.”

The employees spoken to by the pollsters attended courses on white privilege, microaggressions, decolonisation, pronoun declarations and gender identity. The poll found that 45 per cent believed their EDI training conflicted with their personal, religious or political views. The proportion was higher among ethnic minorities and religious groups, and men were more likely to say this than women.

More than a third (36 per cent) said they had witnessed staff being penalised in some way by their employer because they challenged the training, including 12 per cent who witnessed staff being fired for doing so.

The media and communications sectors were the most likely to penalise their employees. The survey found that 31 per cent had left a company because of its endorsement of “woke” ideology. The proportion is much higher among minority groups: 43 per cent for black people, 46 per cent for Asians and 46 for gay people.

The Free Speech Union conducted a survey of employees working in the UK in January. The sample was designed to be representative of the UK working population by age, industry, geography and employer size. The 800 people who qualified for the survey had been through at least one type of EDI training with an existing or former employer.