Employees brand voting intention poll an infringement of privacy
Staff working for an paper and office products distributor have claimed that their privacy has been infringed after they were sent an email survey, asking them who they are voting for. The company – Uline – is run by Republican donors Dick and Liz Uihlein, who are officially the third-largest donors in this year’s election, contributing a whopping $80 million to the party. In a so-called ‘anonymous election survey’, staff were sent a link to a poll, with the question: “We’re curious – how does Uline compare to the current national polls?” But staff have responded furiously to the thought that they might be monitored. Speaking to The Guardian, one employee who wanted to remain anonymous said that the request felt like an infringement on their privacy and that people inside the company were angered by it. Another said multiple employees had privately questioned how anonymous the survey really was, while others noted that there was probably the assumption that Democrats would not answer the survey truthfully. The billionaire Uihleins are staunchly pro-Trump and anti-abortion and are reported to have had significant influence on local and national politics. The voter survey is significant because Uline’s operations are headquartered in the critical swing state of Wisconsin – one of three so-called “blue wall” states seen as necessary for Kamala Harris to win the White House.
Boeing drops its DEI department
Troubled airline manufacturer, Boeing, has joined a rapidly growing list of organizations that have decided to ditch their DEI departments. According to HR Grapevine, Boeing is rolling its DEI into its broader HR team (rather than keeping it as a specific division), as it bids to streamline its activities and reduce headcount. Boeing’s DEI vice president, Sara Bowen, left the now-disbanded department, last Thursday. In a LinkedIn tweet, she said: “Our team strived every day to support the evolving brilliance and creativity of our workforce. She added: “The team achieved so much – sometimes imperfectly, never easily – and dreamed of doing much more still. All of it has been worth it. Because behind every effort there has been a person: An unheard voice, an idea waiting to bloom. The people make the company what it is, and it’s the people who will restore it to a state of trusted excellence.” According to Boeing its hiring practices are rooted in equal opportunity rather than fixed outcome targets. “Boeing remains committed to recruiting and retaining top talent and creating an inclusive work environment where every teammate around the world can perform at their best while supporting the company’s mission,” a company statement said. It added that it operates “a merit-based performance system with procedures aimed at encouraging an equality of opportunity, not of outcomes.”
…as survey says 60% of workers back DEI policies
Executives might be going cold over DEI departments, but according to brand new research released by The Conference Board, DEI remains strongly supported by staff. The poll of nearly 1,500 workers found 58% of US workers believe their organization devotes the appropriate level of effort and resources to DE&I initiatives, while 21% want their efforts to go even further. In fact, not only do staff want to see more visible DEI, a significant 49% of women and 56% of Black respondents said they wouldn’t work for a company that did not take DEI seriously. Employees typically want their bosses to do more in equality the younger they are, with 32% of millennials saying companies could go further in their DEI efforts (compared to 22% amongst Gen X and 12% amongst baby boomers). Black workers also said more effort needs to be directed to DEI, with 56% of Black respondents saying their company’s current DE&I efforts are not good enough. This compares to 19% amongst white (non-Hispanic) respondents, and 25% of Hispanic and 23% of Asian respondents. In a separate survey, The Conference Board also asked 73 senior executives at US companies about their view of the DE&I backlash. It found that 63% of the executives view the political climate for DE&I as very or extremely challenging. In addition, 63% say the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action negatively affected their DE&I efforts.
Workers fired for Gaza protest accuse bosses of ‘crumbling’ under pressure
Microsoft employees fired for organizing a vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza claim bosses “crumbled under pressure” rather than laying them off for breaking company policies. Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist, and Hossam Nasr, a software engineer, accuse managers for being under scrutiny to be seen to be doing something. In a quote in The Guardian, Nasr said: “Microsoft really crumbled under pressure, internally and externally, to fire me and to shut down and retaliate against our event, not because of policy violations, simply because we were daring to humanize Palestinians, and simply because we were daring to say that Microsoft should not be complicit with an army that is plausibly accused of genocide.” Both employees were members of No Azure for Apartheid, a group of Microsoft workers protesting the company’s sale of its cloud computing technology to Israel. But Microsoft has denied that the workers were fired for their activism. A spokesperson said: “We remain dedicated to maintaining a professional and respectful work environment and provide many avenues for all voices to be heard.” It added: “But, importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not disrupt business operations and be aligned to our company policies and behavior expectations.” Nasr and Mohamed both say they spoke to Microsoft bosses ahead of the event, and addressed any concerns that were brought up. “They never at any point said that termination was on the table or even the disciplinary consequences were on the table,” Nasr told The Guardian.
America added just 12,000 jobs in October
On the eve of polls opening for the election of the 47th president of the United States, came the surprise news that the US economy added just 12,000 new jobs in October – the worst ever month of the Biden administration. The news – which was well below the 100,000 predicted – will have been a catastrophic one so close to the election – which was being fought along largely economic grounds. “This jobs report is a catastrophe and definitively reveals how badly [vice-president and Democratic nominee] Kamala Harris broke our economy,” the Trump campaign said. Biden however, rebuked this claim, and said the hurricane relief effort will see jobs grow in November. October’s labour market figures fell significantly short of September’s downwardly revised job figure of 223,000. In one glimmer of better news though, the jobless rate remained stable, at 4.1%. Said Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo: “We’re still seeing a labor market that’s struggling to find its footing.” She added: “The jobs market is still strong but it’s not overheated any more either.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that while the hurricanes had affected jobs growth, it was “not possible to quantify the net effect,” on the monthly change in employment, hours worked or wage gains.
Grant Thornton reveals burnout just isn’t going away
The scourge of modern working – burnout – remains stubbornly persistent, according to new research by Grand Thornton. It’s latest 2024 State of Work in America survey [a poll which questioned more than 1,500 full-time employees], has revealed that more than half (51%), of employees say they’ve experienced burnout in the past year. This is up by a significant 15% compared to last year. The top cause of burnout – claim workers – is the mental and emotional stress they suffer at work (from some 63% of respondents), followed by long hours (54%). Some 40% of respondents also pointed to people shortages as their top cause of stress, while more than one-third (34%) of respondents identified poor communication as a source of stress. Alongside the rise in burnout, respondents reported a decline in their overall well-being in 2024, noting a decline in key areas, including mental (32%) and financial (30%) health. “External factors such as increasing global conflicts, post-pandemic inflation and a particularly stressful political environment are all outside stressors that can burden the minds of employees, who in turn bring these worries with them into the workplace,” said Joe Ranzau, managing director of Growth Advisory Services at Grant Thornton.
Low staff attrition forces KPMG to cut 330 posts
Low staff turnover might be on the wish-list for many organizations – but not at accountancy giant, KPMG, which has admitted having to slash 330 roles due to near historic low employee turnover rates. The cuts mean just under 4% of the firm’s US audit business have had to be trimmed. In releasing the news, a KPMG statement said: “The actions reflect our ongoing focus to align the size, shape and skills of our workforce to the market, while addressing continued low levels of attrition.” Despite the staffing cuts – first reported by the Wall Street Journal – KPMG’s audit business is growing, the firm said. Audit generated $3.7 billion in revenue for the US accounting, tax, and consulting firm in 2023, its latest available results. Last month, KPMG CEO Paul Knopp called for reforming CPA licensing requirements to counter a shrinking pipeline of qualified accountants. Knopp said the talent shortage hasn’t affected KPMG’s own recruiting but that he worries about the impact on corporate accounting teams and other CPA firms.
