A simple email out: “Just a reminder folks, this training is live once again. Make sure you sign up before spaces run out if you haven’t done so already.”
Minutes later, in a meeting: “Is that training manditory?”
“Which training?” There’s so many emails out at the end of the year, insurance premiums, benefits, goal settings, sexual harassment trainings.
“You know, the email you sent out about Diversity & Inclusion.”
Oooooooh.
Obligations are a funny thing.
We’re not technically obligated to do anything, not really.
“Thou shalt not kill” is a commandment that is often ignored — as knees fall into throats and bullets lay into skin, and angry hands take away the lives and wills to live of both strangers and kin.
The way that “rules”, “obligations”, and “mandatory” things are conditionally enforced.
Rape; embezzling funds; cooking the books; inequitably distributed resources when there are plenty of resources to go around; tax evasion…
The list goes on.
The condition being where you stand economically, class wise in the social hierarchy.
What are rules even anyway?
“You’re not allowed to decide what to do with your body, how to plan your family, but, once each body is born, we have the right to take that same life away, to make a plan for your family without consulting you first.” You’re free will is what we tell you is free.
Seems fair…
Flashbacks to another email chain, a Salesforce training that was mandatory for staff, but not necessary for all staff if all staff don’t all use Salesforce. Months later, Salesforce was only logged into twice after sitting through the mandatory training for something that wasn’t mandatory for the completion of everyone’s day to day job.
Not that diversity, equity, or inclusion conversations ever come up in the day to day at work or in life, right? Why would that necessitate showing up to a training? It’s just an option given so you could choose to engage, to better yourself, to better serve the communities you claim to care about.
“No, it’s not mandatory.”
Why?
Why when every day we work with diverse groups of stakeholders and partners who all exist in a present reality where creating inclusive spaces for individuals who are diverse and unique is fast becoming the rule and not the exception would I not make the training mandatory?
Because I didn’t want anyone there who wasn’t committed to showing up; not just physically, but also mentally present and engaged. Unless a person has decided for themselves that self improvement is a priority and no longer an option, even if I set it as an obligation, they’d treat it as an undesirable chore.
My whole life I’ve seen the double standards, rules and obligations, so I won’t set obligations and standards for anyone if I can help it.
Set your own list of what’s mandatory. Don’t look to others for validation that you’re on the right track. I have my list of non-negotiables, it’s now time for you to make yours’. No one but you can absolve yourself of your sins. No one but you can validate your track. No one has time to guide you every step of the way through this personal journey.
So to the question of whether or not the diversity and inclusion training is mandatory, I say: Set your own list of obligations to which you hold yourself accountable based on what is socially expected from an organization today.
Caia Rose 