Cultural Competency = Forced Extroversion

[Argabarga]

It's part CYA, part "OMG there's a federal thing we have to be in compliance with" and part "Look how progressive we are!"

.

That's the real sad/frustrating part.

Not only are they doing it wrong, and in a patronizing/superficial way, but they're doing it not out of the goodness of their hearts, but because they HAVE to or else that lazy person they fire 4 years from now will come right back at them and claim ethnic discrimination....

[wolfie]

I did join the Christmas list two years in a row a while back! I think I still have the cards from 2013. I should dig them out and take them with me to the next diversity training...

BAD IDEA. From their viewpoint, since you're not "drinking the kool-aid" you're a subversive factor, and they'd be looking for reasons to get rid of you. They'd interpret this action as you being proud of your LACK of diversity - not only is your worldview restricted to Abrahamic religions, but to only 1 of the 3 families of Abrahamic religions.

[gremcint]

so they aren't specifically targeting you then at least but it would still rub me the wrong way.

[magician5]

"I'm supposed to predict a person's behavior based on what I can see of his or her physical or social traits and treat them according to my expectations based on my experience with other people of those traits. "

That, all by itself, describes racism perfectly.

[mathnerd]

I have a story about this, but I'm afraid it delves too much into fratching territory, so I'll refrain and just say I feel your pain.

[wolfie]

Then why not post it over there?

[cindybubbles]

I have a story about this, but I'm afraid it delves too much into fratching territory, so I'll refrain and just say I feel your pain.

Yeah, why not post it in fratching and post the link to it here?

[mathnerd]

I'll think about it. My life got extremely crazy the last few weeks, and I haven't been doing much posting of any kind.

[Shyla]

What kind of job are you in that requires a second language? If you were in a call center and needed English and Spanish, you'd already know them before being hired. If you were an international lawyer, you would go to an expensive class that taught you quickly. Do they really want you to learn another language just in case someone starts to work there who speaks that language? I think you need to learn 3 sentences in something less common like Boer. They learn English too in South Africa so hardly anyone comes to the US only speaking Boer.

Seriously, this is too ridiculous to dignify with an answer. Nod your head and pretend to pay attention then forget about it. If someone forces you to respond, say you'll think about it. Good grief. Someone would be complaining to HR that I was mocking them if they heard me butchering their language. I am not good at learning languages. Not my skill set.

[HawaiianShirts]

What kind of job are you in that requires a second language?

Tech support.

And I don't need to learn another language. It's not part of my job description; it's never been a problem (since everyone I support is in the same state and since those who speak other languages also speak English). It's just part of this "cultural competency" thing. According to the survey and training material, if I don't attempt to learn another language on my own time, I'm not culturally competent.

The only requirement is that I attend the trainings and take the surveys and such. As long as I do that, I keep my job. That doesn't make it any less demeaning, though.

[Aragarthiel]

Now I'm wondering, what if you already KNEW several other languages? Would it consider you culturally incompetent because you weren't actively learning another?

[Aria]

Tech support.

And I don't need to learn another language. It's not part of my job description; it's never been a problem (since everyone I support is in the same state and since those who speak other languages also speak English). It's just part of this "cultural competency" thing. According to the survey and training material, if I don't attempt to learn another language on my own time, I'm not culturally competent.

The only requirement is that I attend the trainings and take the surveys and such. As long as I do that, I keep my job. That doesn't make it any less demeaning, though.

You might be taking this too seriously. Everyone else is probably going, "a day where I don't have to deal with customers? YAY!"

[wolfie]

f I don't attempt to learn another language on my own time, I'm not culturally competent.

The only requirement is that I attend the trainings and take the surveys and such. As long as I do that, I keep my job. That doesn't make it any less demeaning, though.

Sounds like they consider it a condition of employment to learn a new language on your own time. Doing ANYTHING that's a requirement of the job on your own time is "working off the clock", illegal for you to do - and illegal for them to ALLOW you to do (never mind REQUIRE you to do).

[sstabeler]

that's not my read of it. It sounds to me like there's not any actual consequences for being assessed as not "culturally competent"- you juts have to attend the diversity training ( which is paid) and fill out various surveys,

Ultimately, however, do they actually check you are learning a language? f not, you could always lie and say you were learning some rare language - it's get them so shut up, and because it's rare, there's a vanishingly small chance of getting called on it. ( whereas if you lied and said you were learning french, and down the line are talking to a french speaker, management could find out you lied)

[dalesys]

... say you were learning some rare language ...

I'm studying Ligpatin.