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In recent years, the work place has become an emotional free-for-all, thanks in large part to the mass entrance of women into the workforce. The Bud Light and Miller Lite marketing disasters, both involving female-led teams, have raised legitimate questions about the effectiveness of overly emotional women in professional settings. The debate has heated up even more after a recent incident at Uber where the head of diversity, equity, and inclusion faced backlash for hosting an event that many called “insensitive to people of color.” The event, titled “Don’t Call Me Karen,” was intended to foster an open dialogue about race, but instead, some employees felt “marginalized and unheard” — the typical progressive buzzwords used to describe some over-emotional windbag who’s offended.
Uber has placed its longtime head of diversity, equity and inclusion on leave after workers complained that an employee event she moderated, titled “Don’t Call Me Karen,” was insensitive to people of color.
Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, and Nikki Krishnamurthy, the chief people officer, last week asked Bo Young Lee, the head of diversity, “to step back and take a leave of absence while we determine next steps,” according to an email on Thursday from Ms. Krishnamurthy to some employees that was viewed by The New York Times.
“We have heard that many of you are in pain and upset by yesterday’s Moving Forward session,” the email said. “While it was meant to be a dialogue, it’s obvious that those who attended did not feel heard.”
Employees’ concerns centered on a pair of events, one last month and another last Wednesday, that were billed as “diving into the spectrum of the American white woman’s experience” and hearing from white women who work at Uber, with a focus on “the ‘Karen’ persona.” They were intended to be an “open and honest conversation about race,” according to the invitation.
So the Asian lady diversity officer put on a seminar to help the white ladies feel better about their feelings but it ended up hurting the feelings of the people of color ladies. Are you following?
This incident highlights this new ongoing battle between women over whose female feelings matter the most. Is it the white Karen or the black Keishas or the Asian Connies? This is the natural consequence of allowing feelings and “sensitivity” to dominate the workforce — the hens all start clucking.
Girl power has it’s limits, apparently.
But workers instead felt that they were being lectured on the difficulties experienced by white women and why “Karen” was a derogatory term and that Ms. Lee was dismissive of their concerns, according to messages sent on Slack, a workplace messaging tool, that were viewed by The Times.
In the end, Uber’s head of diversity was placed on leave for supposedly standing up for and “platforming” white women’s feelings:
At Uber, the incident was also a rare case of employee dissent under Mr. Khosrowshahi, who has shepherded the company away from the aggressive, chaotic culture that pervaded under the former chief executive, Travis Kalanick. Mr. Khosrowshahi’s efforts included increased diversity initiatives under Ms. Lee, who has led the effort since 2018. Before joining Uber, she held similar roles at the financial services firm Marsh McLennan and other companies, according to her LinkedIn profile.
“I can confirm that Bo is currently on a leave of absence,” Noah Edwardsen, an Uber spokesman, said in a statement. Ms. Lee did not respond to a request for comment.
Women have injected so much emotion into professional settings and we have to ask ourselves if this is healthy and productive for work. Can workers accomplish their daily goals with all of this drama swirling around?
The first of the two Don’t Call Me Karen events, in April, was part of a series called Moving Forward — discussions about race and the experiences of underrepresented groups that sprung up in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
Several weeks after that first event, a Black woman asked during an Uber all-hands meeting how the company would prevent “tone-deaf, offensive and triggering conversations” from becoming a part of its diversity initiatives.
Ms. Lee fielded the question, arguing that the Moving Forward series was aimed at having tough conversations and not intended to be comfortable.
“Sometimes being pushed out of your own strategic ignorance is the right thing to do,” she said, according to notes taken by an employee who attended the event. The comment prompted more employee outrage and complaints to executives, according to the Slack messages and the employee.
The second of the two events, run by Ms. Lee, was intended to be a dialogue where workers discussed what they had heard in the earlier meeting.
Since when is it the job of a company to “push” its workers out of their “own strategic ignorance”? Since when did major American corporations become adult daycares for women?
Obviously, emotions are a natural part of the human experience, but bringing personal feelings to work will lead to blurred boundaries and conflicts. The workplace should prioritize objectivity, professionalism, and the pursuit of common goals.
Furthermore, indulging in these emotional outbursts only breeds spoiled adults who will continue to throw tantrums and act out to achieve their desires. This behavior is more suited for daycare centers than corporate America.
But in Slack groups for Black and Hispanic employees at Uber, workers fumed that instead of a chance to provide feedback or have a dialogue, they were instead being lectured about their response to the initial Don’t Call Me Karen event.
“I felt like I was being scolded for the entirety of that meeting,” one employee wrote.
Another employee took issue with the premise that the term Karen shouldn’t be used.
“I think when people are called Karens it’s implied that this is someone that has little empathy to others or is bothered by minorities others that don’t look like them. Like why can’t bad behavior not be called out?” she wrote.
Employees greeted the news that Ms. Lee was stepping away as a sign that Uber’s leadership was taking their complaints seriously.
One employee wrote that the company’s executives “have heard us, they know we are hurting, and they want to understand what all happened too.”
The incident at Uber highlights how emotions in the workplace can lead to confusion and conflict, even among women themselves, ultimately causing more harm than good. It’s no secret that women are emotional, which raises concerns about whether hiring women could bring about unnecessary drama and issues. Given the recent negative business events involving women-led teams, it’s a valid question every business owner should be asking themselves.
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