Ivy Liu
by MaryLou Costa
Companies that shut down social and political conversations will struggle to make progress with diversity and inclusion, according to business leaders and experts who have spoken out against decisions made by Basecamp and Coinbase to ban such talk from the workplace.
Software company Basecamp’s announcement last month and that of cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase last year claimed a similar rationale: eliminating distractions to prioritize productivity. Both companies were met with a resounding exodus of staff.
Allowing and encouraging open social and political discourse at work is one of the cornerstones of fostering a more diverse and inclusive environment, according to Rich Miles, CEO of The Diversity Standards Collective.