2nd Letter to HR (& Others)
May 19, 2010
Dear:
XXXXXXX – Chief Executive Officer & President;
XXXXXXX – Chief Compliance Officer; and
XXXXXXX – V.P. of Human Resources & Administration:
I have previously written about concerns I have with our company’s harassment policy. And again, I am grateful for our company’s open-door policy & I thank you for taking the time to hear my stance on this related issue. Please know that I am deeply troubled by the advocating of the homosexual agenda by our company in the harassment policy, legal training & even more brazenly in our mandatory [corporate compliance] courses.
In such a large company, there are likely many others who share religious views which find the homosexual & transgender lifestyles highly objectionable, but most may be afraid to voice their concerns for various reasons. However, I find it worthwhile to do so & hope to present a better understanding to you as well. But let me speak from the Christian viewpoint because that is what I am. Though there are also different religions that take a similar view of this topic.
To start, let it be known that Christians, including myself, do not ever advocate the harassment, discrimination, belittling or retaliation of anyone for any reason, even if their lifestyle is contrary. Anyone claiming to be a Christian who does so, is not living consistently. I also do not have a problem with working alongside anyone with differing views, including these lifestyles. But, understand that when a Christian opposes a lifestyle, it does not mean that they “hate” anyone who embraces it as some suppose.
Now, I am not necessarily trying to “preach a sermon” as much as I want to merely provide you a brief understanding of the Christian view here. So, it is important to note that the Christian believes God created mankind as morally accountable agents having both physical & spiritual dimensions. Within this spiritual dimension, all people sin by violating God’s perfect moral code, thus trading God’s benefits for judgment. Sin always damages one’s relationship with God & usually with others. Sin has far-reaching detrimental affects on the individual & even whole cultures. So when a Christian opposes sin, it is because they intensely care about God’s holiness, the well-being of the individual, the culture in general & chiefly making known the freedom & forgiveness of sins that Christ painfully died for. Therefore, when something God deems as sinful is shamelessly held in front of them, it is utterly disrespectful & disgraceful. This is the case with the homosexual & transgender lifestyles.
Contrastingly, an opposing view holds that people have only a physical aspect & therefore equates objecting to one’s lifestyle with “hating” the person. That view generally disregards anything spiritual, such as God & His moral code. Consequently, each one is left to define their own moral code. Because this view has become more common, companies must seek to provide order by implementing harassment policies & legal training in order to rationalize the inconsistent ethical values of their employees – surely a difficult task.
One way this opposing view has adversely influenced society is by redefining “tolerance” & “diversity”. These code words have been used to push an agenda of relative morality that particularly promotes the homosexual & transgender lifestyles. I feel it is naïve to think that H.R. & legal publications & venues are immune to the misleading influence of this pop-terminology & the agenda it espouses. Further, H.R., legal & political arenas surely have been specifically targeted by activists of this agenda. Nonetheless, it is critical to discern between what is en vogue propaganda & what is beneficial & true.
The truth about diversity in the workplace is with regard to various personalities, talents, educational & employment experiences, skill-sets or other productive qualities that add value to a company. Sexual “diversity” is neither relevant nor beneficial to any respectable company. It should not even be mentioned in a workplace or, especially, by a workplace.
Another distortion by proponents of this agenda is that they portray such lifestyles as “human rights” while attempting to usurp a “protected class” status in order to leverage lawsuits to force their acceptance on society. Granting such status may even prove to be a legal liability in the long run. When, in truth, legitimate protected classes based on race, true genetic gender, religion, national origin, age & disability do not have direct moral connotations or implications as do homosexual & transgender lifestyles. There is paramount difference between immutable characteristics & reversible moral choices.
Understand that I don’t believe it realistic, nor is it my desire to hold everyone to a Christian morality when not all are Christians. However, previous policies & training material that excluded the objectionable verbiage seemed sufficient. Perhaps you have some example from our company or another as evidence for having it. However, the truth is that the improper treatment of anyone for any reason will never be tolerated in our company. I believe our company will appropriately deal with any issue apart from specific mention of these politically & religiously charged agendas.
No doubt, it is a difficult task to maintain order & a safe work environment amongst vast cultural & ideological differences. I acknowledge your efforts & am grateful for the opportunity to voice my concerns. I hope this provides you a realistic, transparent & honest perspective from an actual employee. And, that it will benefit your insight & decision-making that is so critically needed in your continual efforts to provide an effective & welcoming workplace.
By not including specific mention of the homosexual & transgender lifestyles, you are not directly offending anyone & everyone is still protected. By making specific mention of them, you are offending many. I implore you, as those who bear the responsibility, to please expunge any mention of homosexual, transgender or similar agendas from any & all policies & training material.
Please feel free to share this letter with your colleagues who are involved with making decisions about pertinent material. Please contact me if you have any questions or if I can somehow be of any assistance. Again, thank you for your time & consideration of these matters.
Sincerely, Josh XXXXXX
Dear:
XXXXXXX – Chief Executive Officer & President;
XXXXXXX – Chief Compliance Officer; and
XXXXXXX – V.P. of Human Resources & Administration:
I have previously written about concerns I have with our company’s harassment policy. And again, I am grateful for our company’s open-door policy & I thank you for taking the time to hear my stance on this related issue. Please know that I am deeply troubled by the advocating of the homosexual agenda by our company in the harassment policy, legal training & even more brazenly in our mandatory [corporate compliance] courses.
In such a large company, there are likely many others who share religious views which find the homosexual & transgender lifestyles highly objectionable, but most may be afraid to voice their concerns for various reasons. However, I find it worthwhile to do so & hope to present a better understanding to you as well. But let me speak from the Christian viewpoint because that is what I am. Though there are also different religions that take a similar view of this topic.
To start, let it be known that Christians, including myself, do not ever advocate the harassment, discrimination, belittling or retaliation of anyone for any reason, even if their lifestyle is contrary. Anyone claiming to be a Christian who does so, is not living consistently. I also do not have a problem with working alongside anyone with differing views, including these lifestyles. But, understand that when a Christian opposes a lifestyle, it does not mean that they “hate” anyone who embraces it as some suppose.
Now, I am not necessarily trying to “preach a sermon” as much as I want to merely provide you a brief understanding of the Christian view here. So, it is important to note that the Christian believes God created mankind as morally accountable agents having both physical & spiritual dimensions. Within this spiritual dimension, all people sin by violating God’s perfect moral code, thus trading God’s benefits for judgment. Sin always damages one’s relationship with God & usually with others. Sin has far-reaching detrimental affects on the individual & even whole cultures. So when a Christian opposes sin, it is because they intensely care about God’s holiness, the well-being of the individual, the culture in general & chiefly making known the freedom & forgiveness of sins that Christ painfully died for. Therefore, when something God deems as sinful is shamelessly held in front of them, it is utterly disrespectful & disgraceful. This is the case with the homosexual & transgender lifestyles.
Contrastingly, an opposing view holds that people have only a physical aspect & therefore equates objecting to one’s lifestyle with “hating” the person. That view generally disregards anything spiritual, such as God & His moral code. Consequently, each one is left to define their own moral code. Because this view has become more common, companies must seek to provide order by implementing harassment policies & legal training in order to rationalize the inconsistent ethical values of their employees – surely a difficult task.
One way this opposing view has adversely influenced society is by redefining “tolerance” & “diversity”. These code words have been used to push an agenda of relative morality that particularly promotes the homosexual & transgender lifestyles. I feel it is naïve to think that H.R. & legal publications & venues are immune to the misleading influence of this pop-terminology & the agenda it espouses. Further, H.R., legal & political arenas surely have been specifically targeted by activists of this agenda. Nonetheless, it is critical to discern between what is en vogue propaganda & what is beneficial & true.
The truth about diversity in the workplace is with regard to various personalities, talents, educational & employment experiences, skill-sets or other productive qualities that add value to a company. Sexual “diversity” is neither relevant nor beneficial to any respectable company. It should not even be mentioned in a workplace or, especially, by a workplace.
Another distortion by proponents of this agenda is that they portray such lifestyles as “human rights” while attempting to usurp a “protected class” status in order to leverage lawsuits to force their acceptance on society. Granting such status may even prove to be a legal liability in the long run. When, in truth, legitimate protected classes based on race, true genetic gender, religion, national origin, age & disability do not have direct moral connotations or implications as do homosexual & transgender lifestyles. There is paramount difference between immutable characteristics & reversible moral choices.
Understand that I don’t believe it realistic, nor is it my desire to hold everyone to a Christian morality when not all are Christians. However, previous policies & training material that excluded the objectionable verbiage seemed sufficient. Perhaps you have some example from our company or another as evidence for having it. However, the truth is that the improper treatment of anyone for any reason will never be tolerated in our company. I believe our company will appropriately deal with any issue apart from specific mention of these politically & religiously charged agendas.
No doubt, it is a difficult task to maintain order & a safe work environment amongst vast cultural & ideological differences. I acknowledge your efforts & am grateful for the opportunity to voice my concerns. I hope this provides you a realistic, transparent & honest perspective from an actual employee. And, that it will benefit your insight & decision-making that is so critically needed in your continual efforts to provide an effective & welcoming workplace.
By not including specific mention of the homosexual & transgender lifestyles, you are not directly offending anyone & everyone is still protected. By making specific mention of them, you are offending many. I implore you, as those who bear the responsibility, to please expunge any mention of homosexual, transgender or similar agendas from any & all policies & training material.
Please feel free to share this letter with your colleagues who are involved with making decisions about pertinent material. Please contact me if you have any questions or if I can somehow be of any assistance. Again, thank you for your time & consideration of these matters.
Sincerely, Josh XXXXXX
Examples of Corporate Compliance Course Slides on "Diversity"
Note that the above slide insinuates that anyone opposed to A, B or C does not value their colleague & will result in some sort of mistreatment.
Since when does disagreeing with someone's private affairs mean that you will necessarily mistreat them?
What about dealing with the person bringing up the issues?
Since when does disagreeing with someone's private affairs mean that you will necessarily mistreat them?
What about dealing with the person bringing up the issues?
HR Response
15-Jun-10
Dear Mr. XXXXXX,
We have received your letter to Mr. XXXXXX, Mr. XXXXXX, and myself dated May 19, 2010. Thank you for again expressing your interest and concerns about our harassment policy, legal training, and [corporate compliance] program.
We have shared your letter and discussed it with those who are involved with making decisions about the materials you reference in your letter. The Company’s position on these policies and programs remain the same as when we responded to you in October 2009.
We are setting forth policies and programs for the workplace so that we can continue to effectively conduct business operations and so that our teammates can focus on work free from harassment and discrimination. The Company will not differentiate between protecting religious beliefs, gender or race and attempting to preclude any other teammate from harassment for a personal choice that has nothing to do with the workplace or our business.
Again, I thank you for your letter and the respectful way you continue to express your thoughts and opinions.
Regards,
XXXXXX XXXXXX
Vice President
Human Resources & Administration
We have received your letter to Mr. XXXXXX, Mr. XXXXXX, and myself dated May 19, 2010. Thank you for again expressing your interest and concerns about our harassment policy, legal training, and [corporate compliance] program.
We have shared your letter and discussed it with those who are involved with making decisions about the materials you reference in your letter. The Company’s position on these policies and programs remain the same as when we responded to you in October 2009.
We are setting forth policies and programs for the workplace so that we can continue to effectively conduct business operations and so that our teammates can focus on work free from harassment and discrimination. The Company will not differentiate between protecting religious beliefs, gender or race and attempting to preclude any other teammate from harassment for a personal choice that has nothing to do with the workplace or our business.
Again, I thank you for your letter and the respectful way you continue to express your thoughts and opinions.
Regards,
XXXXXX XXXXXX
Vice President
Human Resources & Administration
My Comments
While they seem to maintain their current corporate philosophy, I do find it encouraging that they have at least shared & discussed it with those who are involved with making decisions about the subject policies, training, etc. Not to mention, they were therefore exposed in part to the Gospel that was included. Keep praying – you never know how God can use things like this. It’s also interesting that they acknowledged that “sexual diversity” is a “personal choice that has nothing to do with the workplace or our business”. Though, I find their stance contradictory which is typical when you are not standing on the truth.