JPMorgan Chase has released a Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) style guide which removes words like ”manpower” and “blacklist”.
The list of “not recommended” phrases and words aims to tackle anti-woke language and can be found on the company's internal intranet.
A preface to the guide reads: “Our language matters. And like our diverse culture of respect, equity, and inclusion, the words and terms we use as communicators continue to evolve and become more culturally competent — reflecting our values and intersectional global workforce. To communicate with empathy, we recommend you use the most inclusive terminology,” the guide declares in a preamble.”
The use of gendered terms such as “man hours” and “man power” are cautioned against, with employees instead being encouraged to use more neutral terms such as” labour hours” and “workforce”.
The guide published by JP Morgan Chase aims to tackle anti-woke language
Reuters
“Blacklist” should be replaced with “disallow list”, and references to “good schools and neighbourhoods” should instead be substituted with the phrase “well-resourced”.
“Like ‘white glove treatment,’ this term is rooted in the history and mistreatment of enslaved African Americans in the United States. Instead use ‘easy to do or achieve,'” JPMorgan Chase said.
The guide also includes definitions of words such as “microaggressions”, which it defines as “everyday verbal, nonverbal and environmental slights, snubs, insults actions, remarks or questions that — whether intentional or unintentional — communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages to a person or group based in whole or in part upon the community they align with or belong to”.
A company insider told The New York Post that the bank is “creating unnecessary friction and it’s not helping anyone”.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
“There is nobody internally that takes any of this seriously — at the end of the day, this is a bank. There is an enormous DEI infrastructure and they have no results to show,” they added.
A company representative asserted that the glossary has existed internally at the company since 2021 and it is “entirely voluntary” to follow its suggestions.
Yesterday, the British Tourist Authority, also known as VisitBritain, released a similar term sheet promoting the use of inclusive terms in the workplace.
Employees at the tourist board have been given a term sheet to foster a “culture of belonging”, however many have slammed it as being “out of touch.”
The use of gendered terms such as 'man hours' and 'man power' are cautioned against in the guide
GettySome of the advice given by the organisation includes replacing the term “man hours” with the term “person hours”.
The guidance suggested also suggested switching the term “blind spot” with “missed opportunity” as well as the word “blacklist” replaced by “deny list”.
The 50-page guidance was issued in a diversity and inclusion “framework”, sent to the body’s business partners to “help shape the future of events”.
It says: “Words and phrases used for generations are no longer acceptable.”
