KPMG’s UK chairman, Bill Michael, has lost his job for daring to question unconscious-bias training. Michael was at KPMG for 30 years.
In a Zoom meeting on Monday, 8 February Michael said ‘unconscious bias is complete crap’. He complained that ‘after every single unconscious-bias training [session] that’s ever been done, nothing’s ever improved’.
Michael also accused staff of using Covid as an excuse to play ‘the role of the victim’, adding that they work in a ‘very lucky sector’. He said they should ‘take control’ of their lives rather than ‘sit there and moan’ about the pandemic.
Following complaints from staff, KPMG started an investigation into Michael’s comments. He initially stood aside from his role, pending the results of the investigation, but has now resigned, saying that his position is ‘untenable’. He has also apologised.
However, according to spiked, the British online political portal, what Michael said was correct. Unconscious-bias training is complete crap. These training sessions treat an absurd ideological claim – that we are all secretly racist, without even realising it – as fact.
They force people to admit to non-existent prejudices. They are not worth anyone’s time.