Rainbow-colored pamphlets advising “bring your authentic self” have lately appeared over cubicles at Goldman Sachs, coaching employees on the proper use of gender pronouns — and some bankers are reeling over the hypocrisy.
The pamphlet advises in addition to “she/her/hers/herself,” “he/him/his/himself” and the gender-neutral “they/them/their/themself” that another set of gender neutral pronouns is “ze/zir (zem) / zirs (zes) / zirself (zemself).”
Examples in a column to the right: “Ze went to the store. I spoke with zir / zem. The apple was zirs / zes.”
But some insiders say the posturing of Goldman — whose offices at 200 West. St. have long been run by old-school, testosterone-fueled, steak-eating males — embracing “woke” values is too much to stomach.
Goldman’s new message of acceptance and support looks especially phony given the mega-bank’s efforts to hush up accusations from thousands of women that sexism is rampant at the firm, employees gripe.
“I think Goldman has a lot of other problems to worry about besides pronouns,” one source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The Post. “Perhaps start by getting rid of … those who harass women and then maybe the women here will take their diversity and inclusivity issues seriously.”
The pamphlet — which was first introduced in 2019 — set high standards for the workplace, both inside and out.
“Proactively share your pronouns to foster a sense of respect and awareness (e.g., “Hi, I’m Karen! My pronouns are she/hers. Welcome to the team!”),” the pamphlet advises.
“Replace gendered language with gender-inclusive language wherever possible in every day conversation (e.g., “Hi All,” v. “Hi guys.”).
The pamphlet also notes that “practice makes perfect,” advising workers to “practice using gender-neutral pronouns on your own time. Feeling comfortable with these terms does not happen immediately and can require concerted effort.”
In reality, however, the bank’s bigger message — especially to young employees — is to keep your head down and work harder, according to sources who spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity.
“There is no ‘authentic self’ at Goldman Sachs. It’s your Goldman self,”one employee told The Post. “You will be forever judged by what you wear, how you act, how you present yourself and how you play the Goldman game.”
A Goldman spokeswoman called the claims a logical fallacy and pointed out the guides are four years old.
“Goldman Sachs has a long and strong record of promoting and advancing women at all levels of the bank,” the rep said.
On June 5, Goldman faces trial in the US Southern District of New York brought by 1,400 plaintiffs who allege long standing discrimination including bias against women when it came to promotions and pay.
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