Diversity Training in the Workplace Essay Example For Students

Diversity Training in the Workplace Essay Table of Contents Abstract4 Introduction4 Gender Diversity7 Diversity in Sexuality8 Racial Diversity10 Diversity in Age11 Cultural Diversity12 Religious Diversity 13 Importance of Diversity Training18 Recommendations for Managers22 Conclusion26 References 28 Abstract This research paper addresses the importance of diversity training in the workplace. Having realized how pertinent workplace discrimination is globally, this paper will give a broad look into the various ways that diversity is displayed in the workplace. The diversity issues involving gender, sexuality, race, age, culture and religion will be explored, and the benefits that diversity training brings in each area will be outlined. Examples of the approaches that many Fortune 500 companies are taking will be touched on throughout the paper, as well as, the strategies behind corporate inclusion. Finally, manager’s recommendations will be given on ways to incorporate diversity training into an organization, and the potential outcomes that it brings to an organization. Introduction People differ in many aspects of their lives. We differ in race, color, sex, religious beliefs and origin to name a few. These diverse characteristics are what make us so unique from one another. Some people see diversity as an opportunity to learn and grow from other people, but others see it as a hindrance, which should be eliminated. Discrimination is defined as treatment or consideration, or making a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing, based on class or category rather than individual merit (http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Discrimination). In most cases discrimination is negative behavior displayed to somebody because of their differences. It has been around for many years and occurs in all areas of life, including the workplace. As the working environment is becoming more diverse, you have people that are in objection to such inclusion, and therefore make it difficult for people of color, race, gender, religious affiliation and origin to fit in comfortably. In fa ct, laws had to be passed specifically for the workplace in order for people to be treated fairly. There is the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which is an extension of the 1964 Act that protects individuals from discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion and national origin with respect to hiring as well as compensation and working conditions (Noe, Hollenback, Gerhart Wright, 2008). The passing of this act was a step in the right direction to eliminating workplace discrimination, but we all know that it takes more than words being inserted in the constitution to change the mindset of people. This brings us to where we are at now in the twenty-first century, trying to find other ways to eliminate workplace discrimination and encourage workforce diversity. According to The Indianapolis Business Journal, â€Å"As companies compete for talent and customers, they realize that hiring women and minorities is more of a strategy than a matter of fairness, said Jesse Moore, Purdue University’s manager of supplier diversity development. The best way to hold onto our market share, or position ourselves to gain market share, is to make our staff look like our customers. More and more companies have come to realize that diversity is more than just a social program†. (Olson 2008). Diversity training is the approach that many organizations are taking to address such issues. The basis behind diversity training is to change the way that people view and interact with each other’s differences. Organizations manage diversity through diversity training programs such as, Attitude Awareness and Change programs as well as through Behavior Based programs (Noe, Hollenback, Gerhart Wright, 2008). The basis of these programs are to increase the employee awareness of stereotypes and beliefs, and focus on changing organizational policies and individual behaviors that inhibit employee’s personal growth and productivity (Noe, Hollenback, Gerhart Wright, 2008). It is believed that in order to change people, you have to change the way that the think. The general line of reasoning is that if we learn to incorporate each other’s diverse traits and characteristics in the workplace, we can then use these differences to foster an innovative environment, which will give the company a competitive advantage over the competitors that do not accept workforce diversity. According to the Allied Academies International Conference, â€Å"Diversity is rapidly becoming a common practice among companies due to the increasing number of minorities entering the job market today. As these groups become more prevalent throughout companies, upper-level employees are facing numerous challenges when determining what changes must take place to create a positive working environment for everyone. Management is responsible for the development and implementation of effective policies directly relating to diversity to ensure the acceptance of minorities into the workplace and to aid in minorities’ success through equal opportunities and treatment. † (Marcia L. James, 2001, Academy for Studies in International Business Proceedings) Gender Diversity Women account for half of the workforce today, but when looking at their current standings in the areas of salaries and career advancement, there seems to be a gap in comparison to men. It was in 1964, when the Civil Rights Act demanded equal employment opportunity for all individuals, but decade’s later women still only earn seventy eight cents for every dollar men earn in the U. S (Gantz, 2009), and are faced with a ‘glass ceiling’ that determines how high they can go in the corporate arena. This is not only an issue that plagues the women of the United States, but globally. Tim Smedley said in his article in People Management that women in London are still paid up to twenty-three percent less than men. He also noted that this data is current. In fact, London’s mayor Ken Livingstone said in his speech at the launch of the Women in London’s Economy 2008 report, that the situation had sadly remained the same since 2005 (Smedley, 2008). Reports in the Tribune Business News on October 4th, 2008 by Akemi Nakamura stated that, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in Japan, full time female workers in 2007 earned on average sixty-six point nine percent of what men earned. Nakamura even went on to say that this gap could be attributed to the relative scarcity of women in managerial positions. This scarcity comes as a result of the glass ceiling that has for decades kept women out of certain positions and roles in the workforce. Occupational segregation is an important issue in both the public and private sectors of the workplace. A research paper that was published by Bethany Sneed in the Public Administration Review concluded that although there has been some decrease in this form of segregation, it is still very prevalent. In fact, research suggests that two thirds of all working women or men would have to change jobs in order to completely integrate occupations (Sneed, 2007). According to an article written by Andrew Taylor, in the U. K. the glass ceiling has become like a â€Å"reinforced concrete barrier†. Instead of women breaking through the glass ceiling, the progress has slowed down so much that the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Europe said that in many cases progress is going in reverse (Taylor, 2008). Diversity in Sexuality We live in a national climate where many religious and political entities actively oppose sexual and gender identity minorities (Brooks Edwards, 2009). Even though progress has been made in other areas of diversity such as, race and gender, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in the area of sexuality in the workplace. Many people state that they just do not feel comfortable working with â€Å"GLBT† co-workers. The acronym stands for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees. In fact, in many places throughout the world there isn’t any legislation in place to protect this sector of people from discrimination. In thirty-four states in the United States, it is perfectly legal to fire gay and lesbian employs based on their sexual orientation, and only eighteen states have passed anti-discrimination laws protecting people based on their sexual orientation (http://civilliberty. about. com/od/gendersexuality/ig/Lesbian-and-Gay-Rights-101/Anti-Gay-Discrimination. htm). Although there is still a long road ahead, steps are being made both in congress and in many organizations to address these major issues. In the Telegram Gazette, they stated that President Barrack Obama, signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law as his first legislation in his administration (Gantz, 2009). This law reverses a 2007 Supreme Court decision that required lawsuits for wage discrimination based on sex, race and any other factors be filed within one hundred and eighty days of the first unequal paycheck (Gantz, 2009). This is the most current step towards eliminating wage discrimination for women. According to an article in PR Newswire, the Equality Forum, which is a national and international gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, four hundred and seventy one (94. 2%) of the 2008 Fortune 500 companies voluntarily included sexual orientation in their employment nondiscrimination policies (Anonymous, 2008). In 2008, the Corporate Equality Index produced by the Human Rights Campaign, showed that 195 major U. S. businesses earned a one hundred percent rating on multiple criteria, which was a forty one percent increase from the year before (Cadrain, 2008). Diane Cadrain stated in HR Magazine that the 2008 Employee Benefits survey reported that thirty-six percent of HR professionals stated that their organizations offered health care coverage for dependent grandchildren, opposite-sex domestic partners and same-sex domestic partners. Many companies are now realizing the benefits of including protection for their GBLT employees. The talent that you bring to an organization should not be measured by your sexual preference. In fact, many companies realize the benefits that a diverse workforce can bring to their companies. Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender represent a huge amount of the consumer market, therefore by making provisions for these types of employees; you will stand to gain consumer volume. Racial Diversity Racial diversity issues have been one of the longest occurring and most visible problems in the workforce today. In order to embrace and accept a diverse workforce with employees from different ethnic background, organizations are training its employees to be all-inclusive and acceptable. The first step in recruiting a diverse workforce is having an organizational culture that respects and values diversity and promotes a positive environment (Lieber, 2008). As shifting demographics today lead to a dramatically different working population in the future, organizations are taking the necessary steps to create inclusive, diverse workplaces. For example, the cable industry has long strived for diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism in the workplace. Executives can agree that over the last year and a half, as the nation followed a historic presidential primary race between an African-American and a woman, operators and networks have ramped up their recruitment and career-building efforts. Most are still loath to use words such as â€Å"affirmative action† or â€Å"quotas† though (Miller, 2008). In a study of one hundred and forty-two retail bank units in the United States, evidence is found for a relationship between the racial composition of an organization’s workforce and diversity climate that is moderated by the racial composition of the community where the organization is located. The results suggest that when few racial minorities live in the community in which an organization is embedded, workforce diversity has an impact on employees’ diversity climate perceptions. As racial minority popular share increases, workforce diversity tends to lose this signaling value (Dietz, Pugh, Brief, Wiley, 2008). There is a growing observation about growing racial and ethnic diversity in the workforce. While Caucasians will still remain the largest group in the labor force, representing roughly 80% by 2016, their share of the labor force will grow at a crawling 5%. The number of Blacks and African Americans, meanwhile, will grow at 16% to comprise 12% of the working population. But the most significant growth will be among Hispanics and Latinos, whose labor-force participation will grow by 30% to comprise some twenty-six million people (Tucker, 2008). The subject of diversity and inclusion remains a â€Å"hot-button† issue, as study after study show that women and minorities are still not being compensated as highly or treated similar to white male counterparts (Heffes, Osdel, Raab, 2008). Because of the changing demographics, management is realizing that a diverse workforce is a key to establishing a workplace where differences are respected and valued. Diversity in Age The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 defined the aging workforce as working individuals who are 40 years of age or older (Bockman, Sirotnic, 2008). These are the Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) who generally accept structure and are relatively easy to manage. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and tend to be reliable, fairly patient, and usually reasonable. But this group is rapidly disappearing; many taking early retirement for reasons from not being able to keep pace with the Internet generation to just being unable or unwilling to work long hours (Kuhn, 2008). Throughout most of the 20th century, the typical job required physical stamina and practical knowledge. Once a persons physical abilities faded, the worker was displaced. Such an orientation was defended by asserting that there is often a clear cost/benefit advantage in replacing the more mature worker with a younger worker who may be more physically fit for the job, willing to perform the work for less money, and able to acquire the practical experience of the mature worker in a relatively short period of time (Bockman, Sirotnic, 2008). According to Monica Johnson, manager of corporate recruiting at Cox Communication, achieving diversity and inclusion is particularly crucial as the baby boomers age and more workers retire. There will be a shortage of people-the talent crisis is just around the corner, Johnson warns, adding that employers must also provide room for growth if they are to retain hires more interested in moving up the ranks (Miller, 2008). Cultural Diversity Another diversity issue that affects an organization is culture. Understanding different culture within the workforce is also an important aspect of managing workforce diversity. Cul ture is defined as the sum total of beliefs, rules, techniques, institutions, and artifacts that characterize human population (Ball, McColluch, Frantz, Geringer, Minor, 2004). Artwork - Year of the Goat EssayHe has said that he does not tolerate intolerance, and any act, any word said that goes against their policies, will not be tolerated (Melymuka, 2001). This is the approach that many Fortune 500 companies are taking to create an inclusive environment. Organizations see the advantages that a diverse workforce can bring. Diversity increases innovation, productivity and the companies bottom-line, which is the underlying goal of all corporations. According to the Indianapolis Business Journal, â€Å"flurries of universities and big companies also have added diversity directors in recent years, WellPoint Inc. nd Clarian are among local firms with such a position. While diversity has crept into the corporate vernacular the past few decades, more companies began to take a longer look in the mirror after the Washington, D. C. based Hudson Institute, which left Indianapolis in 2004, published â€Å"Workforce 2020† in 1997. The think tank’s repo rt predicted that, between 2004 and 2015, more than half the net work-force growth in the United States would be from Hispanics and Asians. † (Scott Olson, 2008) Recommendations for Managers Discrimination comes from the Latin word â€Å"discriminare, which means to distinguish between. However, discrimination, is more than distinction, it is action based on prejudice, resulting in unfair treatment of people. Managers need to be aware of the diverse employees in the workplace and must continue to train their employees how to interact with each other in the workplace. Hiring people who will help the organization succeed is increasingly important, and yet it can be difficult to identify the right person from among many applicants. During the selection process of the hiring phase, it is recommended that managers ask the prospective employee how he/she feels about working with someone who is from a different culture, race, age, gender or religious background. The manager will get a sense of the type of personality that the prospective employee will be bringing to the company. This will allow the company to better decide if the person would fit into the inclusive environment that they are trying to create. From a survey that was conducted in the U. K by Fiona Colgan, Chris Creegan, Aidan McKearney and Tessa Wright and published in Equal Opportunities International, a list of policy initiatives were compiled by them of steps that can be implemented in any organization to help incorporate sexual diversity within the organization. This list included: ? Appointment of senior managers to act as diversity champions ? Initiating workplace campaigns highlighting inclusion and safety for all GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual transgender) staff ? Enforcement of equal opportunities policy on sexual orientation and ? Integration of equality and diversity into job roles and performance appraisal systems These steps along with other programs create awareness of the attitude and behavioral changes needed to manage diversity. Additional suggestions for Managers regarding Diversity Training from Sadi Mehmood, Managing Director of the Noble Kahn Cultural Awareness Training Center in Nottingham, United Kingdom are as follows: ? Training in sensitive areas is a two-way street. Employers and staff alike need more confidence to talk to those from a different culture. Specialized training is needed. See training as an investment. Don’t opt for â€Å"cultural diversity† programmes that are half-a-day or e-based learning packages. They are too broad and won’t cover what’s really needed. Make sure you know what you are getting for your money. Face-to-face training is the most effective training out there. ?Learn to understand your colleagues’ different culture. Many people fe ar difference and are too afraid to communicate and work with people who are of a different ethnic origin. This can lead to tension and misunderstandings that could end up in a courtroom. Ignorance can be solved by quality training that benefits all without the fear of political correctness. ?Don’t assume knowledge of â€Å"common† workplace practices. For example, if you employ migrants who are new to the United Kingdom, be sensitive to â€Å"culture shock†. You may want to put them on to a course to get them up to scratch on how we work, live, socialize. ?Consider having your internal training audited regularly by an outside company. This way you can ensure that the training you provide is adequate and covers the necessary issues. You may want to extend this to your diversity managers. ?Knowing who you’re speaking to is key to avoiding causing offence and risking potential discrimination claims. For example, it’s amazing how many employers can’t distinguish between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. ?Train staff at all levels, not just management. If your frontline staff is not trained, they are more likely to fall victim to the â€Å"race/religious card†. Enhanced cultural Knowledge can only improve customer service. (Mehmood 2007) It is recommended that managers incorporate these steps in all reas of diversity, and management can start by reviewing their current equal opportunities policies that protects all employees. Stipulate what is considered acceptable and not acceptable behavior towards employee differences. In addition to that, outline protocol for reprimanding employees when these rules have been broken. If it requires firing an employee over their non-compliance, then I recommen d that you do it. If employee’s can really see that top management supports diversity inclusion, they might be more inclined to support such programs. As we said in the beginning, we have to retrain the way that people think, and this is going to require that managers take a proactive approach towards the issue of discrimination in the workplace. By appointing senior managers to act as Diversity Champions, they have a responsibility to the organization to encourage and provide support to all employees. This can take the form of arranging seminars, educational campaigns and even providing one-on-one counseling support. These Diversity Champions are there to help employees that are afraid to be themselves â€Å"come out of the closet† so to speak, and ensure that when they do, they are protected. By integrating equality and diversity practices into the formal appraisal system, will also hold people accountable for their contributions to the working environment. Rating employees based on the way they have obeyed and practiced the diversity policies can shed some light as to how the organizations efforts are really working. Managers will be able to identify the employees that are in line with the vision of the organization, and those that need more work. With both management and the organization being on one accord, there can be a steady flow of oneness through the entire corporation. Conclusion Overall, managing diversity can be seen as a strategic response to changes in the labor markets and allows organizations to utilize the entire workforce (Sippola, 2007). Tolerance and acceptance of other people help to mesh the working environment. The more you make your employees feel appreciated, the more productive they will become. In the past, many business owners have sought a culturally and ethnically homogeneous workforce, but practices have changed. It is becoming more and more obvious that businesses must address the issues related to diversity in the workforce (Gudmusdson Hartenian 2000). Even though progress has been made through training and introducing programs about diversity, managers still have a long way to go in order to create an inclusive workforce. Often diversity is thought of in terms of race and gender; however diversity is also seen in the work-place, religion, age and sex. As the world becomes a global village, Organizations and Companies are slowly changing to accommodate the diverse populations. This change has occurred more rapidly during the last thirty years. Diversity training is being implemented in many organizations, so that employees can be taught and exposed to inclusion and diversity training. Diversity Training covers tolerance, and the ability to respect and value differences between people. This training is imperative as its increases productivity, efficiency and goodwill. Many organizations are even hiring diversity training managers. These managers must be aware of the laws as it relates to discrimination, so as to not find the organization a recipient of lawsuits. Diversity Training Managers must work closely with the Human Resources Department to ensure proper and correct diversity training. This is a continuous and ongoing process and all the stakeholders must work cohesively to develop an inclusive, sensitive workforce. Diversity Training is a mutually beneficial relationship which creates a positive environment for the employees, employers and the general populace. As the world becomes a global village, Organizations and Companies are slowly changing to accommodate the diverse populations. According to the Allied Academies International, â€Å"Hiring a diverse work force is not the final step in the process to creating diversity within an organization. Once companies employ a range of individuals, they must begin teaching the employees how to use their diverse backgrounds to excel and how to combine all differences into a cohesive team (without losing the diversity of the group). This can be achieved by using several techniques; Management can show employees that they support diversity in the work place and are open to new ideas from each individual regardless of gender, cultural background, disability, etc. (Marcia L. James) References: Bockman, Shel Sirotnic Barbara (2008). The aging workforce: An expanded definition. Business Renaissance Quarterly. Pasadena. Retrieved February 8th 2009 from Proquest ABI/INFORM Global Database. Ball, Donald A, McColluch, Wendal A, Frantz, Paul L, Geringer, Micheal J Minor, Micheal S (2004). Internal Business: The challenge of global competition. McGraw Hill Irwin. Boston Brooks, A. , Edwards, K. 2009. Allies in the workplace: Including LGBT in HRD. Advances in Developing Human Resources. 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