Diversity in the Workplace
| Author | Patrick Highland |
| Pages | 205-207 |
Page 205
Diversity means having distinct or unlike elements. In a workplace, diversity means employing people who may be different from each other and who do not all come from the same background. The differences may be those of national origin, physical appearance, religion, education, age, gender, or sexual orientation.
Corporate culture previously focused on a very narrow range of differences, but the range has become broader. Diversity in the workplace has now become a reality for all employers. Managing that diversity is an idea whose time has come. Employers of all kinds are awakening to the fact that a diverse workforce is not a burden, but a potential strength.
Changing demographics is an urgent reason for the increased interest in managing diversity in the workplace. When the 2000 census results were reported, business received a jolt: Hispanics had become nearly 13 percent of the U.S. population and had surpassed African Americans as the largest minority group. With more diversity come varied expectations of service as well as language barriers. Customer service training consultants are adding diversity to their curriculum because customers have varied backgrounds and expect customized service. Employers realize they must attract, retain, and promote a full spectrum of people to be successful. So great is their need that advice on management of diversity is a growth industry.
Progressive employers have developed specialized programs to deal with the workforce diversity. Some of these programs, known as "valuing differences programs," are geared to the individual and interpersonal level. Their objective is to enhance interpersonal relationships among employees and to minimize blatant expressions of prejudice. Often these programs focus on the ways that men and women or people of different races or cultures have unique values, attitudes, behavior styles, and ways of thinking. These educational sessions can vary in length from one day to several days or they can occur on an ongoing basis. They usually concentrate on one or several of the following general objectives:
Fostering awareness and acceptance of human differences
A diverse workplace leads to a stronger company.
Fostering a greater understanding of the nature and dynamics of individual differences
Helping participants understand their own feelings and attitudes about people who are different from themselves
Exploring how differences might be tapped as assets in the workplace
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency responsible for enforcing antidiscrimination efforts. The EEOC has identified what constitutes unlawful harassment: It is verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of his or her race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability or that of his or her friends, relatives, or associates. It must also create a hostile work environment...
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