Diversity at Work ( race and religion) - Research Paper Example

? Diversity at Work   Like different flowers with various colors enhance the beauty of a garland, employees from diverse cultural and religious background increase enterprise value of an organization, and its corporate culture attract new talents. The minimum common standards for all the groups to follow in conducting the operational activities of the organization are evolved over a period of time with acceptance and respect for the customs and practices of the different social groups. This will result into synergy in diversity at work. In order to exploit this opportunity for the peaceful labor relations and growth of the company, the management should establish long term diversity goals with the aim of improving employer-employee partnership on a long term basis. Diversity at Work Table of Contents  Diversity at work place 3 Human Resources Management Strategy 4 Diversity goals 5 Managing diversities 5 Conclusion 6 References 7 Appendices 8 Diversity at Work Diversity at work place Thiederman (2008, p. 188) states that although entering into conversations about diversity-related tension and bias can be challenging and frightening, the benefits far outweigh the risks. More than anything else, such conversations serve an important educational function. The unique qualities and strengths of the different groups enhance the enterprise value of an organization, if they are harnessed to increase overall efficiency in an organization. Therefore, management strategies should aim to facilitate exchange of information through proper communication, discussions and conversations within the organization. According to the Wall Street Journal, the management should provide diversity training in the workplace and all employees should understand that hiring decisions are based on finding the best candidate and not by quotas. This will enhance the confidence level among the employees. In the wake of globalization and liberalization in various countries of the world, the business undertakings need introspection into their human resources management strategies. Human Resources Management Strategy The management strategy should be based on its relative position with reference to the other organizations in general and the demography of the nation. Citing US Bureau of the Census, 2004, Brief & Chugh (2008, p. 2) state, “In 2000, 19% of the US resident population was non-white; in 2020, 22.4% is expected to be non-white; …” When it is analyzed with reference to employment in the organizations, data related the government departments or establishment will be useful and reliable because they are maintained in accordance with a set of government rules to highlight the representation of different sections of the society and minorities in employment. US General Accounting Office (2003, p. 2) in its report stated that according to the USPS data, in the USPS career employee workforce the representation of minorities and women in the workforce remained fairly constant, about 36 and 38 percent, respectively. (Appendix – II, USPS Career Employee Workforce Representation by Race/Ethnicity and Gender, Fiscal Years 2000 through 2002) Therefore, the representation of various social groups in employment reflects the progress in this area for the nation as a whole. A company should formulate its human resources management strategy taking into account the environment and its relative position within the industry in the area of diversity at work. Proper mix of the labor need to be worked out based on the product and customer profile, the geographical spread of the business and the existing management structure. Diversity goals  Measuring the success of an organization in achieving its diversity goals is based on several factors such as retention level, labor turnover in various social groups in the organization, absenteeism, proportion of various social groups in the management positions. (Appendix – I, Diversity Indicators) Diversity at work is not restricted to the lower levels but include all levels in the management ladder. The will increase the overall confidence level among the employees and provide appropriate checks and balances in the system for effective management. According to the work place diversity strategy of the government of Australia, Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2011), workplace diversity builds on the principles of equal employment opportunity to include inherent differences such as gender, age, ethnicity, race, cultural/linguistic background, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, intellectual and/or physical ability. (p.2) Managing cultural diversity Cross-cultural benefits in team-building could be achieved through effective participation of all the team members. Pooling of different ideas based on collective experience and knowledge will ensure good performance in the markets which is made up of different cultural and religious groups as the marketing strategies take into consideration their life styles and family values. “Organizations that promote and achieve a diverse workplace will attract and retain quality employees and increase customer loyalty. For public organizations, it also translates into effective delivery of essential services to communities with diverse needs.” (US Government Bench Marking Study) Communication among the employees and reporting system should take into account the need for explicit procedures. This is important with reference to coordination at various levels and team work. The problems arising out of work-life imbalance, festivals and functions of the various cultural and religious groups need to be separately analyzed for accommodating the requirements of various groups. For instance Ramadan fasting is important for the Muslims like Christmas for the Christians. Cultural training programs should be conducted with participation from all levels of management, with the aim of creating awareness among the employees about the values and customs followed by different cultural and social groups. It is to be understood that these values are mostly unquestionable and passing judgment about them is not in the interest of the peaceful co-existence in any society. Conclusion In any country where there are various social groups based on religion, race or ethnicity the social progress among these communities may not be uniform. Therefore, the governments are under obligation to support the causes of the economically weaker sections in the society by way of subsidies, allowances or other preferential treatment. On the other hand, when these peoples’ democratic rights to equality in opportunities are subjected to discrimination on account of race or religion, it results into communal unrest. This situation is applicable in the corporate context as well. Friske & Lee (p. 21) observe “Outgroups do not necessarily have to be hated to be targets of discrimination in hiring and promotion; more often, they are consistently passed over for others in the ingroup, so they are in fact, excluded.” Therefore, tact and care on the part of the management is essential in such matters related to work diversity. Developing empathy and positive attitude among the employees and creating awareness among the employees about the justification for preferences to the weaker sections or minority in the society is essential. The changes in their perceptions will lead to changes in their attitude. There are huge emerging markets to be explored in Asian and African countries with diverse races, ethnic groups and religions. Therefore, diversity at work is inevitable for the growth of an organization. It is important for the companies to reorient their human resources management strategies to cater to the needs of their customers in these markets. References Australian Government, Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2011), Workplace Diversity Strategy 2011–13, Retrieved from http://www.immi.gov.au/about/plans/workplace-diversity/workplace_diversity_strategy_2011-2013.pdf Retrieved on 30 Oct 2012. Brief, A. P. & Chugh, D. (2008), Studying diversity in organizations, Diversity at Work, Ed. Brielf, AP, pp. 1-12, Cambridge University Press, New York. Friske, ST & Lee, T. L. (2008), Stereotypes and prejudice create workplace discrimination, Diversity at Work, pp. 13-52, Ed. Brielf, AP, Cambridge University Press, New York. US General Accounting Office (2003) U.S. Postal Service: Data on Career Employee Diversity, Report, Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03745r.pdf Retrieved on 30 Oct 2012. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE’S NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR REINVENTING GOVERNMENT BENCHMARKING STUDY, BEST PRACTICES IN ACHIEVING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY, Retrieved from http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/initiati/benchmk/workforce-diversity.pdf Retrieved on 30 Oct 2012. Thiederman, S. (2008), Making Diversity Work, Kaplan Publishing, New York. The Wall Street Journal (2012). How to Increase Workplace Diversity, The Wall Street Journal Asia Edition, Retrieved from http://guides.wsj.com/management/building-a-workplace-culture/how-to-increase-workplace-diversity/ Retrieved on 30 Oct 2012. Appendices Appendix - I Diversity Indicators Using the table below, has the use of any of the following measures contributed to your organization’s success in achieving its diversity goals? If so, what is the direction of the trend for each measure over the last three (3) years? Measures Contribute Trend To Success a. Employee Satisfaction Yes No Increase Decrease No Change b. Customer Satisfaction Yes No Increase Decrease No Change c. Workforce Demographics Yes No Increase Decrease No Change d. Compensation Analysis Yes No Increase Decrease No Change e. Retention Yes No Increase Decrease No Change f. Turnover Yes No Increase Decrease No Change g. Absenteeism Yes No Increase Decrease No Change h. Proportion of Mgmt. Positions held by Women/Minorities/ Yes No Increase Decrease No Change Persons w/Disabilities i. Upward Mobility Yes No Increase Decrease No Change j. Diversity Trng. Attendance Yes No Increase Decrease No Change k. Worklife/Family Program Yes No Increase Decrease No Change Utilization l. Complaints/Grievances Yes No Increase Decrease No Change m. Internal Lateral Moves Yes No Increase Decrease No Change n. Other: Yes No Increase Decrease No Change o. Other: Yes No Increase Decrease No Change p. Other: Yes No Increase Decrease No Change (Source: Section V, Diversity Indicators, Best Practices in Achieving Workforce Diversity) Annexure – II USPS Career Employee Workforce Representation by Race/Ethnicity and Gender, Fiscal Years 2000 through 2002 Fiscal Years CPS %l % % Race/Ethnicity Gender Percentage 2000 2001 2002 White Men 34.6 41.8 41.4 41.1 Women 36.9 22.3 22.4 22.6 Black Men 5.0 11.3 11.3 11.2 Women 6.3 10.1 10.1 10.1 Hispanic Men 6.0 5.0 5.1 5.1 Women 5.8 2.3 2.3 2.4 AAPI Men 2.1 4.2 4.3 4.5 Women 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.5 AIAN Men 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 Women 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 Hawaiian Men N/A 0.02 0.02 0.02 Women N/A 0.02 0.02 0.02 Total (minorities) 28.4 35.9 36.2 36.4 Total (women) 51.8 37.4 37.5 37.9 Source: GAO analysis of USPS data. Note: Percentages may not add due to rounding. CPS = Current Population Survey as of March 2001. AAPI = Asian American and Pacific Islander. AIAN = American Indian and Alaskan Natives. CPS does not specifically breakout data for Hawaiians. Data for Hawaiians are included in AAPI (U.S. Postal Service: Data on Career Employee Diversity, Table 1, p. 2) Read More