...Abstract Diversity encompasses characteristics that categorizes individuals and allows for self-identification. Diversity presents itself in two different forms, visible and invisible. Those that are visible forms of diversity include ones physical appearance, sex, race, age, ethnicity, speech patterns and language. Those that are nonvisible include characteristics such as religion, national origin, illness and sexual orientation (Clair 2005). When discussing diversity in the work environment, most often times they are discussing the outward, visible characteristics, however invisible social identities are common in the workplace. Gender is one of the most common viewed issues when looking at diversity in the workplace. The glass ceiling and equality issues are analyzed and discussed frequently. Discoveries have been made that support the idea that woman should be on more Boards and should be making more decisions on allocations of monies. This paper seeks to address how diversity impacts an organization and how managers can make diversity work for them. Introduction According to Gibson, Ivancevich, Donnelly, and Konopaske (2012), Diversity is a term that describes the cultural, ethnic and racial differences in a population. A more comprehensive definition by Gibson et al (2012) indicates that diversity is “an array of physical and cultural differences that constitute the spectrum of human attributes. There are six dimensions of diversity which include: age...
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...that having a diverse heterogenic workplace has many benefits. I will be focusing on diversity in employee cultural and gender. Due to the increasingly diverse nature of Australia’s workforce, organisations will have to use strategic tactics such as successful Human Resource Planning, in order to attract, select and retain a diverse workplace. A company with employees that bring different perspectives is presented to be able in finding more efficient ways to operate and grow (Wojcik 2012). Diversity programs enhance the ability of an organisation to meet client needs, which can improve its profits (Wojcik 2012) Dwyer et.al (2001) discusses the potential benefits of gender diversity, such as novel insights, perspectives, creativity, and experience appear to foster and support expansion into new markets. Finding a similar association between racial diversity, growth, and firm performance, This insight will assist me to form an argument to why organisations should select a diverse workforce. Management teams with higher proportion of women promote more interpersonal channels of communication, employee participation in decision-making and monitor feedback and development more intensely (Melero, E 2010) Communities and consumers want to engage with and do business with organisations that reflect themselves and the current population (Lieber 2012). Attracting diverse employees to organisations has a flow on effect on the community. A workplace that embodies respect for all types...
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...GUPTA (12188874) WORKPLACE GENDER EQUALITY INTRODUCTION: In earlier century, the role and importance of women were totally different as compared to today because in the past, there was a general belief that the man was responsible to take care of woman in all sense as men are stronger than women. But today situations has been advance, women have various duties related to inside of home and outside of home. In the past, women have handled only the household area and they have been restricted to go outside for earning money but due to globalization, the role of women have been changed and women are being capable to work in all areas like economical, business, political, social and many more with same responsibilities and duties like men. Nowadays, “Gender Equality” is one of the debatable issues. Gender equality means men and women get equal importance, value, rights, treatments, positions and opportunities irrespective of their gender. Gender equality is obtained when people are being capable of getting equal awards, benefits, means, freedom, scope and chance nevertheless even if they are men or women. In the latest era, most of the countries in the world have shaped symbolic development in the direction of gender equality. The main purpose of gender equality is to obtain just identical results for both male and female and not the uniform results for all human beings in the workplace. Due to all these reasons and to control the situations, the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012...
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...In the ever modernizing global economy we have today, there are many issues which are applicable now that were not in the past. One of the biggest issues today, which managers of a workplace must take seriously, is diversity. A big reason why this is applicable in our times is because everyone is able to work today. While not until 60 years ago, blacks were not able to hold real jobs. Also, women have become much more involved in the workforce than in years past. In this paper I will show explain what diversity in the workplace is, discuss some examples of diversity in the workplace, and how managers must take action to manage diversity in today’s economy. Diversity refers to human qualities that are different from our own and those of groups to which we belong; but that are manifested in other individuals and groups. Dimensions of diversity include but are not limited to: age, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities / qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, military experience, parental status, religious beliefs, work experience, and job classification. Diversity as a concept focuses on a broader set of qualities than race and gender. In the context of the workplace, valuing diversity means creating a workplace that respects and includes differences, recognizing the unique contributions that individuals with many types of differences can make, and creating a work environment that maximizes the potential of...
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...Ethical Issues in Management-Diversity Brenda Wilson Stringer MGT/216 Organizational Ethics and Social Responsibility August 23, 2010 Paul Nesbitt Management involved many ethical issues, and diversity is a major issue in management. The extent of cultural diversity within a company is referred to as the workplace diversity. “Diversity is defined as acknowledging, valuing, understanding, accepting, and celebrating the differences of people with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, class physical and mental ability orientation, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistant status (K. A. Green, M. Lopez, Wysocki & K. Kepner, 2008).” The demographics of a business market place allow the business to better understand its diversity. A company knows the breadth of knowledge that a diverse workplace, and states that they’re “Equal Opportunity Employer” who do not discriminate. By having diversity in the workplace, it helps maintain and stops discrimination. “Discrimination occurs whenever something other than qualification affects how an employee is treated (L. Trevino & K. Nelson, K., 2007. P. 69).” Discrimination involves age, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual preference, religious beliefs, and any other quality that varies from the accepted norm. During the decision making process for hiring, promotions, and layoffs occurs is when discriminations are involved. The “glass ceiling” is a good example of promotions involving discrimination...
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...Sears Christy Mallory OCTOBER 2011 Economic Motives for Adopting LGBT-Related Workplace Policies Introduction This study evaluates the economic impact of corporate non-discrimination and benefits policies by analyzing the extent to which economic reasons motivate corporations to adopt such policies. The past decade has seen a large increase in the number of corporations adopting LGBT-related workplace policies. In 1999, 72% of Fortune 500 companies included sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies, and only a handful included gender identity.1 By 2009, 87% of such companies included sexual orientation and 41% included gender identity in their non-discrimination policies.2 Over the same time period, the percentage of Fortune 500 companies offering domestic partner benefits increased from 14% to 59%.3 This study reviews statements issued when adopting such policies by the top 50 Fortune 500 companies and the top 50 federal government contractors. Since companies began to adopt these policies, and state and local governments began to amend their laws to prohibit sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, arguments have been made that the requirements are costly and burdensome for private businesses. As recently as May 2011, the Tennessee legislature repealed an ordinance passed by the city of Nashville requiring city contractors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their non-discrimination policies.4 The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce...
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...2010 Richard Smith Introduction In management there are always different ethical situations involved. Today one of those major problems in management has been diversity. Diversity in the workplace refers to the amount that cultural diversity is inside a company. “Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (K.A. Green, M. López, A. Wysocki, & K. Kepner, 2008).” Moral and Ethical Issues Acquiring diversity in the business opens them to grasp the realization of the demographics of its marketplace, just as long as the company uses the opportunity that they receive from the knowledge of a diverse working environment. Businesses toady like to display their “Equal Opportunity Employer” status. What this status says is they like having a diverse work setting with no discrimination. Diversity is not going through that well mainly because of discrimination. “Discrimination occurs whenever something other than qualifications affects how an employee will be treated (L. Trevino & K. Nelson, K., 2007, p. 69).” Discrimination can affect race, age, religious beliefs, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference and any type of quality that does not fit with the society accepted normal. The issue of discrimination is not just happening in the hiring system,...
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...Gender equity in a workplace DataSoft Pty Ltd The ICT Industry Assessment Item 3 BSB115 - Management Vadym Podolian N9692291 Word Count: Format: Ariel 11 or Times New Roman 12; 1.5 line spacing and a Word Document. Assignments which are 10 percent over or under the word limit of 1500 words will have 6 marks deducted. Introduction The problem is under-representation of women in a workplace. Women are mainly under-represented in higher positions due to a glass ceiling (invisible barrier) and gender discrimination (M., Lemmon, & J. Wayne, n.d.). It is important to have women in higher positions as well as it would bring several benefits to the firm; such as, improving the overall performance, increase in innovation intensity, higher overall intelligence and others (Wienberger, 2016). The aim of this report is to analyse and address the issue of under-representation of women in a workplace and gender pay inequity. This report will identify the issue and why it has occurred, talk about related management functions and environmental factors and offer two recommendations. Discussion Why it occurs? There are many reasons why this issue could occur in a firm. One reason is a glass-ceiling effect. It means an invisible barrier for women preventing them from reaching higher positions in an organisation. There are 3 things closely related to this effect: gender wage gap (when men and women are doing the same job for different wages)...
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...Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion SOC/315 Cultural Diversity May 6, 2013 Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Cultural diversity refers to the idea that any cultural identity should not be ignored or discarded, but instead they should be valued and maintained. It includes the different varieties of human cultures or societies in the entire world as a whole, or in a particular region. Dimensions of cultural diversity can include religious beliefs, gender, marital status, race, age, parental status, income, physical abilities and attributes, sexual orientation, geographic location, language, and other components. Today, the management of cultural diversity is much more complicated than single dimension like age, gender, race, etc. (Harvey & Allard, 2009). Ethnic, religious, racial and gender dimensions are considered as being the most important (Schaefer, 2011). Cultural diversity dimensions are actually divided into two sections: primary and secondary. The primary dimensions includes an individual’s race, age, physical attributes, gender, etc, and the secondary dimensions include factors like language, marital status, income, occupation, parental status, religious beliefs, etc. With what ethnic, cultural, or other groups do you identify? I honestly believe that I identify with a lot of ethnic or cultural groups, but the groups that I identify with the most are Native American, Caucasian, and African-American...
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...significance of acknowledging the presence of diversity in their workplace. The concept of diversity according to the authors of Management 4th Asia pacific Edition diversity is “the term used to describe differences among people at work which mainly includes age, race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, disability, personality, culture, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, education, experience, family status and many more.” (Schemerhorn Jr, et al., 2011). Therefore it is the variety and differences of the people working for a certain business or within the company but most of the people presume that is when we talk about diversity it is mostly the difference between ethnicity, race or gender. (UCFS: University of California, n.d.). It is very essential that businesses understand and encourage diversity in the workplace as it may arise to various advantages such as enhanced communication between employees, increase of flexibility within the business, eradication of discrimination and learning how to appreciate culture and wider range of opinions, perspective and talents that will result employees satisfaction and increase of businesses competitive edge against competitors. Advantage of working in a Diverse Workforce * Eliminate discrimination It is important for the business to encourage workplace diversity not only for the account of the business but also to the employees to prevent and eradicate discrimination in the workplace. According to Australian Human Right Commission...
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...Does workforce diversity always result in better organizational performance? In today’s global competitive environment, workforce diversity became a competitive edge that helps firms better understand different cultures and different ways of conducting business globally (“Benefits and problems”). Taylor Cox emphasized that increasing workforce diversity for better organizational performance is still an essential business issue that receives great attention, as “most of today's small business owners and corporate executives recognize that attention to the challenges and opportunities associated with the growing trend toward culturally diverse work forces can be a key factor in overall business success”. Rob McInnes identified 7 factors that motivate companies to diversify their workforces: As a Social Responsibility: companies exercise corporate social responsibility role by diversifying their workforces and supporting their good living. As an Economic Payback: “diversifying the workforce, particularly through initiatives like welfare-to-work, can effectively turn tax users into tax payers”. As a Resource Imperative: companies shouldn’t be hindered from attracting best talents available in the markets because of discriminatory practices. As a Legal Requirement: law requires companies not to be discriminatory in their employment practices or they will be exposed to penalties, as “fines and loss of contracts with government agencies”. As a Marketing Strategy: companies...
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...Behavior – Diversity Issues (Chapter Three) Study Guide Specific Diversity Issues 1. Gender Diversity in the Workplace 2. Race Diversity in the Workplace 3.Age Diversity in the Workplace 4.Religious Diversity in the Workplace 5.Employees with Disabilities in the Workplace 6. Sexual Orientation Diversity in the Workplace Gender Diversity in the Workplace The Equal Pay Act (1963) prohibits discrimination in pay based on gender. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) prohibits discrimination in all employment-related decisions based on gender Earnings Gap The median earnings of women who worked full time in 2008 was 79% of men working full time. One explanation is that women are more likely to have gaps in their résumés because they are more likely to take time off to have children Race Diversity in the Workplace Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) prohibits race discrimination in all employment-related decisions. Yet race discrimination still exists in organizations Age Diversity in the Workplace Despite their positive workplace behaviors, employees who are older often have to deal with age-related stereotypes at work. For example, a review of a large number of studies showed that those between 17 and 29 years of age tend to rate older employees more negatively, while younger employees were viewed as more qualified and having higher potential (age discrimination is prohibited by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967) Religious Diversity in the...
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...Understanding Culture Diversity in the Workplace Diversity in the workplace refers to the variety of differences in people in the work environment. It is very important to understand cultural, ethnic, and gender differences by managers and professionals in a business setting these days. Majority of firms and companies have come to realize that staffs from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as different gender bring a great deal of valuable perspectives in any business environment. The importance of understanding cultural, ethnic and gender differences by managers and professionals in a business setting is essential to make the work environment comfortable. In every culture, there are basic standards of thinking, and acting and these cultural differences strongly influence workplace values and communication. What one considers acceptable and natural in the workplace for one person may be unacceptable for another person. Diversity in the workplace can be beneficial as well as challenging. Respecting individuals and their differences can increase productivity. It could also reduce lawsuits, increase opportunities and the business’s image (Esty, 1995). On the other hand, some negative behaviors in the workplace may include prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination, which should never be a practice by management for hiring, retention, and termination practices. Negative behaviors can be barriers to organizational diversity because it can harm working relationships...
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...Diversity: Religion and Workplace Introduction Religion is one of the biggest differences segmenting the world into different parts. There is no other reason from the dawn of time which caused more strife’s and argument among mankind than Religion. Religion can be defined as the faith or moral belief a person possess regarding the nature of being or existing the world. In the modern world there are roughly five or six major religious and yet countless other minor religions have sprung up and are continuing to spring up every day. Each believer of a religion defends and believes in it devoutly, to such an extent that he or she is willing to go towards bloodshed to defend its honor. The major religions of the world include, Islamic, Christianity, Hinduism, Atheism, Judaism, etc. These religions include the set of guidelines for the individuals on which to base their lives. The major religions all dictate that there is a Higher Entity, or God which governs the world and the Universe and all that is contains is it plaything and all the living creatures are its subjects (Trent, 2007). Such devout belief and intolerance against one’s faith becomes a very volatile subject and can become the cause of a major strike in an organization. Any good and reputed organization employees a variety of people all belonging to different backgrounds. Some of these religions might be major while some might be the minor ones. In such a scenario, the minority religion often suffers under...
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...of Workplace Diversity Elizabeth Foma University of Guam School of Business and Public Administration P. O. Box 5169 UOG Station Mangilao, Guam 96923 efoma@uguam.uog.edu; drmayuk@yahoo.com Abstract Diversity is an important part that all employees have to deal with at one point during their careers. There are many positive aspects to diversity in the workplace, such as exchange of ideas because of the diverse cultures of employees, the development of friendship without discrimination, workers learn to cope up with the diverse environment, stereotyping is eliminated, retention of employees are more likely due to healthy competition. On the other side, there is are negative parts which includes communication gaps due to language barrier and resistance to change. Diversity is any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another, in which these dimensions can be visible or invisible. The existence of workplace diversity, within an organization, indicates that the workplace is heterogeneous in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity, in which employees possess distinct elements and qualities, differing from one another (Robbins, 2003). Key words: Race, gender, inequality, ethnicity, organizations, discrimination, lifestyle. 1. Introduction Diversity is any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another, in which the dimensions can be visible or invisible. The existence of workplace diversity, within...
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