...Racial Discrimination and Harassment Case Study Dana Agent 3/9/2014 A very clear example of harassment based on an employees’ race is evident in the lawsuit filed against MMR Constructors, Inc. in Arkansas. An African American employee was subjected to racial harassment by white employees that included racially offensive language, graffiti and death threats. White employees went as far as going to the black employees’ home in the middle of the night and threatened his life because he apparently reported the racially charged incidents to the company. The employee reported the “midnight visit” incident to the company and the company refused to take action against the employees because it did not happen at work. When a company overlooks incidents happening on and off the worksite, it gives the harasser the impression that the company condones the behavior. Harassment by definition is the act or an instance of harassing, or disturbing, pestering, or troubling repeatedly; persecution. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions’ (EEOC) definition of harassment includes slurs, graffiti, offensive or derogatory comments, or other verbal or physical conduct. “Harassment is a form of employment discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA).” (EEOC.gov) The employee was a victim of harassment and subjected to unethical...
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...NCVER Cross-cultural training and workplace performance Robert Bean Robert Bean Consulting The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author/project team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government, state and territory governments or NCVER Publisher’s note Additional information relating to this research is available in Cross-cultural training and workplace performance: Support document. It can be accessed from NCVER’s website . To find other material of interest, search VOCED (the UNESCO/NCVER international database ) using the following keywords: cross cultural training; cultural awareness; workplace learning; capacity building; training provider; employee attitude; employer attitude. © Australian Government, 2008 This work has been produced by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program, which is coordinated and managed by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments. Funding is provided through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Requests should be made to NCVER. The NVETRE program is based upon priorities approved by ministers with responsibility for vocational education and training (VET)...
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...Diversity in the Workplace Diversity in the Workplace Organizational Behavior 12/11/2011 Diversity in the Workplace Diversity in organizations is increasingly gaining importance and attention by hiring and cooperate management. Nowadays, not only does diversity in the workplace mean being in compliance with the equal opportunity act, but culturally diverse employees are being valued as an asset to the company. Managers have started to appreciate new points of views and ideas from employees with a cultural diverse background rather than expecting them to adapt and assimilate to the current company’s “good old way” of conducting business. The purpose of this paper is to design a model and provided procedures for analyzing diversity, and show how the results would be implemented in a cultural diversity training program. The Diversity Framework The diversity of an individual is a complex framework that consists of different personal and social components. There are two different types of personal components; the first type is a personal component we cannot control or influence, such as our race, age, gender, physical condition, sexual orientation and ethnicity. On the other hand, the second type of personal component we are rather able to choose or impact, such as our marital status, job, religious belief, educational background and appearance. These personal diversity components critically determine our behavior, attitude and views at work. Finally, the social component...
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...Workforce diversity is a valuable asset for any business that seeks a competitive advantage in the global economy. Learn about the issues associated with workforce diversity and take a quiz to test your knowledge. Definition of Workforce Diversity Have you ever learned about another culture from someone you met at work? People from all walks of life come together in today's business world. Many companies pride themselves on having a diverse workforce, one that is made up of individuals with a wide range of characteristics and experiences. Some of the key characteristics of workforce diversity include race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. A company that embraces diversity can broaden its skill base and become more competitive and innovative. Workforce diversity also brings with it a number of issues and challenges. Issues and Challenges You may know someone who has experienced unfair treatment based on a personal characteristic.Discrimination occurs when someone is denied opportunities on the basis of a personal characteristic that has no bearing on job performance. Discrimination causes great harm and is illegal in most cases. It's natural that tensions will arise among individuals in a diverse workforce, so it's important for employers to have diversity management policies in place. Most large organizations have taken steps to promote diversity awareness and understanding. These diversity initiatives contribute to a positive work environment...
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...Review on Workforce Diversity Training Abstract Diversity training has significantly influence equality and fairness in the workplace. Many organizations may face challenges how to balance diverse workforce, and they have realised the importance of diversity as a key of their business in order to quickly respond the needs of customers. Accompanying with the global economic integration, diversity has been a priority on the development of human resource. Creating equal and fair working environment would be significantly associated the profitability of organizations. This essay will mainly review the literature of workforce diversity training from several perspectives: definitions of diversity, benefits of diversity, diversity training and organizational attitude, evaluation of diversity training, challenges and resistance to diversity. The major benefits of diversity include increased quantities of high quality decisions, high employee loyalty and low turnover, and improved business performance. Diversity training approaches can be categorized into awareness-based training and skill-based training, and six major training techniques such as lecture, questioning, brainstorm, small-group discussion and role-playing can be adopted. Evaluating diversity training should be aligned with organizational business goals, and four steps could be used to evaluate diversity training programmes. Diversity blindness and diversity hostility are recognized as the major challenges...
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...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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...Table of Contents Abstract 4 Introduction 4 Gender Diversity 7 Diversity in Sexuality 8 Racial Diversity 10 Diversity in Age 11 Cultural Diversity 12 Religious Diversity 13 Importance of Diversity Training 18 Recommendations for Managers 22 Conclusion 26 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...
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...companies to fully and aggressively compete in the marketplace, they will need to consider these statistics and work towards attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining a diverse workforce. This will be critical if they are to survive. They will also need to recognize that the market they cater to is becoming more diverse. Diverse groups are a growing percentage of the buying power in the United States. In order to maintain competitive advantage in the sector they serve, organizations will need to truly understand its customers, clients, members and employees and will need to create an organizational climate that is welcoming to all. The Birth of the Diversity Movement The “Diversity” Movement was born in 1987, when the Hudson Institute launched a study titled “Workforce 2000”. The study projected demographic trends that would impact the workplace, as we knew it by the year 2000. One of the predictions made was that there would be a marked growth in the number of women and minorities entering the workforce. In fact, the report suggested that women,...
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...Where Growing Minds Go Global… What is Cultural Awareness, anyway? How do I build it? “A fish only discovers its need for water when it is no longer in it. Our own culture is like water for the fish. It sustains us. We live and breathe through it.” Becoming aware of our cultural dynamics is a difficult task because culture is not conscious to us. Since we are born we have learned to see and do things at an unconscious level. Our experiences, our values and our cultural background lead us to see and do things in a certain way. Sometimes we have to step outside of our cultural boundaries in order to realize the impact that our culture has on our behavior. It is very helpful to gather feedback from foreign colleagues on our behavior to get more clarity on our cultural traits. by Stephanie Quappe and Giovanna Cantatore Cultural Awareness is the foundation of communication and it involves the ability of standing back from ourselves and becoming aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. Why do we do things in that way? How do we see the world? Why do we react in that particular way? Cultural awareness becomes central when we have to interact with people from other cultures. People see, interpret and evaluate things in a different ways. What is considered an appropriate behavior in one culture is frequently inappropriate in another one. Misunderstandings arise when I use my meanings to make sense of your reality. Projected similarities...
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...Individual differences and diversity in workplace The research of individual differences is a true fact since human existence. With increasing competition in the world workplace, it is clear that the businesses with various resources still at the level of demand (Marquardt & Reynolds, 1993). As companies face multiple of difficulties in order to keep successful in the marketplace, workforce give the company most valuable benefits. Therefore, respecting employee in the organization is the key for successful company and that can be achieve by understanding individual differences. Behaviours, values, personalities, and attitudes are different for each person. Considering these diverse traits lead the employees to the most appropriate in achieving organization. Since individuals are different, it is accepted that each employee behave in different ways. The key for companies is meeting individual diversity as a real opportunity and moving it into an advantage. There are three main important individual differences that organisations should focus on, values, personality and attitudes. Values: According to Howard (1988), values are the basic structures of culture. However, values can be applied in management to develop relationships with people. Values can be defined as the beliefs of individual or a group which they have an emotional investment (clegg S. et.al, 2011). Schwartz (1992) describes some values as ‘trans-situational’. These values in one’s life without considering...
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...Diversity Training – What’s missing? Pennsylvania State University May 2nd, 2014 Introduction Diversity is all around any given workplace at all times in all things. People in the world differ in many ways. People in the workplace are no different. From color to gender, from age to sexual orientation – no one person is ever the same. There is no hiding the fact that people are different. Often times, differences are intimidating for people. Even more often, because of lack of information, those fears turn into discrimination. Workplace discrimination is a global phenomenon. Discrimination claims often range from issues involving gender and age, to culture and religion, if only to name a few. Because of fear of the unknown or because of unwillingness to change, many people see diversity as a burden, one that should not be tolerated. But this viewpoint is, in its very being, discrimination itself. So what can an employer do to combat this negative way of thinking? The answer for so many organizations struggling with this topic is easy: diversity training. But, is diversity training really the answer or is there something more needed to do away with discrimination once and for all? What is Diversity Training? Webster’s dictionary defines discrimination as, “the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people.”(Webster) When companies deal with discrimination due to prejudice against a certain subgroup of the population...
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...at www.emeraldinsight.com/2040-8005.htm JCHRM 3,1 Managing diversity in Chinese and Indian organizations: a qualitative study Fang Lee Cooke Department of Management, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and 16 Debi S. Saini Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to investigate diversity management (DM) practices in China and India by analyzing formal DM policy (if one exists) adopted by the company and informal DM practices adopted by managers. It also aims to discuss the appropriateness of the US-originated notion of, and approach to, managing diversity in the Indian and Chinese contexts by exploring how local managers make sense of diversity and manage it in a pragmatic way. Design/methodology/approach – The authors adopted a qualitative approach. In particular, through a semi-structured interview design, qualitative data were collected from 16 Chinese and Indian middle and senior managers and four human resources (HR) director of regional headquarters of foreign multinational firms. The data were supplemented by secondary data from a wide range of sources, including government reports and media coverage to extend contextual understanding. Findings – The paper reveals that most Chinese organizations do not see DM as an issue. Where exists, its focus is on conflict avoidance rather than value-addition to the business. In contrast, managing diversity in India is of greater significance for firms, both legally and financially...
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...Cultural Diversity Training Denise Raftie-Bryant BUS 375 Employee Training Instructor: Niccolle Johnson June 30, 2015 As Human Resource Manager my responsibility is to oversee training and development for a global organization. To effectively create a cultural diversity training course for all employees it’s imperative to be able to understand cultural differences, employment and business law practices. Cultural diversity is embraced by many companies in the workplace and essential to maintain a balanced organization. Organizations that understand cultural difference can secure business deals with global affiliations and increase employee awareness in a diverse workplace offering training courses. It is important to a company’s organizational structure for employers and employees in the workplace to recognize and respect cultural differences. Multilingual employees benefit many companies because of different perspectives from various diverse backgrounds, creativity and problem-solving skills. Organizations continue to seek opportunities for growth, through encouraging cultural diversity provide ways to expand their business. Also the organizations can enhance its ability to solve problems encouraging their employees to share business practices and belief systems who come from different backgrounds. Employee differences are considered beneficial to help build a corporate culture team. However, diversity is embraced through providing employees with cultural...
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...Assignment 8 - Diversity Planning Sidney Whitt Brandman University Cultural Dimensions of Global Leadership OLCU 618 Dr. Craig M. Brewer June 29, 2014 Assignment 8 - Diversity Planning Introduction A hospital that neglects the need to provide diversity training for its employees could open itself to unexpected and undesirable employee-related issues. When a climate exists where employees feel slighted, misunderstood, disrespected or misunderstood due to conflicts or differences with other workers, productivity and morale are sure to suffer. Hospitals are subjected to lawsuits from many different avenues, but they can avoid discrimination-related lawsuits by the establishment of an effective diversity-training program. “The benefits of business diversity include the ability to communicate with a wider audience, multiple perspectives in decision making and--as a result--increased productivity. The road to diversity is challenging because people often carry a natural resistance to change, and issues like language barriers and implementation can slow down the process. However, with an adequate diversity training plan in place, you can streamline the process” (Holt, 2012, p. 4). Analysis Stimulate employee involvement in the attainment of diversity goals. The first step in the initiation of a diversity-training program is the identification of the program sponsors and stakeholders. Program sponsors and stakeholders should be interviewed, focus groups conducted...
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...Abstract This paper reviewed the literature on the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and the issue of diversity. Presently, there is a growing need to introduce diversity in the work place for the benefit of varying organizations and their human resource needs. Doing so would help them build up creative ideas and experiences, while mingling with people from diverse backgrounds. However, diversity could have negative effects as well in terms of conflicts among employees, and in several other instances. HRM is responsible for providing equal opportunities, and resolving the issues that arise due to diversity. Positive impacts were observed where organizations promoted learning environment. It also highlights different strategies that could be applied for effective diversity management. On the other hand, a need to act sensitively towards employees of diverse background was discussed, while providing them with growth opportunities could help in increasing productivity. Issue statement Human Resource Management (HRM) covers different aspects of an organization, from the recruitment of its employees, to the management of all works, and the problem solving issues that are directly affecting the organizations’ employees. Employees are an asset to an organization, and HRM is responsible for providing them with opportunities to learn and acknowledge their achievements especially in an organization with diverse employees. On the other hand...
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