Diversity in the workplace is a subject that has gained increased attention in the workplace over the past few years. After all, the impact of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity programs on the nation's work force is undeniable. Women and minorities were the first to dramatically alter the face of the economic mainstream, while gays, persons with disabilities and senior citizens followed not far behind. The result is a diverse American labor force representing a microcosm of our society - yet one that continues to struggle with its identity. Diversity as a social condition is not new to America.
The article will also concentrate on the central issue of the importance of integrating the human resource strategy with business strategy. Finally the article would conclude the problems faced by the HR managers in implementing practices and policies. Diversity has been a competitive tool for most organisation because of the development of technology that results in the relocation of resources and people, increasing globalisation, aging of workforce, continued ethnic diversification (Hudson, 2002). Diversity is commonly referred in relation to ethnicity gender and culture but its scope is widened as far as age, disability, language, religouis beliefs, life stages and education.... ... middle of paper ... ...ce Management, Trade Unions and Industrial Relations, Human Resource Management: a critical text, Rooutledge, London. Guest, D. (1987), Human Resource Management and Industrial relations, Journal of Management Studies, vol .18, pp.24.
The rapidly increasing population and the continued growth of the global economy requires more interaction among people from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures than ever before. The insular way of life is over and we need to be able to work together for the common good of mankind. John F. Kennedy once said " If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity." So what is diversity? According to the International Journal of Diversity, “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.”(1) Diversity teaches us how to interact with others, to appreciate and respect people from different cultures, and how to learn from those people who differ from ourselves.
This added income might be the help needed to escape from government dependence that so many American citizens would welcome. With everyone still feeling the effects from the recession, it’s nice to think that a little more in the pay check will fix the world. But with the negative effects associated with a wage increase we must focus on the important questions. Are the mandated raises really intended to benefit the poor, or is there an alter motive fueling the push to change the salaries. The lack of accurate facts and understanding associated with the pending bill will inevitably leave us all with a thinner wallet and a colossal bout of sticker shock each time we head to McDonalds.
As the American workforce continues to become more and more diverse, it is becoming even more important for organizations to recognize the diversity of their employees and adopt policies surrounding diversity issues. The US Department of Labor estimates that more than 75% of workers currently entering the workforce are women, immigrants, or people of color (Clayton, 2010). Today’s organizations are facing a more diverse workforce, and customer base, than they did even as short as five years ago and, as the American economy continues to become increasingly intertwined with the those of other countries, there is a increasing need to American organizations to understand what works, and doesn’t work, when addressing diversity (National Urban League, 2009). In a national survey of American workers conducted by the National Urban League in 2009, studies found the largest decline in American workers who felt that their company effectively measured diversity efforts since 2004, with only 27% of the American workforce believing their company measured the effectiveness and impact of their diversity measures, and only 44% believing that their leadership was committed to diversity (National Urban League, 2009). Although most larger companies today boast at least some sort of diversity policy or program, it seems that, at least in the eyes of the American worker, there is still progress to be made.
Today's workplace is more diverse than it has ever been in history. While the workforce has made strides in the direction of equality, it is still far from attaining total equality in the workplace. A company must value diversity. The main objectives of valuing diversity include awareness, education, and positive recognition of the differences among people in the workforce. Organizations are increasingly emphasizing group work or teamwork as a source of competitive advantage in a diverse workforce.
Multicultural Diversity in Organization: Benefits and Challenges Vivek Saxena Abstract In today’s rapidly increasing globalizing world, organizations are no longer working in isolation and the cultural diversity is as much relevant as the economic diversity. For an organization to cope up with the increasing competition, understanding and managing the cultural diversity has become more significant now than ever before. Diversity brings creativity, innovation and effectiveness in the way organizations perform, but it may also generate conflicts, differences and frictions among teams. In a hurry to promote the diversity in organization, managers must first understand the benefits and the challenges of diversity in workplace. This paper investigates
The paper sites twin studies, which give creedence to the genetic component of intelligence, and notes these differences apply within the different ethnic and racial groups. The author attributes an almost equal role to the environment of the child referring to nurturing as the "crystallization of native abilities." Noting the differences between the sexes in math and verbal skills, the author seeks to validate this conception. The author sees the cultural values of society as an unavoidable encroachment upon the genders resulting in these differences. I beg to differ, as molecular and developmental studies have shown that there are structural and biological differences in the brains of males and females (Zhang, 1995; Palego, 2000).
From these results, conclusions have been made as to what really plays a larger role in human twin development – genetics or surroundings. However, for one to fully understand the uniqueness that twins present, it is fundamental to know the diversity and complexity that exists among them. What are Twins? Unlike the typical human, twins exist in two forms: monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ). Monozygotic, or identical twins, are the product of the separation of one fertilized egg and are consequently genetically identical.
Firstly, unequal opportunities and unfair treatment to one race or sect are immoral can prove illegal. More so, however, diversity can help an organization maintain competitive advantage by utilizing a wider range of creative ideas. Nevertheless, substantial evidence points to the fact that discrimination exists in the workforce resulting from prejudices, biases and stereotypes. A gender wage gap exists and the “glass ceiling” prevents minorities from being promoted. At the same time, however, data from the U.S. Census Bureau proves that the issue won’t go away anytime soon; the U.S. workforce is becoming more diverse over the decades.