Diversity is not something one may think about in daily life, or even on a regular basis; however, it affects us each and every day, and in more ways than we would like to believe. The term diversity may be used to describe something positive, such as the diversity of a school’s athletics participants has helped reduce gang violence by facilitating cross-cultural friendships. It may also carry a negative connotation, as in a workplace’s lack of diversity has cultivated an environment of racism and sexism that affects company productivity. It is especially important for employers to be aware of the issues surrounding workplace diversity, as this can affect every aspect of a company. In my search to understand some relevant issues involving workplace diversity, I began researching “the glass ceiling.”
The theory of the glass ceiling that woman experience in the workplace has been around for decades. As this affects woman of all races, ages, and religions it was simple to find significant material. The article used here to examine this metaphor was written for the American Psychological Association for print in their Psychology of Women Quarterly series. It consists of several reviews of books about women’s issues in the workplace and this idea of the glass ceiling. The first book review speaks to the real relevance of the glass ceiling symbol in our world today. The most interesting point, and possibly most controversial, is the idea that workplace equality has indeed been reached. It also states that instead in sticking to the past definition of this glass ceiling, we should examine more specifically what issues women are facing today. Another point addressed in this first review is the fact that glass ceiling issues ...
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...ause this person to struggle with fitting into the company. It can also cause a division of staff if these individuals do not see enough common elements in their personalities, cultures, or lifestyle. A simple way to deal with these problems is to have staff parties and encourage family to join. Often this can create friendships and bridge the gaps between employees that thought they had nothing in common.
With the many factors that affect the worker, is diversity really that important? Simply stated, yes! It is the survival of the attitude of ignorance that has created a deeply-rooted error in the structure and function of our economy. The company that chooses to focus more on the diversity of their products and advertising is more successful, is it not? This same idea applies to the workers that make that company possible.
After doing some critical thinking, I decided to select the "Glass Ceiling Theory" as my topic. My thesis statement will include how research proves that the "Glass Ceiling Theory" isn't a theory at all, it is an authentic term used to describe the invisible barrier that keeps women and minorities from advancing in the corporate world. The term "Glass Ceiling" can apply to women who are kept from elevating in the corporate world because they are female. Female executives are reduced to particular types of jobs, often staff and supportive jobs that provide limited opportunity for growth. I believe that men and women were proven to be equal decades ago, but the earnings of women in comparison to men are unjust. On average, women earn less than
Unfortunately, even today, women are still trying to prove themselves equal to men in many ways. The “glass ceiling” is perhaps one of the most familiar and evocative metaphors to surface from the 20th century. This expression has been used widely in the popular media as well as in official government reports. The image suggest that although it may be the case now that women are able to get through the front door professional hierarchies, at some point they hit an invisible barrier that blocks any further upward movement. “Below this barrier, women are able to get promoted; beyond this barrier, they are not”. Such a situation can be considered a limiting case for a more general phenomenon: situations in which the disadvantages women face relative to men strengthen as they move up executive hierarches. “Traditional approaches to recruitment, organization and job design, performance management and promotions are often designed in ways that are more suited to men than to women. This is what creates the glass ceiling”. Beyond the limit of job titles, the glass ceiling also creates a pay difference between men and women performing the same work requirements.
The glass ceiling is defined as the “unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps… women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements.” According to the Department of Labor, the glass ceiling is made up of “artificial barriers [that are] based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.” Qualified women are continuously denied a promotion to the highest levels of corporate America and other professions. Once women reach a certain level at their career, they plateau and the glass ceiling prevents them from advancing any higher.
Organizational diversity is a vital attribute causing rapidly growing controversial debates in today’s public and private business sectors. Many of the adversarial perspectives regarding organizational diversity have manifested in various organizations due to the implementation of laws, sanctions, programs and other initiatives designed and mandated to create a more equalized employment workforce.
...ate its employees’ attitudes and their work with colleagues. This should be incorporated into their assessments and reviews, and any issues that are identified should be addressed promptly when delaing with their perfomance in their assessment. Such issues include an employee who only delegates work to specific individuals based on their race or an employee who disregards ideas from certain work colleagues due to their age. However, a manager who identifies diversity-related issues should not adopt a confrontational approach when discussing the issues with an employee. A good approach would be to encourage the employee to work with colleagues from different generations and backgrounds. The initiation of such interactions will encourage the employee to learn more about their objectives, talents, and communication styles and how they compare or contrast to their own.
The "glass ceiling" has held women back from certain positions and opportunities in the workplace. Women are stereotyped as part-time, lower-grade workers with limited opportunities for training and advancement because of this "glass ceiling". How have women managed their careers when confronted by this glass ceiling? It has been difficult; American women have struggled for their role in society since 1848. Women’s roles have changed significantly throughout the past centuries because of their willingness and persistence. Women have contributed to the change pace of their role in the workplace by showing motivation and perseverance.
They have to understand and practice the tools needed to manage a diverse workplace. As discussed in The Loudest Duck leaders can employ these methods to obtain a harmonious, all-inclusive environment: appreciate, promote, employ and celebrate diversity. Leaders must show appreciation and interest in the diversity of their workforce, not just look at percentages and how those are fulfilled but truly engage in understanding and developing the challenges and successes diversity brings. They need to understand how their subconscious is predisposed towards other's differences and develop a character and attitude that is not biased or predisposed to people and situations that are only similar to them. It's important for leaders to have an open-door policy that encourages sharing thoughts, rationale and feelings will help unify the diverse workforce. Leaders more than others need to understand that for a company to succeed everyone needs to feel valued and appreciated regardless of the
Reading an article about the “Glass ceiling” triggered my curiosity, and I began to think how this could affect my daughter and her goals and aspirations. According to the Department of Labor, females account for 43.99% of the workforce as of May 2001, but only a small fraction of women have succeeded in attaining senior level positions. This fact makes it difficult to discount the allegations of inequality between men and women in the workplace, and proves that the effects of the glass ceiling are still prevalent.
Diversity in the work place has generally been thought of as purely an employment equity issue. However, diversity is coming to be recognized as an asset which can, like any other asset that is well managed, contribute to the bottom line. Diversity is growing almost as quickly as the number of software vendors at an accounting convention (Talbot-Allen, 1995, p. 3)
Merriam-Webster defines diversity as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements; especially the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization” (Merriam-Webster, 2016). With diversity including many different elements, the concept of workplace diversity also covers a broad spectrum of topics, and continues to evolve as many companies look to expand globally. This subject has become increasingly important among managers over the last couple of decades, and has helped to reinforce other concepts such as affirmative action and equal opportunity employment. While most people believe that everyone should have the same opportunities available to them, and that we
The impact of diversity in the workplace is contingent upon several factors. Across companies diversified workforces are becoming increasingly common. To successfully manage a diverse workforce, organizations are ensuring that employees understand how their values and stereotypes influence their behavior toward others of different gender, ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds; are gaining an appreciation of cultural differences among themselves; and behaviors that isolate or intimidate minorities are being improved (Noe et al., 2010, pg. 302).
This document will explore what a company can do to foster diversity in the workplace. The business case highlights the development and implementation of organizational initiatives that could:
Diversity in the workplace has been a hot topic around organizations in the United States for several years. Diversity is the state of employing a staff of people that are different within the same organization. It includes, but is not limited to age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and even education (Nixon & West, 2000). Many organizations participate in diversity programs to ensure that all employees felt like they are part of the team not discriminated against. Research shows that having a diverse work environment improves profitability, employee performance, and better customer service.
The importance of diversity is that it allows an organization to get access to broader range of opinions and viewpoints as well as, to obtain the best talent or skill in a competitive environment(Meeting The Challenge of Diversity, 2005). Diversity in the workforce can also be used as a business communication strategy and as a marketing strategy in line with increasingly diverse customer, vendors and partner. According to McInnes (2013), workforce diversity is also important to demonstrate organization’s social responsibility or as a legal requirement.
Diversity issues will gain importance because of the effective interactions and communications between the people. Diversity is the reality of the business world. It can have negative and positive impact on the employee’s behaviour towards work and work results. This also depends on how the employees have understood it and grasps it.