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What Is Organizational Diversity?
What Is Organizational Diversity?
Organizational diversity in the workplace refers to the total makeup of the employee
workforce and the amount of diversity included. Diversity refers to differences in various
defining personal traits such as age, gender, race, marital status, ethnic origin, religion,
education and many other secondary qualities.
Diversity involves not only how people perceive themselves but also how they perceive
others. Those perceptions affect their interactions. For a wide assortment of employees to
function effectively as an organization, human resource professionals need to deal effectively
with issues such as communication, adaptability, and change
Female employees appointed for marketing profiles have to move out for client meetings,
product demonstrations, presentations and so on. You cannot always call the client to your
office. Yes, superiors need to take care of the safety of female colleagues but sometimes it
does also affect the overall productivity of the team and eventually organization.
Male employees are generally preferred over female employees especially in marketing and
sales department as they do not have problems moving out or going alone even to the
remotest locations. Bosses also have an additional responsibility of taking care of their female
employees.
Organizational diversity also sometimes leads to cultural differences leading to stress
and frustration among team members. Frustrated employees can never deliver their level
best or perform as per the expectations of the seniors. A female employee among all male
employees finds it difficult to adjust with them and go out for parties or get - togethers.Male
employees also do not feel comfortable with their female counterparts. They are extra careful
while interacting with them. Though misbehaving at workplace is absolutely unethical and
unacceptable, but if you are extra cautious while dealing with colleagues of opposite gender,
you would never be able to enjoy your work. Nurturing such negative feeling not only spoils
the ambience of the workplace but also demotivates employees. Individuals from absolutely
different backgrounds find it extremely difficult to adjust and hence the overall productivity
of the organization is affected.
Prioritize communication:
Set one standard of rules for all groups of employees regardless of background. Ensure
that all employment actions, including discipline, follow this standardized criteria to make
sure each employee is treated the same.
Be open-minded:
Recognize, and encourage employees to recognize, that one’s own experience,
background, and culture are not the only with value to the organization. Look for ways to
incorporate a diverse range of perspectives and talents into efforts to achieve
organizational goals.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY LAWS:
The Act prohibits employment discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status.
Added as an amendment to Title VII , it expands the protection of Title VII to public and
private employers with 15 or more employees, both public and private labor organizations
with at least 15 members, and employment agencies.
Equal employment opportunity law bans several types of discrimination:
Race
Colour
Religion
Sex, including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation
National origin
Age, if an employee is 40 or older
Disability
Genetic information
Policy Objective:
The overall policy objective for the employment discrimination laws we will be examining is
summed up by the phrase equal opportunity. These laws generally do not aim to create equal
outcomes, but rather seek to ensure that all employees or job applicants have an equal
opportunity to engage in the employment market. In other words, these laws try to level the
playing field so that certain classes of people who have been discriminated against in the past
are not subjected to adverse treatment based upon certain characteristics that have nothing to
do with being a qualified job applicant or employee.
Even a company committed to nondiscrimination may have employees who harass female
employees, bully Latinos or insult Muslims. If one of your employees complains they're the
target of discrimination, the smartest thing to do is take it seriously. Gather information,
investigate the facts and make a fair decision even if you have to discipline a respected
manager. If you can handle the complaint to the victim's satisfaction, there's less chance
you'll face a lawsuit later.
Provides equal access and opportunity-no Business necessity given trends, broader
one excluded from participation. than ethnicity , race and gender.