DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Transcription

1 IN THE WORKPLACE Employee Assistance Program Serving Northwest Businesses Since

2 Definition of Diversity Areas of Diversity Miscellaneous Info Definition of Culture Definition of Ethnocentricity Examples Melting Pot Myth Examining your own assumptions/beliefs Responding to Diversity Issues Resources

3 Diversity (noun): The condition of being different. as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary

4 Areas of Diversity: Age-related Health (i.e., AIDS/HIV) Disabilities Ethnicity Gender Language Religion Sexual Orientation

5 Miscellaneous information: It is predicted that by 2050 there will be no clearly defined racial and/or cultural majority in the U.S.A. Experts estimated that women and people of color would represent approximately 70% of net new entrants to the workforce by the year Here it is, 2009, and the President of the U.S. is African-American!

6 Why is it important? It is an approach to business that: regards human differences in the workplace as contributing to the success of the business How? by encouraging and enabling all employees to draw fully on their skills and talents.

7 Diversity is not about counting people It s about productivity, team effectiveness and innovation.

8 Culture (noun): A set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, ( ) lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs. as defined by the United Nations

9 Culture: (continued) Learned Shared Symbolically transmitted Design for living

10 Ethnocentricity (noun): The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one s own culture. as defined by the Wikipedia Encyclopedia

11 Dangers of Ethnocentric Thinking: My culture s way of life is the only correct one. Different = Wrong Us vs. Them mentality Barrier to understanding! Tension and loss of productivity in the workplace

12 Can you think of any examples of ethnocentric reactions?

13 Shock Anger Laughter Fear Don t look now, but Finger-pointing

14 More examples of everyday comments that may be offensive: Casual (i.e., diction classes) Humor (i.e., off her meds ) Sexist (i.e., did your wife bake them? ) Other

15 The Melting Pot Myth: there never was a core America in which everyone looked the same, spoke the same language, worshipped the same gods and believed the same things. from Culture of Complaint - the Fraying of America by Robert Hughes A Tossed Salad approach instead?

16 Examining your own assumptions and/or beliefs Have your own set of beliefs hindered or added light to your business-related decisions? Rigid vs. Out-of-the-box thinking?

17 Fact: Great leaders know that employees who feel valued and taken care of will produce.

18 Some suggestions for shaping diversity management and training programs: from Diversity by William E. Gruer and Diana Osinski Conduct a diversity or culture audit

19 Diversity efforts must start at the top (i.e., Officer, Board of Directors, Senior Management Levels).

20 Incorporate the subject of managing diversity into supervisory and management training at all levels of the organization.

21 Consider a mentoring program in which senior officers are matched with minority employees to monitor their career progress.

22 Help employees organize cultural networks by arranging multicultural events both within the organization and the community.

23 Conduct focus groups with a sample of employees from each segment of your staff.

24 Avoid the White Male Backlash by including them in every step of the decision-making process about diversity initiatives.

25 Set specific goals for including minority and female employees in promotion and succession plans.

26 When in doubt, engage the services offered by a good consultant.

27 Handout with resources information