Diversity unlike
previous years when only was referring to the difference between race and
gender, today the concept has been expanded to include differences between
people as age, race, religion, functional specialty, profession, sexual
orientation, geographic origin, lifestyle, tenure with the organization or
position, and any other perceived difference (Mondy, 2012) .
The actual definition is constantly changing as explained
by R. Roosevelt Thomas, “People vary along and infinite number of
possibilities, they vary according to race and gender, but they also vary
according to age, sexual orientation, and when they joined the company. Some
workers are union members; some are not. Some are exempt; some are nonexempt.
The variety is endless. Your definition has to be sufficiently broad to
encompass everyone.” (Buttler, 2006) .
Companies have begun to understand the importance of
diversity in the workplace and its influence in customers, suppliers and shareholders,
therefore, the management of diversity in the organization becomes an integral
component of business strategy.
Would this type of
information influence your decision about job offers from various firms? Why?
Mondy (2012) stated that the challenge for managers in
the future will be to recognize that people with characteristic that are common
but are different from those in the mainstream, often think, act, learn, and
communicate differently . Because every person, culture, and business situation
is unique, there are no simple rules for managing diversity (Mondy, 2012) .
Manager
have to know how to motivate people in different markets around the world, for
example in North America we are primarily driven by monetary rewards, other
people with different culture recognize titles, personal connections, and
status more value than money, as explains Effron, Gandossy and Goldsmith (2003)
most people value all of these factor, but to different degree; knowing this
variation help us to be more effective in every market (Effron,
Gandossy, & Goldsmith, 2003) .
Once we understand all this information on diversity and
its influence on organizational culture, we can understand the behavior and
interests of our employees, so develop a strategic program to meet their needs
so that we can impact the results of our organization, as said Thonson (2002) this diversity in the
working population requires us more flexibility in working practices, placing
emphasis on providing a series of opportunities and rewards among which the
individual can choose to suit your own particular needs (Thonson Editores Spain, 2002) .
What laws or
regulations required hiring diversity?
Workforce
of today has become truly diverse; this was not the case in the 60s while
preparing to women, minorities and people with disabilities few opportunities.
Today Legislation, Supreme Court decisions, and executive orders have
encouraged both public and private organizations to leverage the capabilities
of a workforce that was largely underused before, so many amendments have
steadily improved all these laws protect a diverse workforce (Mondy, 2012) ,
an example of which are Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Civil Right Act of 1964, Age
Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
and many other.
References
Buttler, K. M. (2006). Workplace diversity can
increase employee loyalty. Employee Benefit News, ,vol. 20 Issue 3, p
16.
Effron, M., Gandossy, R., & Goldsmith, M.
(2003). Human Resources in the 21st Century. New Yok: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.
Mondy, R. W. (2012). Human Resources Management.
New Jersey: Pearson.
Thonson Editores Spain. (2002). Creando
Organizaciones saludables. Madrid: Closas Orcoyen,S.L.
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