Diversity in the workplace

Résumé du document

Diversity is a topic of both considerable interest and debate for nearly all companies in existence today. It is rapidly gaining ground as an incomparable asset in business, driven by the demand for new customer-focused products, the desire to reach global markets and the need to tap a diverse workforce for talented employees. The importance of having diversity within an organization is seen in the ways that businesses are continually growing and expanding to capture new markets and different types of customers in many different areas. Building a team with talented yet diverse employees, lends a variety of different abilities and aptitudes to the inception, planning and implementation of projects, and the creativity and innovation stemming from this have become synonymous with success in business.

Diversity refers to the many ways in which people differ from each other, through gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, lifestyle or disability, among others, and the different ways that these characteristics affect the functionality of individuals, and groups, in the workplace. Despite all the advantages having a diverse work team can bring to the organization, the desire to do so has created some conflicts and challenges, and many corporations are still moving at a sluggish pace to remove the biases associated with diversity from their organizations. These reference points are essential to our understanding of individuals and ourselves but should not limit how we look at or interact with others, and bias often results in lost business opportunities and ruined relationships if clear strategies and initiatives dealing with diversity do not exist within the organization [...]

Extraits

[...] Groups with diverse members often prove themselves quite ineffective at taking advantage of the benefits of their informational differences,[4] and it often causes disagreements over content, delegation of resources, and implementation. Another common result, as outlined in the idea of social identity theory, is that groups tend to confirm affiliation by showing favoritism to members of their own social category[5], thus creating smaller clique-like groups within the larger work group. Biases also play a role in the perceptions that people have of other group members. [...]

[...] Many organizations are unwilling to integrate them within their systems, and without access or accommodations, many work environments are not friendly for the disabled. This includes accessing the building, having the necessary tools to work with and workspace accommodation that makes it easier to perform the job requirements. A disability also hinders a person's ability to seek a job and arrive at work, as many shopping malls, buildings and public transit at one time or another had no accommodations for the disabled. [...]

[...] Gender and Age: Another major issue for companies today, although not a new one, revolves around women in the workforce. Currently women in the workforce are nearly as numerous as men, making up 7.5 of the 16 million people employed in Canada in 2004.[7] Despite this relatively equal distribution in employment numbers, average wages are still not on par, with women generally earning only that of men in the workforce[8]. Additionally, many organizations still do not properly address work and family life, and there is an increasing necessity to build family friendly workplaces for working mothers, and fathers as well. [...]

[...] Aboriginals: In Canada today, native peoples are generally not seen in a positive light. Whenever they are mentioned it is often connected to struggles with government and land issues or conflicts with the law. There are many biases associated with aboriginal people, and many have formed judgments about them based on what they have seen or heard about a few who do not necessarily represent the whole population. Aboriginal people are twice as likely to be poor as the average Canadian and are also less likely to have a grade 12 diploma. [...]

[...] HROD 321 Group Assignment Diversity at Work Presented to Dr. T. H. White Willie Chan Felix Chow Frederic Derreumaux Fabien Dupont Ashley Edmundson Table of contents I. Executive Summary 2 II. Introduction 2 III. Issues 3 Cultural Issues: 4 Gender and Age: 6 Family and Lifestyle: 7 Disabilities: 8 Aboriginals: 9 IV. [...]