Diversity in the Workplace
Workplace Diversity: Fact or Fiction? Are today's corporate diversity programs truly effective? The concept of diversity goes well beyond the historical employment equity legislation enacted in both federal and local jurisdictions. Diversity calls for the recognition of the contributions that individuals can make as individuals, not just as members of legislatively designated groups. Diversity calls for management of organizations to be very inclusive, not just tolerating those who are different but also celebrating those differences. It calls for the opening of non-traditional occupations to men and women of all creeds, colors, religions, races and social groupings and for making reasonable accommodations the workplace and work life for this to happen. Diversity calls for diversity beyond just gender, race, or physical and intellectual abilities to include diversity in opinions, sexual preferences, social customs and mores, and other aspects of the variations in lives and lifestyles. (Conference Board of Canada. 1995, p. 1) There is a compelling generic business case for achieving and managing diversity in the workplace. Diversity can help organizations: identify and capitalize on opportunit
Today's bias is subtler however; people are smarter, more politically correct. Most diversity activities, experts say, have not been held to the same level of accountability as other human-resource activities. Dimensions of Diversity in Canadian Business: Building a Business Case for Valuing Ethnocultural Diversity. Diversity "not a priority for a search firm that's racing to find qualified executives to keep with a client's timetable", says Willie E. 1 - 3) Mentoring and access to informal work groups are crucial to career advancement. "How would you feel if you invested all this money and found out that it had no effect? Companies do it for other reasons: legal protection, symbolism. However, does the real world bear out this case? Grossman (2000) states that employers are reporting that diversity programs are making a difference and are quick to point to the success of efforts at their companies. In 1983, 3% of physicians were black: in 1999, between 5% and 6%. Bibliography Grossman, Robert J. Jeffrey Gandz Professor, & Associate Dean Richard, (2000). For example, John Fernandez, author of "Race, Gender & Rhetoric" (McGraw Hill, 1998), found that 72% of blacks in 1978 and 78% in 1995 reported they were excluded from informal work groups and unable to find sponsors and mentors.
Common topics in this essay:
African American,
Labor Statistics,
Diversity Fiction,
Gandz Ivey,
Board Canada,
Accountants Canada,
Microsoft Electric,
McGraw Hill,
Tempe Ariz,
Willie Carrington,
workplace diversity,
diversity calls,
male earned,
managing diversity,
diversity programs,
programs truly effective,
1983 3%,
black 1999,
race gender,
dollar white male,
society management,
diversity programs truly,
accountants canada,
embrace workplace diversity,
society management accountants,
|