Posted in : New Career
Workplace Diversity Pt II
By Rita Fae Harris
Jan 20, 2008 - 3:21:19 PM

Equal Opportunities

Furthermore, the manager has a responsibility to ensure that employee’s have equal access to jobs and opportunities regardless of the employee’s demographics. This includes ensuring a fair interview process and developing career paths for employees that are not stereotyped. ActiveCareer can connect you to a number of top equal opportunity websites.

Workplace Culture

The third identifiable barrier to diversity is the workplace culture. In an industry that accepts gender and racial slurs as part of the culture, management has a responsibility to foster an environment of acceptance, tolerance and fairness.

Employees often have the stronger affect on the workplace culture, and therefore an employee has the responsibility of managing personal attitude and behaviors of acceptance, tolerance and equality. The ‘in-group’ of the organization has a responsibility of inclusion. That is, they should not create an environment of us against them by allowing and inviting gender and ethnic minorities into the team functions.

The attitude of employees in the workplace culture should create an open communication environment that assists diversity development and allows for additional viewpoints equally from all members of the workplace. This increases the viability of teamwork as well as provides mutual support and encourages new ideas.

Diversity Benefits

Diversity has benefits as a business strategy to increase ideas, foster a responsive business atmosphere, and develop organisational growth. Diversity management is an organisational strategy that will only work if management and employees understand the responsibilities in maintaining a diverse culture.

While human resources and organisational policies may state that there is a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy, this policy will only be effective if managers and employees understand their responsibilities. The manager’s responsibility is to recognize negative activity and respond to this action. Management also has a responsibility to ensure fair play and equality is exhibited during the hiring and promotional process. Importantly, management must protect the victim in cases of harassment and violence by preventing backlash. Often management training courses will address any shortcomings.

Employee Responsibilities

Employees also have similar responsibilities. The attitudes and values of employees must incorporate an amount of tolerance for differences, as well as remove any harassing activities. The employee also has a responsibility towards the workplace culture by ensuring that personal and group behavior is preventing sexual and racial harassment.

In conclusion, it can be stated that all persons, regardless of their work status, have an undeniable right to be employed in a facility that treats members with equality and fairness without fear of harassment and violence. It is then the responsibility of those who manage the within the construction industry to ensure that these rights are continuously ensured by the facility.

The Limits of Diversity Training

Those who work in the facility also have a responsibility towards their personal behavior towards discrimination, as well as prevent and report issues of harassment and discrimination. Diversity training can only do so much, it can not change the way people think or the mannerisms of behavior, but it can get managers and employees on the right track towards a diverse workplace culture.

Previous Page - Work Diversity Part One
Related - Business Resources

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