Managing Diversity in the Workplace

Managing diverse employees in a multicultural environment proves challenging to managers; yet, increasing diversity in the workplace is very beneficial for an organization. Diverse employees will provide a wider array of talents and will relate better to varied customers. Because managers have more influence than rank-and-file employees, it is imperative that managers commit to diversity of the workforce.

Dissimilarities among people due to differences in characteristics can erode companies. Firstly, unequal opportunities and unfair treatment to one race or sect are immoral can prove illegal. More so, however, diversity can help an organization maintain competitive advantage by utilizing a wider range of creative ideas. Nevertheless, substantial evidence points to the fact that discrimination exists in the workforce resulting from prejudices, biases and stereotypes. A gender wage gap exists and the “glass ceiling” prevents minorities from being promoted. At the same time, however, data from the U.S. Census Bureau proves that the issue won’t go away anytime soon; the U.S. workforce is becoming more diverse over the decades. Firstly, the median age of a person in the United States is the highest it has ever been and it is projected to climb; thus, managers must treat everyone fairly regardless of age. Secondly, the racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. population is increasing at exponential levels; managers must be vigilant that employees are not discriminated against because of the color of their skin or national origin. Thirdly, as the world becomes more tolerant to sexual orientation, managers must not disparage or unfairly discriminate employees because of their marital preferences.

Additionally, while major laws were e...

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...ld be offered to minorities.

Sexual harassment is a damaging phenomenon that is both unethical and illegal; managers have an ethical obligation to ensure that it isn’t tolerated in the workplace. Sexual harassment can be in the form of quid pro quo – when a harasser asks or forces an employee to perform sexual favors, or hostile work environment which occurs when members are faced with an intimidating work environment because of their sex. Because these nuisances can interfere with their job performances, managers must eradicate such behaviors by clearly communicating a sexual harassment policy to the staff, establishing a fair complaint procedure to investigate charges of sexual harassment and take corrective action promptly according to the severity of the harassment. Additionally, sexual harassment education should be provided to all organizational members.