Techniques of Workforce Diversity Management (Management-1 23April 2021)

Techniques of Workforce Diversity Management:

 

Some techniques for successful workforce diversity management are suggested below:

 

(1) Creating Awareness of Diversity:

Management must create awareness in the organisation that differences among people as to age, sex, education, culture etc. exist in workforce; so that people may try to understand one another in a more rational and friendly manner.

 

(2) Creating Conditions for Common Organisational Culture:

Organisation must develop cross-cultural training programmes creating conditions for development of a common organisational culture and climate. Such common culture will create an environment in which a diversified work force can co-exist comfortably, peacefully and happily.

 

(3) Programmes of Special Care for Diversified Workforce:

Management must design programmes of special care, like the following:

1.Care for elderly people

2.Special work schedules to provide convenience to female workers etc.

 

(4) Career Development Programmes:

There must be programmes for identifying each individual’s strengths, weaknesses and potential for career development; so that the organization can capitalize on the peculiar features of a diversified workforce. In fact, people should be valued for their difference and variety.

 

(5) Avoiding Discriminations:

A very significant technique for excellent workforce diversity management is to avoid any sort of discrimination among people on the basis of age, culture and specially sex. In the most developed country the U.SA, the Glass Ceiling Commission states that between 95 and 97 percent of senior managers in the country’s biggest corporations are men.

(The term ‘glass ceiling’ describes the process by which women are barred from promotion by means of an invisible barrier).

 

(6) Prevention of Sexual Harassment:

With the entry of a large number of women in organisations, the phenomenon of sexual harassment is usually witnessed; which management must prevent by all means and at all costs. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions, like – unwelcome touching, joking, teasing, innuendoes (indirectly bad and rude remarks), slurs, and the display of sexually explicit materials.

According to Jenny Watson, Deputy Chairman of the UK’s Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), sexual harassment is no laughing matter for hundreds of thousands of British workers, who experience it.

 

(7) Committees of Diverse Members:

Committees of diverse members must be formed for evaluating and addressing complaints of people, regarding their sad experience of working in the organisation.

 

(8) Hire the most-qualified people

Sounds like a no-brainer, right? But it’s often hard to look beyond the “this is the way we always do it” mentality to get to the true qualities of the person sitting across from you during the interview.

First of all, your goal should not be to force a diverse environment or impose any artificial rules. If you hire the most-qualified people, those with the right education, experience and skill set, a diverse workplace will naturally follow.

Level the playing field by putting uniform and equal practices in place. Are you documenting every interview in a consistent manner? Are all applicants for a position asked the same type of questions?

Managers may need to be trained in the basics of interview techniques, documentation and what can and cannot be asked. For example, questions about an applicant’s personal life, such as how many kids they have or where they go to church, are strictly off-limits.

 

(9) Recruit outside the box

Finding candidates who have different backgrounds and experience can be difficult in some industries or areas. If that’s your situation, look for better, more creative ways to recruit.

For instance, if you’d like to include highly qualified engineers who are women, expand your recruiting efforts to professional organizations in which they might be members. Try job fairs in other parts of town or other cities.

 

(10) Put your policies in writing

Confirm that all of your personnel policies include documentation about equality, including hiring, pay and promotions based solely on performance. Your employee handbook should address diversity in the following sections:

·      Code of conduct should outline the company’s policy toward diversity

·      Communication plan should detail non-discriminatory communication

·      Non-discrimination policy lets people know about the laws and exactly what is not allowed

·      Compensation and benefits policy

·      Employment and termination policy 

 

(11) Enforce a zero-tolerance policy

Off-color jokes about people’s differences or stereotypical slurs have no place in today’s workplace. Put policies in place to handle transgressions and let it be known they will not be tolerated.

Encourage employees to report any instances of this type of behavior. Establish formal grievance policies and procedures so that employees know exactly how to report issues and managers can respond promptly. Managers must be responsible for holding people accountable.

 

(12) Stay current

Keep abreast of changing employer-related laws and trends. Be sure your human resources policies, especially those around harassment and equal opportunity, reflect the most current information.

Remember laws vary from state to state, and they can change at lightning speed. What’s accepted this month may not be the next.

(13) Secure executive buy-in

Executives and upper management need to be on board and model open-minded behavior. For example, they should:

·      Treat all employees with respect and not show favoritism toward a particular group

·      Act swiftly if there is a diversity breach, such as an employee making jokes about a pregnant woman’s weight gain

·      Communicate about the value of diversity at company-wide meetings

If you meet resistance, you may want to counter with a list of ways that diversity in the workplace can be good for business and a reminder of the legal consequences for ignoring it.

 

(14) Invest in sensitivity training

Some people might be reluctant to get on the diverse workplace bandwagon, especially in an industry or business that has been a particular way for a long time.

Even if this is not the case in your business, sensitivity training is a good investment in your culture, and in some states it’s required. It can help employees:

·      Examine and adjust their perspectives about people who are different than they are

·      Appreciate the views of others

·      Learn exactly what is offensive

·      Communicate calmly if someone offends them

·      Apologize if they unknowingly offend someone

All employees should be included in the training; adding special training for managers makes it even more impactful. Some companies even offer sensitivity training online.

If possible, it’s best to offer sensitivity training before problems occur. Prevention is often easier and more effective than damage control.

 

(15) PRIORITIZE COMMUNICATION

To manage a diverse workplace, organizations need to ensure that they effectively communicate with employees. Policies, procedures, safety rules and other important information should be designed to overcome language and cultural barriers by translating materials and using pictures and symbols whenever applicable.

 

(16) TREAT EACH EMPLOYEE AS AN INDIVIDUAL

Avoid making assumptions about employees from different backgrounds. Instead, look at each employee as an individual and judge successes and failures on the individual’s merit rather than attributing actions to their background.

 

(17) ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES TO WORK IN DIVERSE GROUPS

Diverse work teams let employees get to know and value one another on an individual basis and can help break down preconceived notions and cultural misunderstandings.

 

(18) BASE STANDARDS ON OBJECTIVE CRITERIA

Set one standard of rules for all groups of employees regardless of background. Ensure that all employment actions, including discipline, follow these standardized criteria to make sure each employee is treated the same.

 

(19) BE OPEN-MINDED

Recognize, and encourage employees to recognize, that one’s own experience, background, and culture are not the only with value to the organization. Look for ways to incorporate a diverse range of perspectives and talents into efforts to achieve organizational goals.

 

(20) HIRING

To build a diverse workplace, it is crucial to recruit and hire talent from a variety of backgrounds. This requires leadership and others who make hiring decisions to overcome bias in interviewing and assessing talent. If organizations can break through bias and hire the most qualified people, those with the right education, credentials, experience and skill sets, a diverse workplace should be the natural result.

Tips for hiring a diverse workforce:

·      Incorporate a diverse interview panel to ensure candidates are chosen solely based on suitability for the position.

·      Managers should be trained on what can and cannot be asked in an interview. For example, questions about an applicant’s personal life, such as which church they attend, their romantic life and political beliefs, are off-limits.

·      Get creative when recruiting. For example, if an organization would like to hire more women in the engineering department, they could reach out to professional groups that cater to women in engineering and ask to advertise open positions in their newsletter or member communications.