Diversity’s Impact on Organizations Essay Example

company. These include the retention of skilled employees and the development of in-house expertise. Additionally, such diversity can create a favorable corporate image that attracts top talent and ultimately impacts financial results positively. Furthermore, statistics indicate that Hispanic representation is projected to increase by 33.7% and Asian representation by 32% from 2004 to 2014, particularly in terms of advancement within organizations.

The BLS (2008) predicts that the labor force will experience a 16.8% growth in African American representation and only a 3.1% increase in white, non-Hispanic representation from 2004 to 2014. To manage diversity within the workforce, many organizations have implemented successful mentoring programs.

According to Robbins and Coulter (2002), a mentor is someone who provides sponsorship or support to a colleague in a lower position within an organization. While mentoring can benefit all employees, it holds particular significance for minorities who may encounter stereotypes, biases, and discrimination. Furthermore, older workers are remaining in the workforce due to negative stock market impacts on retirement investment accounts, making age an increasingly important factor for organizations.

Organizations are taking action to combat age-related bias and promote the value of older workers through training workshops and restructuring rewards programs. Additionally, flexible employment approaches such as job sharing and flextime are being implemented to accommodate the increasing number of women joining the workforce, while promoting inclusivity and benefiting from gender diversity.

In response to the rise in gender diversity, organizations have implemented sexual harassment training that is supported by top management. The training covers various topics including defining quid pro quo, identifying hostile environments, giving examples of prohibited behavior and outlining disciplinary procedures for sexual harassment cases. Organizations have improved their training and

development programs to address the educational disparities among Education Today employees as functional illiteracy (basic reading and arithmetic skills) is a significant issue in the workplace according to Dessler (2002). Employers have taken two approaches to tackle this problem.

Two trends are emerging in organizations: an increase in testing job candidates' fundamental skills, and a rise in basic skills and literacy programs. To illustrate, Smith and Wesson implemented a comprehensive program after discovering that many of its factory employees did not meet eighth-grade proficiency standards through a literacy audit. Formal classes were established to enhance workers' math and reading abilities, with 70% of participants effectively improving (Dessler, 2002). In the past, socially elevated workers were thought of as more intelligent, trustworthy, and accountable compared to those with lower social status.

It was commonplace for organizations to disregard knowledgeable lower-status employees and entrust important communications to less knowledgeable high-status employees. This was done with the belief that the audience would perceive higher-status employees to be more credible. To address this misguided perception, organizations have introduced diversity training and increased development opportunities to enable employees from all socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive. When considering careers, employees can progress through five distinct stages: preparation for work, organizational entry, early career, midcareer, and late career.

Irrespective of their career status, prosperous companies guarantee that their employees receive career management and comprehend the significance of personal employee motivation. According to George ; Jones (2002), establishing a career and accomplishing goals comprise the early career stage, and mentors and career goals can immensely assist employees during the achievement step. Encouraging a diverse workplace is a reasonable endeavor for an organization's stakeholders.

A business located in

a neighborhood should reflect the community's diversity. Customers often prefer buying from individuals they can relate to, and an organization's increased diversity can expand its potential customer base. Encouraging a diverse workforce is crucial for stakeholders as it can help prevent negative publicity. In 2006, the University of Phoenix faced legal action over claims that it preferred Mormon employees. Such negative press can negatively impact an organization considerably.

There are various legal reasons why a company needs to have a diverse workplace. These legal reasons must take priority over stakeholder reasons. It is against the law not to comply with federal regulations regarding workplace diversity. Affirmative action is one such policy that governs workplace diversity. It encompasses policies designed to promote the employment or education of historically non-dominant socio-political groups.

A broad approach known as affirmative action may be employed to provide preferential treatment to minorities and rectify past injustices. Although not a specific law, the United Nations Human Rights Committee recognizes its necessity in combating discrimination prohibited by the Covenant and promoting equality.

The 1989 declaration emphasizes the obligation of the State to address circumstances that hinder certain segments of society from enjoying their human rights. In today's workplace, it is vital for entities to acknowledge and value diversity in order to achieve continued success. In doing so, stakeholders and organizations alike must prioritize ethics and morality alongside compliance with legal requirements. Workers seek companies that align with their values while stakeholders demand ethical conduct from profit-earning enterprises. By scrutinizing their ethics, organizations can foster greater understanding, tolerance, and inclusivity which can mitigate financial, legal, and reputational risks while enhancing overall performance.

The Office of the High Commissioner

for Human Rights website (http://www.nhchr.ch/tbs/doc) provides a reference to General Comment No. 18 on non-discrimination from October 11, 1989, as cited by Mondy in 2008. The citation was retrieved on September 22, 2008.The Alliance for Training and Consulting provides diversity training and can be accessed through the link http://www.alliancetac.com/index. The source of this information is the website nsf/(Symbol)/3888b0541f8501c9c12563ed004b8d0e, belonging to the Opendocument Alliance.On September 14, 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics provided information on the American workforce in a webpage that can be accessed with the html tag PAGE_ID=2307. The source of this information is the website http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/838/American-Workforce-2004-14.

On September 14, 2008, the html was published. According to Gary Dessler's 10th edition of "Human Resource Management", which was published by Pearson Prentice Hall in Upper River Saddle, New Jersey in 2002.

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