Promoting Workplace Diversity Essay Example
Promoting Workplace Diversity Essay Example

Promoting Workplace Diversity Essay Example

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  • Pages: 8 (2068 words)
  • Published: September 1, 2016
  • Type: Essay
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Promoting workplace diversity has numerous advantages for the bottom line. However, it is crucial to approach the hiring process comprehensively, as retaining employees can be more challenging than recruitment. This is particularly the case for companies located in less diverse regions, where minority employees who have relocated may feel isolated. In such situations, it may be necessary to play a more active role in assisting them in adapting to the work culture and their new communities. The first step is identifying my needs – do my employees align with the communities and demographics that I am involved with or aiming to serve?

In order to increase workforce diversity, I will create a hiring strategy. This strategy involves reaching out to local organizations such as churches, cultural institutions, and colleges which have community connections. The

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se organizations can assist me in connecting with potential candidates. I can also seek assistance from nonprofits like the Urban League or the National Council of La Raza, or utilize websites like diversityworking.com that cater to minority job seekers. However, I will focus on local chapters or schools initially. If I have opportunities for out-of-area workers, I will then expand my search to include other cities, states, or even countries.

The Internet simplifies the process of reaching a large audience. It is advisable to request employee referrals because they might have colleagues in the field or be acquainted with potential candidates who are currently searching for job opportunities. This association can also aid new employees in adapting to their new work environment. Consider offering incentives for successful referrals. It is important to create and execute an employment polic

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that promotes equal opportunities, adhering to the guidelines set by the Federal EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). The objective is to establish a fair hiring practice that is impartial towards age, race, gender, and minority status.

To promote diversity within the company, a committee should be formed to assist with policy implementation and brainstorm new strategies. The company mission statement should be altered to reflect this shift. When advertising job openings, it is important to highlight aspects that will appeal to a diverse range of candidates. It is crucial to be culturally sensitive when explaining why the company is an ideal workplace. Additionally, diversity training should be provided to all employees to ensure they understand that hiring decisions are made based on qualifications, not quotas.

To alleviate the concerns of skeptical employees and ensure that managers grasp the advantages of a diverse workforce, it is important to enhance transparency in the recruitment process. It is crucial for managers to actively support this practice by implementing appropriate personnel policies. In addition, offering perks like onsite daycare, childcare subsidies, and flexible schedules can demonstrate the commitment to accommodation. It is also essential to inform new hires that cultural and religious holidays will be accommodated, along with encouraging diversity-friendly apparel choices that are appropriate for the office setting.

I can collaborate with the local chamber of commerce to advocate for more diversity in my community, especially if there is a lack of cultural offerings like ethnic restaurants, specialty markets, or international movies. Additionally, I should focus on retaining new hires by dedicating equal time and effort to acclimate them to their new job and

company culture. The initial weeks are often challenging for employees, so it's crucial to demonstrate that they have a promising future within the company. Transparently communicate opportunities for career advancement.

Implement mentoring programs to establish strong working relationships and create opportunities for personal connections. Foster new friendships by finding mentors who share similar interests. Encourage the formation of affinity groups, empowering small teams to generate ideas for product improvement or market expansion. This not only benefits the company with fresh perspectives, but also reassures employees that their differences are valued assets. In order to learn from our mistakes and prevent future losses, I propose that the Human Resources department conduct exit interviews specifically tailored for minority employees. This assessment would help identify why they are leaving the company and enable us to take necessary actions to mitigate attrition.

Willing to make changes. Answer to question 2. Nurse leaders empower themselves and others to achieve organizational goals. Nurse leaders at all levels, from students to the chief executive officer, are in key positions to participate in decision making that affects client care. This means you have the opportunity to demonstrate nursing leadership qualities in your clinical work. The effective Nurse leader utilizes Leadership theory and principles to guide their actions, which I will analyze in various scenarios.

The text starts with a "Leadership in Action" vignette that depicts a real-life nursing situation. It also includes various leadership challenges, tips, and development exercises aimed at facilitating the understanding and practical application of theories in clinical settings. To effectively address a challenges question, it is important to take some time to reflect on the recently

read information and provide an answer. This approach aids in solidifying the leadership knowledge in one's mind, enabling its future utilization. Mrs. Moore, an LPN, has accumulated 15 years of experience working at an outpatient clinic. Throughout her tenure, she has witnessed the departure of numerous head nurses, physicians, and administrators.

Moore remains on the nursing team as a vocal, organized, and rebellious member. Despite frequently disregarding policies, she has assisted numerous staff members and has a network of friends in the city who keep her informed about forthcoming changes. Acting as an informal leader, Moore exemplifies the common situation in many nursing environments. Despite her limited formal power or influence, she can be considered a nurse leader and part of the sphere of influence in healthcare.

Mrs. Moore may present leadership challenges for a new nurse leader. Leadership is a crucial factor in determining the success or failure of an organization. As a nurse leader, your knowledge and problem-solving skills will be tested when finding innovative solutions to healthcare situations like the one Mrs. Moore presents. Creative leadership goes beyond imitation and involves generating new solutions and applying theoretical concepts with imagination and skill.

Environmental trends necessitate creative nursing leadership. As nursing situations and the world grow more complex, the role of a leader becomes more complex as well. To be an effective and creative nurse leader, it is important to familiarize oneself with various theories and forms of leadership. Autocratic leaders make decisions without seeking input from others. In Lewin's experiments, this approach resulted in the highest levels of discontent and could potentially lead to a revolution. In healthcare settings,

autocratic leadership can occasionally occur when administrators make changes without consulting nursing staff.

Despite the possibility of not achieving a revolution, implementing democratic leadership can still lead to negative outcomes such as low morale, negative emotions, and covert retaliation. Democratic leaders encourage people to be involved in decision-making processes, although they still have the final say. While consulting participants is beneficial, it may cause confusion when confronted with a multitude of differing opinions and no clear path towards a decision. Nurse leader Roberta M. opted to adopt democratic leadership in order to foster independence among her staff and address their grievances regarding staffing assignments.

Upon announcing that the staff would be responsible for completing the staffing assignments, there were mixed reactions; some staff members cheered, while others appeared shocked and uncertain. However, by the end of the week, when Roberta requested the completed sheet, she was surprised to discover that it had not been filled out.

Roberta could have prevented problems in implementing a democratic leadership style by being more involved in decision making. Laissez-faire leaders are not heavily involved in decision making and this leadership style is most effective when individuals are skilled, motivated, and not restricted by a central overseer.

When laissez-faire leadership is employed, individuals may lack coherence in their work and may not exert the same level of effort as they would under active leadership. Adam, a new nurse leader, expressed concern that his staff might not adequately educate clients. Consequently, he revised their job descriptions and informed them that they must maintain detailed performance records in order to advance to the next level of accomplishment. Adam's

staff perceived this as a lack of support and some even viewed it as a threat. Their inquiries for further clarification were disregarded.

What steps could Adam take to start reversing the established pattern? The benevolent authoritative style involves a leader who genuinely cares about people and adopts a benevolent dictatorship approach. This style includes giving rewards and praising appropriate performance. The leader also listens to people's concerns, although their perception may be somewhat biased. Although some decisions may be delegated, the majority are still made by the leader. Martha T. is a great example of a leader who practices the benevolent authoritative style. As a nurse leader, Martha T. displayed a high level of concern for her staff and acknowledged their progress through verbal and nonverbal rewards.

When the administration chose to modify the performance appraisal method, Martha presented the decision in a positive light, assuring the staff that it would bring them certain advantages. However, when the staff tested the new system, they realized that it demanded significantly more time and effort without any extra compensation. Consequently, they became furious with Martha and a few of them even decided to resign. Another leadership style is demonstrated by the consultative approach. A consultative leader takes charge of important decisions while providing somewhat optimistic information, yet they also encourage information flow from the staff and listen attentively to their input.

Lucy C. ’s leadership style serves as an example of one type of leadership style, while another type emphasizes staff participation. A participative leader employs participative methods to their fullest potential, involving individuals in the decision-making process and promoting effective collaboration at

all hierarchical levels. Incremental change is commonly utilized when implementing Total Quality Management (TQM), which can often be the most inefficient approach in terms of time and effort. In this approach, all members of the healthcare unit receive extensive training (400-100) in TQM, statistical process control (SPC), and meeting management.

After completing this training, employees are left to work independently. In addition, since management does not connect training to actual implementation within work groups, only certain members of cross-functional teams end up receiving training. Consequently, many individuals have to wait for months before applying the training they have been given. Ultimately, this approach results in wasted employee time due to excessive training, employee uncertainty about the direction of healthcare, and frustration stemming from the underutilization of acquired training.

The company's structural barriers, such as compensation, organization structure, and performance appraisal, limit the success of this team. Option two focuses on defining healthcare goals and objectives, selecting quality improvement projects related to those goals, providing targeted training to process improvement team members just before they use it, and offering ongoing support for each team's efforts.

Using option two yields a more precise effort compared to option 1, which greatly increases the likelihood that the quality improvement team's actions will align with the healthcare's quality goals and creates a stronger sense of achievement among team members. Similar to option one, these team accomplishments will be hindered by the healthcare's structural barriers such as compensation, organizational structure, and performance appraisal. The structural (Re-engineering) Approach directly addresses the systems barrier mentioned earlier in implementing TQM.

This approach is also known as organizational design and the

"socio-technical" approach. In this approach, a senior manager forms a steering committee, which then selects a design team consisting of employees from various departments within the company. The design team evaluates the company's culture, systems, and environment and provides recommendations to the steering committee. These recommendations may include implementing self-directed work teams, introducing profit-based pay and pay for knowledge, and restructuring the company to focus on product, customer, or geographic orientation rather than the traditional functional divisions of manufacturing, engineering, sales, and services.

The main benefits of this approach are: 1) addressing major issues directly instead of avoiding them, 2) altering elements of the company that will significantly impact productivity, and 3) showing that management is committed to quality. Disadvantages include the need to be transparent and sincere with employees from the start (if that is considered a disadvantage), and confronting challenges that many in management might struggle to change: their own management style, their own compensation, and their own influence.

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