20 advantages and disadvantages of diversity in the workplace

Human Resource Management 300 Assignment 1
Toyia A. Haines

University of Maryland University College

Question 1

A. There was a time when human resource departments were primarily responsible for administrative functions like handling job applications and processing payroll (Mayhew, 2019). Over the years, these departments have taken on a much larger role. Today’s Human Resource Managers (HRM) are responsible for the functional areas of HR like, recruiting the right people, offering competitive salaries and benefits, and workplace safety. Employees play a huge role in an organization’s success therefore, recruitment is a vital component (Lumen Learning, n.d.). Therefore, it is important to hire the right person the first time. The HRM’s role is know what is required to perform the job and incorporate that into their employment selection strategy. Another function is compensation and benefits. Decisions HRM’s make regarding pay and benefits can impact employee satisfaction as well as the ability to recruit top talent (Mayhew, 2019). The third is workplace safety. HRM’s are responsible for ensuring employee’s work in a hazard-free work environment. Risk management and Workman’s Compensation Insurance also falls under this category (Human, n.d.).

References

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

Lumen Learning (n.d.). Recruitment Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmintrobusiness/chapter/reading-recruitment/

Mayhew, R. (2019, February 06). The Strategic Role of Human Resource Managers. Retrieved February 7, 2019, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/strategic-role-human-resource-managers-11782.html

B. The organization I work for has always taken training and development very seriously. When someone is hired off the street or an internal employee gets promoted, they attend formal training at the training center. The initial training is approximately three weeks for all of the associate job titles. Once the classroom training is completed the associate will receive on the job training for another 90 days. We are required to complete an additional 20 hours of online training per month. The tuition assistance pays for employees to further their education. This supports the organizations strategy by keeping good talent within the company (Human, n.d.). This strategy is effective because many of the supervisors have experience because they have come up through the ranks.

References

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

Lumen Learning (n.d.). The Changing Role of Strategic Human Resource Management from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/principlesmanagement/chapter/16-2-the-changing-role-of-strategic-human-resource-management-in-principles-of-management/

Mayhew, R. (2019, February 06). The Strategic Role of Human Resource Managers. Retrieved February 7, 2019, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/strategic-role-human-resource-managers-11782.html

Question 2:

A. An organization’s diversity strategy can support the business strategy by increasing profits, creativity, and morale. Studies show that people from different backgrounds work better together than people from similar backgrounds (Human, n.d.). This is because people from different cultures provide different perspectives (DiversityInc, n.d.). A diverse workforce lets your business look like the community around you. Having a diverse workforce gives your company an advantage when marketing to consumers from different age groups and racial and ethnic backgrounds (Abreu, 2014). Additionally, diversity makes recruitment easier. Studies show that candidates would prefer working with a diverse team (Abreu, 2014).

References

Abreu, K. (2019, February 06). The Myriad Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://www.ncwit.org/news/myriad-benefits-diversity-workplace

DiversityInc. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://www.diversityinc.com/

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

B. I always thought that the company I worked for had an effective diversity program because I see a lot of diversity on the frontline. I was actually surprised that my company was not on the top 50 list of the most diverse companies. It was not until I read about AT&T’s diversity initiatives that I realized there is more that can be done. I have worked for the same company for nearly 21 years and have held various job titles. While I feel like I have a great job with lots of opportunity to advance my career (I have been promoted twice) upper level management does not seem to be required to improve diversity. Instead of just talking about diversity, AT&T actually holds its senior leaders accountable for diversity (AT&T Diversity & Inclusion, n.d.). AT&T was also ranked top in its class for doing business with underrepresented groups (DiversityInc, n.d).

References

AT&T Diversity & Inclusion. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2019, from https://about.att.com/sites/diversity/our_people

DiversityInc. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.diversityinc.com/

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

Question 3:

A. An organization’s culture tells employees the proper way to behave. An ineffective culture will negatively impact the company. In order to create an inclusive culture that supports diversity and multiculturalism, HRM’s should ask employees how they feel about the culture and their work environment. Employee’s thoughts and opinions should be listened to, respected, and taken seriously. The next step is to create a mission statement. The mission statement should be aligned with values and action (Gallop, 2018). HRM’s should approach senior leaders with the mission statement, employee’s feedback, and supporting data.

References

Gallup, Inc. (2018, September 17). 3 Requirements for a Diverse and Inclusive Culture. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/242138/requirements-diverse-inclusive-culture.aspx

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

Shrm. (2019, January 27). Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/understandinganddevelopingorganizationalculture.aspx

B. My organization has a company policy for everything. The diversity policy basically states that while the company will remain in compliance with all employment and EEO laws, it will make every effort to recruit diverse candidates. The organizational culture gives me a sense of belonging (Shrm, 2019). For example, employees routinely participate in surveys from HR. Everyone is encouraged to express their opinions because real changes are made based on the results. Employees are invited and also asked to speak up in “town hall” meetings with upper level management.

References

Gallup, Inc. (2018, September 17). 3 Requirements for a Diverse and Inclusive Culture. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/242138/requirements-diverse-inclusive-culture.aspx

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

Shrm. (2019, January 27). Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/understandinganddevelopingorganizationalculture.aspx

Question 4:

A. Diversity and multiculturalism are similar concepts but are not the same. Diversity is based differences or “otherness” between one another with the goal of treating everyone equal (Human, n.d.). While multiculturalism examines a system of advantages based on a person’s race, gender, culture, and sexual orientation (Human. n.d.). An organization focused on compliance would only be concerned with preventing discrimination. Where organizations focused on multiculturalism would be concerned with the examination of unequal power and privileges that results in unfairness (Smith, 2018). I would be looking for the age, sex, ethnicity, physical ability, race and sexual orientation of the employees (Kokemuller, 2016). I would also be looking for evidence that shows the employees cultural and or gender differences are being respected. If an organization has employees who are practicing Muslims, they should have time and space for daily prayer. Another example is if there are transgender employee’s the law could require the company provide them their own restroom (Emma, 2018).

References

Emma, L. (2018, June 30). Advantages and Disadvantages of Diversity in Workplace. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-diversity-workplace-3041.html

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

Kokemuller, N. (2016, October 26). The Definition of Multicultural in the Workplace. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/definition-multicultural-workplace-15469.html

Smith, H. (2018, October 01). Workplace Cultural Diversity and its Advantages - Diversity and Inclusion. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://global-lt.com/advantages-cultural-diversity-workplace/

Question 5:

A. It is important to consider retention as a part of the recruiting and selection process because it is expensive to recruit, interview, and train individuals (Hussain, 2018). Therefore, you want to hire the right person the first time (Lumen, n.d.). Job skills testing can also help with retention because it ensures you a placing the applicant in a position he or she is qualified for. Career development programs can help with retention too. Employees are loyal to companies who invest in them (Hussain, 2018). I would use metrics to evaluate the impact of my employee retention plan. Specifically, I would look at turnover rate at which is the rate employees are leaving the company (Schneider, 2018).

References

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

Hussain, V. (2018, March 13). How Career Development Programs Support Employee Retention. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.td.org/insights/how-career-development-programs-support-employee-retention

Schneider, M., & Schneider, M. (2018, May 14). 11 Essential HR Metrics That Every Organization Should Know. Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://www.inc.com/michael-schneider/11-essential-hr-metrics-that-every-organization-should-know.html

B. I work at a large company where there are various departments with countless opportunities for movement and growth. One strategy human resource manager’s use is to hire internal candidates first (Human, n.d.). This allows existing employees the opportunity to transfer to other job title or location as well as get promoted to higher paying positions. Another strategy human resource use is to offer career and development plans (Hussain, 2018). All of the employees are encouraged to participate. The company offers free education and training classes to teach you the skills needed to pursue the career you want. These strategies work because the company has an excellent retention rate (Schneider, 2018). There are hundreds of employees who have been there for over 40 years and thousands who have been there for over 20 years. No one ever resigns to go work somewhere else—they only retire.

References

Human. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

Hussain, V. (2018, March 13). How Career Development Programs Support Employee Retention. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.td.org/insights/how-career-development-programs-support-employee-retention Schneider, M., & Schneider, M. (2018, May 14). 11 Essential HR Metrics That Every Organization Should Know. Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://www.inc.com/michael-schneider/11-essential-hr-metrics-that-every-organization-should-know.html