CH13: Equal Opportunity in the Workplace

Diversity

What is Diversity?
Offices of Equal Opportunity and Diversity
Equal Opportunity Laws
Developing Cross-Cultural Interaction
Increase Personal Awareness
Managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
Establishing Inclusion Plans
Managing Diversity Issues Positively

Culture: Our values, the way we speak, behave, think, dress, religious beliefs, the music we like, our interactions, and the food we eat.
Failure to understand these diversities can result in tension, poor performance and morale, and higher rates of turnover
Primary dimensions of diversity distinguishes individuals and groups: p.307

Culture
Ethnic Group
Race
Religion
Language
Age
Gender
Physical Abilities
Sexual Orientation

Secondary dimensions of diversity (things that can change)

Occupation
Work experience
Education
Income
Marital Status

US is becoming more diverse by the day

by 2020 almost 1 in 3 americans will have African, Asian, Latino, or Native American ancestry
Foodservice industries employ more Latino and African Americans than other industries

Offices of Equal Opportunity & Diversity (EO&D)

Responsible for planning, developing, implementing and evaluating, a comprehensive corporate diversity program and company-wide, multi-faceted human relations and diversity initiatives
They provide effective leadership to ensure that diversity and equal opportunity are a thriving within the company
Provide:

Education & Training the public about equal opportunity & diversity
Advocacy for Diversity
Support for companys' initiatives toward equal opportunity & diversity
Consultation on best strategies for Equal Opportunity & Diversity recruitment
Conflict mediation & resolution
Monitoring employers' equity and affirmative action goals
Reviewing compliance with state and federal regulations
Processing and Resolving complaints

Equal Opportunity Laws

Equal Pay Act of 1963: doesn't matter what background you'll be paid minimum wage
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII: Unlawful to discriminate against employees on basis of rage, religion
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967: no discrimination on hiring older than 40
Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978: can't refuse to hire or promote for pregnancy
Immigration Reform and Control Act: Prohibits discrimination for citizenship status or nationality (as long as you can prove citizenship you can't discriminate)
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Family and Medical Leave Act 1993 (FMLA) p.311 12 weeks

Developing Cross Cultural Interaction Skills

Increase personal awareness

Be careful about being culture bound: believing that your culture and value system are the best, the one and only
Learn various facets of other cultures
Take part in diversity or sensitivity training

Recognize and practice cross-cultural interaction skills
Maintain awareness, knowledge and skills
Learn about other cultures

Managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

Recognize, respect and capitalize on the different backgronds in our society in terms of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation
Create a balance of respect and understanding in your workplace
You AND your employees must be aware of the importance of respecting diversity when dealing with clients.
Establish a Diversity and Inclusion Program

Develop a mission statement that includes diversity and inclusion
Develop goals for diversity and inclusion for each key operating area
Develop objectives/stategies to show how the goals will be met
Develop measurements to monitor progress towards the goals
Monitor progress toward goal accomplishment

Managing Diversity Issues Positively

Listen to and get to know your employees
Treat them equitably but not uniformly
Watch for signs of harassment
Foster a work climate of mutual respect
Encourage and recognize diversity

Gender Issues

Make sure you do not show favoritism
Show the same amount of respect to both genders
Know the companies sexual harassment policies, and take misconduct seriously

Cultural Issues

Do not become culture bound (believe that your culture is the best)
Learn some of the language used by your employees (how to address them, phrases commonly used, avoid slang)
Give meaningful and culture appropriate rewards
If employees have trouble with English, speak clearly and slowly and check to make sure they understand you
Avoid touching
Be cautious about the interpretations and use of gestures

Religious Issues

Be consistent in allowing time off for religious reasons

Age Issues

Treat young and older employees with respect. Make them feel like part of the team
Younger workers want to have fun while doing worthwhile work, listen to them and let them participate
Don't have higher expectations of older adults than their peers
Don't patronize

Differently-abled Issues

Look at a differently abled employee as a whole person with likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc and encourage co-workers to do so
Speak directly to them
Remember that the hospitality industry has responsibilities to provide job opportunities for all

Disclaimer: These are MY notes taken from classroom lectures while I'm in the classroom. While I'm perfectly happy to share my notes with my classmates and I know I take very good notes, you should still make every effort to attend the class and TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES. I will not transcribe everything the instructor says in the classroom, and I will NEVER post pre-exam reviews. My notes will not replace the value of actually attending class and taking your own class notes.I also cannot attest to their accuracy, other than they are what was provided in the lecture; you should not reference my notes as "expert opionion" by any means, and if you notice an error or omission, please do me the favor of e-mailing me with the correction and I will re-post my notes. End of Disclaimer.