Workplace diversity essay example

Introduction

The management of diversity intends to create and maintain positive working environments. Both similarities and differences among individuals are made to be valued in organizations when diversity is practiced in the workplace. Workplace diversity emphasizes on organizational culture, openness for diversity, environments in institutions, pressures in organizations and practices of human resource management. There are many potential barriers to diversity in the workplace and strategies like inclusiveness are set for solutions. Generally, the concept of diversity in the workplace insists on accepting and respecting individuals wholly. This paper aims at locating articles for workplace diversity, use concepts for the claim and handle a main issue of diversity. The articles discussed include Managing Diversity; toward a globally inclusive workplace by Michalle E. Mor Barak and many others.

Diversity in a Global Concept

Diversity articles maintain the global concept of managing diversity and most challenges that come up with it. Increased diverse workforces come up as most global challenges faced by management consultants, corporate leaders, and human resource leaders. Studied articles put diversity as a reality and not a transient like many people can think. Diversity is a real concept, and it is there to stay with all the global careers and organizations (Barak, 2013). Being that reality is a concept according to diversity for this article, there are many societies that have become heterogeneous from being homogenous. The trend of change is irreversible just like diversity once institutionalized is not easy to reverse. Despite diversity being real and irreversible, there are problems that make diversity a problem on its own. Managers are stated not to comprehend the dynamics that are needed to handle diversity.

Prejudicial Attitudes

Prejudice is seen as a great barrier when it comes to practicing and managing diversity in organizations and most workplaces. Prejudice makes the heterogenic workforces be unable to corporate the dynamics for diversity and managers find it difficult to enhance diversity within workplaces. Managers and organizational members with prejudice are not at a position to divest them based on personal attitudes of prejudice. The concept of prejudice and fixed attitudes kill creativity and potentials that can be used to embed a workforce that is multicultural (Mor-Barak, 2011). Prejudicial attitudes as a concept do not promote in moving the global economy towards diversity. Immigration, worker migration, differences in gender and ethnic difficulties all come with prejudice that affects the workplaces. Such dramatic changes of the workforce are not easy to handle, and attitudes come up in organizations with prejudice as a major concept. It is, therefore, evident that attitudes and prejudices that are not needed continue to change workforces’ composition. There is, therefore, a demand for diversity and equality among different workers within organizations. Some of the groups that mostly want diversity and equality are workers with disabilities, older workers, sexual minorities like gays and lesbians. Diversity for groups in the workforce is needed even when there is no globalization because it is like a right. The trend to a workforce that is diversified should be amplified and made mandatory in the coming decades with more virtual sustenance towards the diversity.

Human Rights Declaration Influence

Human rights influence is a concept that is declared universally to assist in studying rights to employment. Declarations are made universally with scopes of preserving validity for every human being in the workforce. The International Covenant on Economics, Cultural, and Social Rights no discriminates employment. The concept of human rights influence impresses all states to act equally and get diverse in their operations. No country can act as an example for multiple other countries therefore equality of rights is put to practice in a global position. Additional conventions in the concept of human rights eliminate all forms of discrimination based on racial differences. Discrimination against gender and especially the women in workplaces and migrant workers must be stopped to prevent inequalities. The human rights concept has legislation for the antidiscrimination steps in order to make real differences in the lives of both employees and employers in the workforce (Kochan & Jhen, 2003). Appropriate legislation of equal rights in the workplace should be at a position to change views of both employers and employees on how to handle cases of discrimination in the workplace. Long existing practices of unfairness in cultures may bar the implementation of equality. Human rights, however, should be able to put down the concept of equality in the workplace and that everybody is entitled for equality and respect.

Insufficient Employee Involvement

Lack of and insufficient involvement by employees is a concept that is encountered despite acting towards diversity promotion in the workplaces. Co-workers should be at a position to work with one another in order to promote diversity within their workplace. Value contribution made by another person should be used in enabling development of equality and diversity with respect to different cultures, attitudes and practices. It is by participation concept that co-workers get to move along their work environment that should by then be considered productive (Prasad et al., 2006). It is not easy to understand or appreciate different cultures but with involvement in the workplace, many members of an organization may end up appreciating everyone. Coworkers who get along in participation to be diverse within the working environments create a better and more productive working environment. Most organizations are urged to promote the concept of participation when it comes to putting into practice the issue of diversity in workplaces.

Conclusion

Most obstacles that face organizations in establishing changes of diversity include cultural traditions and discriminatory issues. The critical claim to ending such differences should be based on numerous examinations as per organization. Workforces involved in organizations must be aware about the issues that come up with diversity, Age differences, sexual orientation differences, racism, stereotyping, resistance and many other concepts concerning diversity must be well understood by individuals (Fuller et al., 2005). With more understanding about what should be partaken in the diversity concept then making equality will be easy. However much diversity is seen as a global idea, most organizations should start with their internal operations.

References

Barak, M. E. M. (2013). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications.
Fuller, A., Hodkinson, H., Hodkinson, P., & Unwin, L. (2005). Learning as peripheral participation in communities of practice: a reassessment of key concepts in workplace learning. British Educational Research Journal, 31(1), 49-68.
Kochan, T., Bezrukova, K., Ely, R., Jackson, S., Joshi, A., Jehn, K., & Thomas, D. (2003). The effects of diversity on business performance: Report of the diversity research network. Human resource management, 42(1), 3-21.
Mor-Barak, M. E. (2011). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Prasad, P., Pringle, J. K., & Konrad, A. M. (2006). Examining the contours of workplace diversity. Handbook of workplace diversity, 1-22.