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Welcome to the first issue of Diversity
Insight. The topic of workplace diversity has never been more
important than it is right now. Employers across the country are
struggling to manage a new workforce that is becoming increasingly
diverse and complex. As a result, HR is required to settle
differences between ethnic groups, bring peace between generational
workers, satisfy the unique needs of disabled employees, and avoid
offending an employee’s religious commitment. Helping today’s HR
practitioner understand how to manage this new set of challenges is
why we’re launching this e-zine and what it’s all about. Each month, Diversity Insight will provide business-focused strategies for understanding the cultural, communication, and the workplace needs of today’s diverse employee. You’ll receive the hard-hitting solutions that will help you address and manage the differences between generations, genders, ethnic groups, and other diverse employee populations. Plus, you’ll receive advice that works because each issue features real-life lessons used by your HR peers in gaining commitment from a diverse group of employees. If you want proven advice for managing today’s diverse workforce so they make the organization the most important element in their professional lives, then we invite you to sign up for this FREE e-newsletter today. Please contact us at anytime if you have questions, comments, or a diversity issue you would like to see covered in a future issue. Sincerely, Ralph Gaillard, Executive Editor Celeste Blackburn, Managing Editor |
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Raised by Boomer parents on a diet of praise and
self-esteem, Millennials are the next big thing, and they know it.
They show up to work with lots of answers. |
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What to do if an employee objects (loudly) to
diversity training You’re headed for the cafeteria when George (a young, energetic manager with promise) stops you and says, “I hope you don’t expect me to show up for that class about gays tomorrow.” This is news. You didn’t know George had objections to the planned diversity seminar. George registers your surprise and ups the ante. “I believe in God and scripture,” he says, his voice growing louder. “I won’t go.” You notice that people have stopped to listen in. “Let’s talk about this in my office,” you say. George crosses his arms over his chest. “I’d rather talk here.” What to do? Your lunch is a write-off. Adrenaline pours into your bloodstream. Fight or flight is your natural response, but it won’t help you now. What can you say to avoid a shouting match? The best answer is not much. A little silence is a perfectly good first response. It gives you time to think and gives George a moment to calm down and maybe even regret his impulsive words. This is why they call you an HR professional. From Ambush to Appointment When you do speak, express your concern and ask, again, that George meet with you. As Drew Alexis, vice president and associate general counsel of IndyMac Bank, says, “I would want the first thought in your mind to be about Title VII. The law requires that you make reasonable accommodation for sincerely held religious beliefs.” That thought will likely lead you to say something like “I can see this is important to you” or “I respect your religious concerns.” If George comes back with more hard words, grit your teeth if you have to, but keep stating your willingness to listen. A neutral “I’m glad you brought this up. I didn’t know it was a problem,” might help. If George knows he will be heard, he is likely to back away from a public confrontation. Why Curiosity Works Once the employee agrees to a meeting (and if he won’t, stress that your door is open), spend some time conferring with others in your department. Then get curious. Genuinely curious. Prepare to take careful notes during the meeting, and always have someone else present. But most importantly, remain open. “If we assume we know what’s behind someone’s resistance to a diversity effort,” says Alexis, “then we’re going to be wrong a good bit of the time. When you break things down, a reasonable accommodation is usually possible, but not if you enter a conversation thinking you know exactly what’s going on in the other person’s mind.” Knee-jerk assumptions are an easy path to stalemate. Ask questions instead. Your goal is to understand the exact nature of George’s complaint. In response, you’ll need to define in very precise terms the goal of the diversity training or seminar. “If the goal of your program is that an employee attends and listens, there may not be a problem. You’re not asking him to change his beliefs or endorse a lifestyle. The core of this process is communication,” says Alexis. “I’ve seen many cases that could have been avoided if people had simply asked more questions and been willing to listen.” For example, if the company requires that employees sign a statement after training, does that statement simply say that they attended and listened? “That’s often OK with an employee, even one who has religious objections,” says Alexis. “But vague statements invite problems. Be sure a statement is tied to simple, definable behaviors and not to beliefs.” As your conversation continues, keep asking questions. The more engaged your brain remains with asking questions, the less likely you are to react emotionally in what is often a charged situation. In the process, you’re likely to find your respect growing for an employee who is willing to risk engaging with you, rather than remaining quiet or muttering behind your back. Make the Business Case Be sure to explain the business reasons for the program. Talk about how a workplace where everyone is treated with respect becomes a better place to work, more productive and more innovative. You may want to express your concern that refusing diversity training can impede the employee’s ability to do his work. Communicate that, just as it is your job to make a good-faith effort to accommodate his beliefs, it is also incumbent on you to do so without disrupting the workplace. After you meet, write an account of the meeting. Ask the employee to examine it and sign it with any changes you both agree on. You may need to have several meetings in order to resolve this issue; but by diffusing the initial exchange in the hallway to begin with, you’ve set the tone for successful discussions. Recommended Resources: "Respecting and Responding to Employee Religious Objections to Diversity and Respect Training," Municipal Lawyer, May/June 2006. Online at www.wrf.com/docs/publications/12660.pdf "How Can Employers Avoid Religious Harassment and Discrimination Claims?" CCG Counsel Consulting Group. Online at http://www.counselconsulting.com/avoiding_05_2004.htm |
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One word & two cultures = production problems
A team is missing its production
deadlines, and a different cultural interpretation of the word
“deadline” is the cause. Two experts offer solutions for fixing the
problem. Another confusing factor in this case is that Latino managers
tend to give only positive feedback to their superiors. A Mexican
executive, for example may consider it disrespectful if a
subordinate contradicts him. In the U.S., executives expect
subordinates to provide the bad news along with the good. They want
to be able to solve a problem or alert the customer to the delay.
When Mauricio says, "yes" to tight deadlines, this may be a matter
of being diplomatic. He doesn't want to disappoint. Giving the
answer Don wants to hear is more polite than offering the truth. |
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New AARP study offers blueprint for training
older employees The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2014, 21% of America's workforce will be at least 55 years old. According to AARP estimates, that number could be even higher. As a result, you need to prepare for an aging workforce. With a wave of baby boomers set to retire and a consequent looming worker shortage, many employers are now considering the role of the older employee in their organizations. On one hand, these employees have the benefit of experience. On the other hand, there is some trepidation that they might not adjust to new technologies and processes as well as their younger counterparts. The AARP Public Policy Institute Issue paper, "Workplace Issues: Older Worker Training: What We Know and Don’t Know," summarizes what's currently known about the ability of older adults to learn new skills and adapt new environments and highlights the issues and questions that need to be addressed to promote healthy and productive employment for older adults. The report includes analyses of today's older workers, relevant research on older adults and learning, the "healthy worker phenomenon," and factors influencing learning and skills acquisition. The AARP report presents guidelines for the design of training programs for older adults based on a review of the gerontological, psychological, and human factors engineering literature including summaries of the authors’ own research. The literature indicates that training interventions can be successful in terms of improving performance. By providing employers with relevant information on aging and training, and highlighting gaps in existing knowledge, the AARP hopes that the report will underscore the importance of the issue. To read the full report, visit http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/econ/2006_22_worker.pdf. |
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Lockheed Martin settles race case for $2.5 million Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest military contractor, will have to pay former employee Charles Daniels $2.5 million. The African-American electrician was subjected to a racially hostile work environment at several job sites nationwide. This is the largest amount ever obtained by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for a single person in a discrimination case. In addition to paying Daniels, the company has agreed to terminate the harassers and make significant policy changes to address any future discrimination. Daniels was the target of persistent verbal abuse by coworkers and a supervisor whose racial slurs and offensive language included calling him the “N-word” and saying “we should do to blacks what Hitler did to the Jews” and “if the South had won then this would be a better country.” After Daniels reported the verbal harassment, his coworkers also made physical threats, including lynching and other death threats. Lockheed didn’t discipline the harassers and allowed the discrimination to continue. The litigation and consent decree were filed by the EEOC under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in the U.S. Court for the District of Hawaii (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Lockheed Martin, CV-05-00479). EEOC Honolulu Local Office Director Timothy Riera and said of the case, “The overt harassment to which Mr. Daniels was subjected in Hawaii represents some of the most severe misconduct this office has come across. It is imperative that employers here take proactive measures to ensure that discrimination complaints are taken seriously and that all employees work in an environment free of harassment.” According to the EEOC, race is the most frequently alleged basic for discrimination, and racial harassment charge filings have more than doubled since the early 1990s (from 3,075 in 1991 to about 7,000 in 2007). A jury awarded $756,000 in a religious discrimination lawsuit filed against AT&T, Inc., on behalf of two male customer service technicians who were suspended and fired for attending a Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention. The jury of nine women and three men awarded the two former employees, Jose Gonzalez and Glenn Owen (brothers-in-law), $296,000 in back pay and $460,000 in compensatory damages under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During the four-day trial, the jury heard evidence that both men had submitted written requests to their manager in January 2005 for one day of leave to attend a religious observance that was scheduled for Friday, July 15, to Sunday, July 17, 2005. Both men testified that they had sincerely held religious beliefs that required them to attend the convention each year. Both men had attended the convention every year throughout their employment with AT&T — Gonzalez worked at the company for more than eight years and Owen was employed there for nearly six years. |
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Relevant statistics for today’s diversity
executives
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