Opportunities and Challenges of Workplace Diversity

Question: Discuss about the Opportunities and Challenges of Workplace Diversity. Answer: Introduction: Diversity is an important issue for any organization. As far as Sonic Telecommunication Services is concerned, it follows a workplace diversity culture to an extent. First of all, the organization hires an inclusive workforce, as Kim, an Asian is herself being hired in the Australian company. The second point however, shows that the organization does not have a proper body for monitoring and supervising the diversity policies, as the management authority was unaware of Kims problem. Thirdly, when the issue was raised, the management authority of the organization denied that any such diversity issue had never emerged earlier, that shows that the employees were deprived of providing regular feedback to the organization. Fourthly, the organization does not have a set of stringent ethical workplace codes, in written form, and hence the violation is all the more probable (Barak 2014). Fifthly, the organization shows biased attitude towards minor ethnic groups and female employees, while c onsidering promotion. Both Woolworths and Westpac have a supervisory body that helps in monitoring the workplace diversity issues, and thus each employee facing diversity challenges can get an easy solution to his problems. This will motivate the employees, and will help the employees work harder. Besides, both the companies regularly communicate and update the diversity policies, that builds awareness among the employees. Woolworths offers employment opportunities to disabled people as well, that improves employee morale and renders the company greater recognition. However, Westpac does not train the employees to embrace diversity at workplace, but the arrangement of training programs, workshops and seminars can help in creating unity among the employees of a diverse workforce. The importance of the diversity policies lies in the fact that they offer a strong legal framework, against which each employee of the organization is compelled to work and hence there is less possibility of violation of the codes of conduct. The diversity policies help in motivating each employee, as they understand that their each share of contribution is being valued by the organization. Besides, by incorporating diverse people at workplace, an organization can also create a positive work environment, that creates a sense of belonging among the employees (Harvey and Allard 2015). This will help in reducing the problem of employee turnover rates. Above all, when an organization introduces diversity at workplace, it can also gain recognition and popularity among the masses, and this in turn will have a positive impact on the profitability of the company. In order to address Kims problems, first of all, her professional expertise, skills and knowledge must be examined by a senior manager. In case, she is found to possess adequate skills and knowledge, she should be immediately promoted to a higher designation. The management must hold a meeting in presence of Mathhew Jones and Kim, so that the problem can be resolved, and if necessary Jones might be asked to acknowledge his apology before Kim. Both Matthew and Kim should be asked to participate in special workshops that will help in resolving the differences the two have between each other. Diversity Policy of Sonic Telecommunication Services: The organization must reserve special seats for disabled people, while recruiting employees. The existent diversity policies will be expanded to include new areas, such as ethnic diversity Regular workshops and seminars focused on the issue of diversity must be organized at regular intervals The employees will be provided with regular diversity training programs, the participation in which is mandatory (Canas and Sondak 2013) The creation of LGBTI employee network Recruitment and promotion of black Asian minority group of people The female employees should be encouraged to assume leadership roles Providing employment to the employees of the armed workforce Inclusion of elderly workforce Introduction of training opportunities to the physically challenged employees Monitoring the impact of the policies The appointment of a supervising manager who can be approached for providing feedback regarding the policies A diversity council will be set up Every six months, an employee survey will be conducted for evaluating the effectiveness of the policy The diversity policy will be incorporated in the Vision Statement of the organization An employee is subject to payment of fine or even termination of service, in case of violation of the diversity policies (Bond and Haynes 2014) A supervisory body will be set up for evaluating the diversity policies The organization can review the implementation of its policies, by setting up diversity advisory councils, the members of which will supervise the effectiveness of the policies. Employment surveys will be organized to understand the employees response to the policies. In order to implement diversity policies, the organization must arrange different meetings and interactive sessions among the employees, so that the managers and the employees can be made aware of the importance of incorporating diversity at workplace. Different training programs and seminars will be arranged, which will help to explain to the managers, how promotion of diversity helps in achieving organizational success (Wambui et al. 2013). Each week the organization will organize meetings for communicating the diversity plans and policies to the employees. By organizing training programs, seminars and workshops, the organization can promote diversity at workplace. Besides, Sonic Telecommunication Service can also create strict diversity policies, the violation if which will attract huge penalty. This will compel the employees to adhere strictly to the policies. The use of employee surveys, setting up a diversity review committee, employment of a proper HR metric for evaluating employee satisfaction can help in the review of diversity implementation programs (Williams 2013). Sonic Telecommunication Service can introduce improvements in various areas of its diversity program. First of all it should introduce a strict and stringent set of diversity policies which each employee should adhere to. Secondly, the organization should increase the number of employees belonging to minor ethnic groups. Thirdly, the organization can also create a quota system for women employees in the managerial designations of the organization (Tynjala 2013). Fourthly, the organization should announce rewards and incentives for the employee who is being most friendly and collaborative at workplace. Finally, the organization can also organize different fun and interesting outdoor activities, for promoting employee coordination. Reference List: Anderson, A., 2013. How to Manage Diversity in a Workplace.Demand Media, Hearst Communication Inc. Barak, M.E.M., 2013.Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications. Bond, M.A. and Haynes, M.C., 2014. Workplace diversity: A socialecological framework and policy implications.Social Issues and Policy Review,8(1), pp.167-201. Canas, K. and Sondak, H., 2013.Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity. Pearson Higher Ed. Harvey, C.P. and Allard, M., 2015.Understanding and managing diversity. Pearson. Tynjl, P., 2013. Toward a 3-P model of workplace learning: a literature review.Vocations and learning,6(1), pp.11-36. Wambui, T.W., Wangombe, J.G., Muthura, M.W., Kamau, A.W. and Jackson, S.M., 2013. Managing Workplace Diversity: A Kenyan Pespective.International Journal of Business and Social Science,4(16). Williams, C., 2013.Principles of management. South-Western/Cengage Learning.