In
Favor of Diversity Training:
“Here is not merely a
nation but a teeming Nation of nations.” “Here the flowing trains, here the
crowds, equality, diversity, the soul loves” (Whitman & Beach, 2012).
The United States is a land full of diverse
people – we are not a nation of just one race, gender, religion, sexual
orientation, etc… The only thing most of
the people of America actually have in common is that our ancestors all
traveled here by way of the ocean. Diversity
is around everyone of us constantly; especially in the workplace. I am from a small town called Farmington
Missouri and even in this very small town I have friends of all colors,
nationalities, sexual orientation, both male and female, of all ages, and
religions. It is because of this
diversity among people that there is a large need for effective diversity
training in the workplace. I say
effective diversity training here, because the training needs to be done
properly and needs to be taught by an instructor who actually understands how
to teach the program based on research/tools that have been proven to assist
employees in the training process. If a
manager is simply going through the motions and just doing what is required of
them to get people through a training program, then chances are that the
program is not going to be as effective as it would be if a proper instructor
was doing the training.
Some people cannot rely
on parental guidance, legal reprimand, or even social cues to learn how to be
tolerant and respectful of others. From
what I have personally witnessed myself, some people enjoy being rude and
ignorant when it comes to other people who are different than they are (even if
they know it’s wrong to admit aloud that they are prejudice). Ignorance fuels discrimination and inhibits
diversity. However, ignorance is a
curable affliction - "Teaching leads to understanding, understanding leads
to tolerance, tolerance leads to diversity, diversity leads to acceptance and
acceptance leads to peace” (Fang, 2005).
This is why diversity training is necessary in the workforce. The information regarding diversity needs to
be given to people; after all, would a little education hurt anyone? Even if a person is extremely tolerant,
diversity training would simply be a reinforcement tool. It is my experience when re-learning
something, I always learn something new.
The overall goals of
diversity training are to “minimize discrimination and harassment lawsuits” and
to improve “acceptance and understanding of people with different backgrounds,
experiences, capabilities, and lifestyles” (Mathis & Jackson, 2009). However, giving information to people is
simply not enough. People must embrace
the idea behind the information; “Research has shown that it is only when
people take diversity personally that they are able to turn it into a practice
at work” (Gilliard, 2008). Therefore,
the concept of tolerance and acceptance must also be integrated into an
effective diversity training program in addition to the basic information of
diversity in the workplace and the person/employee needs to be a willing
participant in the training program. Managers truly need to be able to provide
effective diversity programs for their employees in an attempt to educate them
on the diverse nature of the workplace.
Diversity is prevalent in the workplace and a good program to teach
diversity is essential to the harmony of a diverse set of employees. “Diversity
is a reality for employers today, and effective diversity management is crucial
to HR management” (Mathis & Jackson, 2009).
As a side note, and
something to ponder – diversity leads to synergy; new ideas from a diverse
background of people. The introduction
and mixing of cultures, languages, technology and much more comes from the fact
that the world is diverse and people do have the ability to communicate effectively
with those who are different than themselves (the Internet, and globalization
are examples). Now, my question is, how
would the world be if all people remained in their own little groups of
all-white, all-black, all-Asian, all-gay, all-straight, all-Christian,
all-Muslim, all-female, all-male groups?
How would the workplace be different if it was like this? How would it be better or worse? Would there be as much discovery and
innovation in the world? These types of
questions are important to me because I feel as a human race, these trivial
issues of skin color and other genetic assignments should not be considered
whatsoever. And for those who are not sure how to treat fellow humankind in the
workplace (or the world for that matter), effective diversity training is a
step in the right direction.
References:
Gilliard, J. P. (2008).
Diversity training: A study of the impact of diversity training on
organizational performance, financial results and accountability. Capella
University). ProQuest Dissertations and
Theses, , n/a. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/304815214?accountid=38003. (304815214).
Mathis, R. L., &
Jackson, J. H. (2009). Equal Employment/Diversity. Human resource management essential perspectives (5th ed., p. 56,57).
Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Whitman, W., & Beach,
J. M. (2012). Book XXIII. Walt Whitman:
Leaves of grass (the complete1891-92 edition) (p. 241). Austin, TX:
Createspace. (Original work published 1892)
Against
Affirmative Action:
This word alone does
not sit well with many people when thinking about Affirmative Action. The
purpose of Affirmative Action is to include minorities who would otherwise not
be included in the workplace due to possible discrimination. “Through Affirmative Action, employers are
urged to hire groups of people based on their race, age, gender, or national
origin to make up for historical discrimination” (Mathis & Jackson,
2009).
Does Affirmative Action
cause Reverse Discrimination, polarization, resentment, and separatism among
employees:
Many Americans feel
that Affirmative Action is a form of reverse discrimination; that if they are a
white male, they have fewer opportunities in the workplace. A testing technician in Gilbert, Arizona,
Joseph Ruhnke, stated “It just makes
me upset when this subject gets thrown down your throat. I'm a white single
male and they try to make you feel guilty because they're not getting jobs and
that it's our fault. It's not my fault that somebody can't get a job.” (Morin
& Warden, 1995). When employees are
upset in the workplace and feel they are discriminated against but have no real
outlet to protect them such as the minorities, I can see where there can be
polarization, resentment, and separatism.
It would seem that Affirmative Action reinforces separatism not with
skin color, race, or religion, but by grouping minorities against the majority
which is the white male. Some people in
the minority group see things just a little differently than Joseph Ruhnke.
Graig Gillis, age 25, stated, “There should be some type of reparations for 300
to 400 to 500 years of discrimination of all types of minorities, not just
blacks” (Morin & Warden, 1995). But
there already has been justice for the inequalities against women, African
American, Native Indian, and more minorities in the United States. When is enough, enough? No wonder there is some resentment,
polarization, separatism, and feelings of reverse discrimination in the
workplace. Even with laws and policies
in place, the NAACP, all-black movie channels, etc... Some people still want
more and believe just due to their skin color they are owed more. This sense of entitlement from a white
person, black person, Asian person, gay person, or any person in general
creates resentment in other people. Dan
Oswald states regarding the Declaration of Independence: “Nowhere in there does
it say we are entitled to respect or to be treated a certain way. And expecting
those things, having a sense of entitlement, causes bitterness and resentment.”
(Oswald, 2012). One of the key points outlined in the text
states “Affirmative Action creates more equality for all persons, even if
temporary injustice to some individuals may result” (Mathis & Jackson,
2009). And the debate is before us under
this section because “Affirmative Action penalizes individuals (males and
whites) even though they have not been guilty of discrimination” (Mathis &
Jackson, 2009). Since Affirmative Action is based on equality and fairness,
does this seem truly fair?
Though
quotas are illegal in the United States, do the goals of organizations
sometimes become quotas when hiring minorities:
According
to the text, “Goals become quotas by forcing employers to ‘play by the numbers’”.
(Mathis & Jackson, 2009). The Supreme Court ruled on June 28, 1978
through the Bakke decision (formerly The University of California Regents v.
Bakke) that quotas were unconstitutional.
Allan Bakke, a white male, applied for medical school and was denied
even when minority students were admitted to the program that had lower
scores/admission requirements - “applicants
were admitted under the special program with grade point averages, MCAT scores,
and benchmark scores significantly lower than Bakke's.” (UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA REGENTS 1978). The argument for Bakke fell under The
Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the 1964
Civil Rights Act which states: “No person in the United States shall, on the
ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in,
be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program
or activity receiving Federal financial assistance”. (Title VI, 1986). Even though quotas are illegal due to
precedence now in the United States, another point is to be made from this
case: Why an executive order now when
there are other protections granted through precedence and The Equal Protection
Clause and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that clearly protects anyone, not just minorities, from
discrimination under the law?
Do the minorities being
hired actually want the charity of Affirmative Action (case in point: white
women):
A
story:
As a white female, I do not feel the need for
Affirmative Action. I feel that my
gender has not had an effect on my grades, my life, my personal or professional
circumstances and quite frankly the only time I do get offended is when I am
referred to as “the weaker sex” or a “minority” because I have good self-esteem.
I do not appreciate the labels, nor do I need the labels in order to succeed in
life. I had never been discriminated
against due to my race, gender, age, or sexual orientation until I was hired
for the purpose of having a woman on an all-white, all-male sales team at an
organization when I was 19 years old (I was actually told that is why I was
being hired by my boss at the time). I
was not qualified as much as other applicants and I found this out later, but I
was 19, I had a daughter to support and I was not going to turn down a
job. I performed the job well, however
the men at the job were upset and angry that their boss hired a woman for the
position “just because” and because of the fact that I had no official training
for the job. They left pictures of naked
women on my desk, they called me derogatory names referring to my sexual
orientation (they thought I was gay for some reason), and having been a new
mother, they would often call me at my desk and pretend to be advocates from
the Division of Child Services claiming I was being investigated. A couple of the salesmen even exposed
themselves to me. Could I have sued on
so many different levels of injustice here?
Certainly. Did I? No. I didn’t because I did not want or need anyone’s
pity. Instead I made a plan. I took all of their sales by simply being a
better salesperson; I then called the main office and reported my sales for the
previous two months because my sales were not being sent in for some reason
before. I was given “Employee of the
Month” for my last two months of work and the owner of the organization came
down to Cape Girardeau from St. Louis to personally thank me and take me out to
dinner for a job well done. After proving
that I could not only do the job better as an untrained salesperson, I quit
citing my reasons as “personal” and in the letter I stated that I was “proud to
be the only salesperson in the history of the organization to have achieved 242
sales in only 45 days after only being hired for 4 months”.
Sure, I felt horrible
and what they did was not only wrong, it was illegal in many ways, but I did
not need pity or a push. I feel that
perseverance in the face of diversity, tolerance in the face of ignorance, and
gaining respect of peers through hard work is what is truly important. One year later, I re-applied to the
organization after all of the people who previously worked there were fired or
left for their own reasons. I worked
there for another 6 months and maintained very high sales records (I left
because I had to move to a different city).
I was not hired again because I was a woman, I was hired because I had
more sales experience than the former applicants (and I made sure of it this
time). This experience taught me a lot
about diversity as well as the workplace environment, but most of all it taught
me how not to hate or be resentful toward people just because a handful of
those types of people were ignorant. In
other words, I do not feel that society owes me anything; I feel that I owe my
society something. I am not alone in the feelings of other people labeled the
same way in our society as a minority. “Two out of three women opposed affirmative
action preference programs for women, compared to three out of four men.”
(Morin & Warden, 1995). Maybe in the
1960’s and 1970’s Affirmative Action was the most helpful but I feel that it
has worn out its welcome. “Few white women think themselves beneficiaries of
affirmative action, and most are simply not open to the idea that they have
been; few if any expect it to help them in the future; and most share the same
concerns as white men regarding "reverse discrimination," or the
perceived hiring of unqualified minorities.” (Wise, 1998).
Side note ** On the case for both diversity training and Affirmative
Action, one clear constant keeps arising – that is the level of education and
qualifications of people after K-12 school.
I have run into countless articles providing direct links between
quality of education, intelligence, pay scale, and tolerance. I read complaints regarding a level playing
field for all races but the ground is only truly level when there are equal
qualifications. Perhaps the problem really isn’t with the types of diversity
training, or the “temporary injustices” of Affirmative Action; however perhaps
the problem rests with the quality of education for our children in the United
States?
References:
Mathis, R. L., &
Jackson, J. H. (2009). Equal Employment/Diversity. Human resource management essential perspectives (5th ed., p. 57,58).
Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Morin, R., &
Warden, S. (1995, March 24). Washingtonpost.com: AMERICANS VENT ANGER AT
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. Washington Post:
Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. Retrieved September 9,
2012, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/politics/special/affirm/stories/aa032495.htm
Title VI, Civil Rights
Act of 1964. (1986, October 21). OASAM. United
States Department of Labor. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from
http://www.dol.gov/oasam/regs/statutes/titlevi.htm
