Workplace Conflicts
Introduction
Conflict happens in every organization, which indicates a lively exchange of creativity and ideas. However, conflict at work can result in dissatisfaction of employees, weak customer service, decreased productivity, increased turnover of employees and absenteeism, increased stress in work, or in worse cases, legal action on allegation of harassment or an unfriendly work environment. In this essay, we will learn about the effective ways of teaching cultural diversity to employees. We will also be able to understand the errors that companies get in practicing diversity training to their employees.
Employees in an organization may come from different countries around the world. In order for an organization to become successful, all employees should work in unity and as a team. Here are some techniques or training that will help employees appreciate and understand differences in language, race, lifestyle, religion and culture.
Discussion
Conduct a discussion by using newspaper clips about conflicts caused by religion, race, culture, gender, language and culture. This exercise will encourage employees to open a discussion about the situation that happened.
Activity
Arrange an intellectual party and present a variety of food from different countries like coffees, teas, desserts, foods that are related to celebrations, breads, rice dishes and a lot more. Ask employees to provide a dish as potluck, from their national background.
Set diversity in action by using a case with a positive result that can be an example of best practice. Present the situation that contained a decision that could become a cause of diversity challenge. Let the employees describe how they would deal with the situation if they were involved. Then, present what the result was in a positive approach (Rose, n.d.).
Learn how the original culture best achieves communication
People from several cultures do not believe in information coming directly from a manager. These people prefer to listen to the words that come from an employee group leader, a shop foreman, or a headman. Some employees do not like to be praised in front of a group of employees; instead, they are much comfortable when praised quietly in a private office.
Train immigrants often and early
Many of the downsides of cultural confusion and misunderstanding can be eliminated with ongoing and early training. Several misconceptions about the management in the workplace can be prevented by ensuring that rules are explained and observed as early as the start of the interview process.
Train the non-immigrant
Managers also need to know that there is a nationalization process and should recognize the effects to employees. Managers need to be aware and prepared in the stages that immigrants go through such as culture shock.
Assign advisers and assist the spouses
Managers need to know the importance of their role in assisting a new employee to become an essential contributor, regardless of his country of origin. If an employee has a spouse and will be moving with him because of work reasons, managers should provide ways to make them comfortable.
Follow the rules and stick to business
The most effective way to produce an environment that all immigrants in different countries and regions can participate in is to guarantee the effectiveness of the goals and mission and that the workplace is motivated by business requirements, and not by personal choices (Ribbink, 2003).
Diversity Training Mistakes
Employers pay a large amount of money for diversity training, but usually the training fails and the employer who paid for the training gets very much affected. Diversity training frequently teaches bad advice, though legal, to employers and managers that can come back to bring them to court. Employers are usually quite susceptible about the allegations made by the trainers of diversity. Large employers have paid a lot of money in discrimination allegations because of the programs involved in diversity training.
Diversity training typically causes lawsuits and workplace conflicts, by convincing employees to discuss sexual or controversial racial issues, resulting in animosity, and comments that are misunderstood or professed as sexually or racially unfair. In general, many judges take a weak view of diversity training. In one of the cases about diversity in year 1995, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals renowned that diversity training classes create emotion and conflict and that diversity is perhaps an autocracy of virtue (Bader, 2007).
Conclusion
Understanding diversity problems allows employee groups to communicate more efficiently and work well even through challenges. Producing a program for diversity training usually presents examples of how diversity may affect interpersonal relationships, which are necessary for work. Although diversity training is very important for a company to become successful, diversity training also imposes disadvantages and negative effects to both the employers and employees. Effective teaching can be critical, especially when the spouse of an employee is involved and a failed extradition can cause a company a lot of money because the employee’s spouse was not able to adjust. Diversity training can result to workplace conflict and misunderstood, so diversity trainers should impose this training properly and depending on the situation and people involved.
References
Bader, H. (2007, December 26). Diversity Training Backfires | Competitive Enterprise Institute. Retrieved from http://cei.org/blog/diversity-training-backfires
Ribbink, K. (2003, February 3). Seven Ways to Better Communicate in Today's Diverse Workplace - Seven Tips for Communicating In Today's Diverse Workplace - HBS Working Knowledge. Retrieved from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3266.html
Rose, J. (n.d.). Diversity Training Techniques. Retrieved from https://suite.io/joni-rose/1e4h273
