Problem Overview
A primary concern surrounding diversity at the workplace is the lack of inclusion which leaves employees feeling left out. In human resource management creating an environment that everyone receives respect and dignity and where the skills and talents of different groups of people receive equal value. Through these measures, workforce productivity greatly increases while the service or product customers become happier. Further the workforce is more contented, has high motivation and aware of the benefits that accrue through inclusion.
Equality and inclusion issues in any organization usually arise from the protected characteristics as outlined in the Equality Act of 2010. In this current paper, inclusion problems in the company will be evaluated based on the complaints from the employees. This company has a diverse employee base with forty percent minorities and 60% nonminorities. Similarly, the company has 55% females and 45% males. In writing the paper, the author assumes the position of the HR manager of the enterprise. Exclusion occurs through ethnicity, gender, ability, religious, education, culture, sexual orientation, generation differences and other aspects that define human existence. With the basis of these underlying issues, this current paper aims to create a training program that will highlight the role of inclusion as pertains to diversity at the workplace.
Training Type
Since the best way to propagate the concept of integration at the workplace is through curiosity rather than suspicion, this training will aim at pushing for all employees to get to understand their mates first rather than as coworkers. The aim of the research will focus on encouraging all employees to broaden their circle of friends so as to intentionally include others who have different opinions and make them try to understand rather than judge the differences. Naturally, the brain has to undergo lots of mind change who are completely different. Thus, ought to start at the individual level. In this regard, the training will be individualized. Each ought to show appreciation and respect for others as well the voiceless.
Training Delivery
The most appropriate for this training, to save time and resources, is the brown bag lunch training delivery. Using this method will help create an informal atmosphere. The training will take place during lunch times, and the employees will bring their food to the training conference while undertaking the training. The employees will sit in groups of five, with a degree of diversity encouraged within the groups. The training will push the employee to perform certain tasks together. Further, the groups will be shuffled after every three brown lunch bag meetings to ensure that interaction is perfected (Portolese, 2011). To ensure that the training remains interactive and engaging to the employees, each employee will be required to present what they would have learned during the process and identify certain things they have learned about different cultures. Other interactive methods will involve short quizzes, group discussions, case studies & problem solving, Question and answer sessions, question cards, demonstrations and role playing.
Learning Theory
In developing the learning concept, the training program will use both the adult learning theory and the social learning theory. Regarding the adult learning theory Knowles makes four assumptions about the adult learner. First, as persons mature their self-concept improves from being dependent on being self-directed. Secondly, the adult accumulates an array of experience that becomes a resource for encouraging learning. Third, the adult learner has a readiness to learn and orientation to applying learning immediately. The motivation to learn for the adult is internal (Knowles, 1982). Since the adult is oriented to learning and acquiring new information for immediate use, the training will focus on giving hands on on-job skills that will help encourage inclusion. For this case, the role-playing sessions will encourage the employees to simulate the application of the knowledge they learn during the training sessions and especially in the group discussions. The adults will be involved in the training through planning and evaluation of the instruction material. To provide the basis for the learning activities, experience, and mistakes will play a vital role. Further, it is evident that these adults will have an interest in learning about inclusion as they have already reported these challenges (Wuestewald, 2015). Thus, there is a critical need to explain to the adults the need for this training session. The instruction will also consider the different backgrounds of the employees. Finally, the adults seek to learn so as to solve problems and not to amass content.
On the other hand, the social learning theory by Albert Bandura highlights that learning is a cognitive process which takes place within a social context. Thus, learning may take place through direct instruction or observation even without direct reinforcement. Further, learning may take place through observation of punishments and rewards (vicarious reinforcement). In applying this, the best-performing employees will receive a reward in free lunch and gifts on the next day of training (Rotter, 1982). These will include those employees that answer questions regularly and initiate and run discussions within the small groups. Verbal persuasion and positive psychological statements will also be used to pat the learning employees making efforts. Further, the HR, offering the training, will act in ways that suggest what the other employees should emulate. This will also include the actions and behaviors of the top management.
Training Benefits:
Training of the employees of diversity and inclusion issues will lead to various benefits. The training will create opportunities for cross-functional teams who are intergenerational as well as racially diverse and can lead to increased innovation at the workplace. Secondly, the training will lead to appreciation and respect for each other. With such respect, employees will work in harmony towards achieving the goals of the company (Mrosko, 2012). The employees will have a mentality of courage that encourages conversations with coworkers who may have wronged them. When an organization achieves employee satisfaction, it is easy to achieve business goals as the employees are the internal employees of the organization.
Conclusion
Inclusion is a very important perspective of diversity. While organizations may take steps to ensure employee diversity, it is critical to ensure that the population of the organization works together in harmony. Inclusion ensures that the employees see the humanity in other employees before seeing the workmate. A training program will offer an avenue for the employees to learn about each other while appreciating that each brings to the company. Employees with different characteristics working together bring a sense of innovation to the organization thus boosting work satisfaction and achievement of business goals.
References
Portolese Dias., L. (2011). Human Resource Management. Flat World Learn On.
Rotter, J. (1982). The development and applications of social learning theory. New York, N.Y.: Praeger.
Wuestewald, T. (2015). Adult Learning in Executive Development Programs. Adult Learning. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1045159515602256
