Abstract
In response to the stiff competition being experienced in virtually all industries, one of the strategies that organizations can execute to boost their competitive advantage is promoting diversity in the workplace. This paper examines some of the ways firms can ensure equal employment as required by the relevant federal government agencies discussed in, “Providing Equal Employment Opportunity and Safe Workplace,” which is the third chapter of the book, Fundamentals of Human Resources Management, by Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, and Wright (2013). It also relates the issues addressed in the chapter to the article, “Workplace Diversity: A Social-Ecological Framework and Policy Implications,” by Bond and Haynes (2014), especially how the two literary works approach the issue of workplace diversity. Additionally, promoting diversity in the place of work goes beyond fulfilling the stipulated legal requirements; in this regard, it involves structuring the relevant policies and holding events and activities that promote employee interaction and adaptability. Although the third chapter of the book and the article advocate for different approaches to the issue of promoting diversity in the workplace, this essay will examine how the two can be incorporated together into an organization.
Keywords: workplace diversity, discrimination, equal opportunity, labor laws
Introduction
Promoting diversity in the workplace is not only important for aligning the company with the requirements of the law but also enhancing its competitive advantage. In the United States, the Federal government, through The Congress has come up with different laws and instituted bodies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to foster equality in the workplace and prevent the discrimination of citizens based on race, religious conviction, ethnicity, and color among others. This essay analyzes the issue of workplace diversity as outlined in the third chapter of the book by Noe et al. (2013) and relates the piece of writing to the article by Bond and Haynes (2014).
An Overview of the Chapter Assigned
The third chapter of the book by Noe et al. (2013) highlights various issues related to workplace diversity, including ensuring everyone has an equal employment opportunity and a safe place of work. The authors explain the dangers of discrimination workers based on their racial or ethnic background, gender, faith, and disability status, among other factors. One of the benefits of promoting diversity in the organization is that it fosters a good image, in addition to protecting it from facing expensive lawsuits. On the other hand, the government has played a vital role in promoting equal employment and a safe workplace by ratifying different laws to compel firms and the relevant government agencies to uphold the outlined principles. For instance, it established the Equal Employment Opportunity and Commission that provides businesses with the applicable guidelines (Noe et al., 2013).
Article Summary
The article by Bond and Haynes (2014) examines the issue of workplace discrimination, in addition to proposing some of the strategies organizations can use to realize diversity. The piece starts with unearthing the main reasons individuals engage in favoritism in their places of work before providing some insights into the available solutions. In this regard, diversity can be fostered by hiring people from different races, creeds, and cultural backgrounds, without paying attention to their disability status. In so doing, the firm creates a good image, which enables it to attract customers from diverse backgrounds (Bond & Haynes, 2014).
Relate the Article to the Chapter
Similar to the findings of chapter 3 of the paperback by Noe et al. (2013), Bond and Haynes (2014) agree human resource managers are increasingly seeing the need to ensure diversity as one of the strategies of enhancing competitive advantage. Social events are some of the ways different people can come together, interact, and know each other more. Organizations should eliminate any barriers that hinder effective integration, such as imposing strict rules on employee interaction.
Although the chapter mainly talks about the government interventions on promoting equal employment opportunities, addressing the barriers to the equal hiring of workers as outlined in the article can help organizations to adhere to the related laws. The latter synchronizes well with the former because they are both useful in addressing diversity issues and complying with the federal labor laws (Parrotta, Pozzoli, & Pytlikova, 2014).
There are different strategies that organizations can use to foster diversity in the workplace, such as employing people from diverse cultures, religions, and races. According to Bond and Haynes (2014), it is the role of human resource managers to collaborate with other leaders to realize workplace diversity. The article explains that organizations should embrace supportive policies, such as those targeted at increasing the representation of different groups at all levels.
Similar to what is explained in the chapter, the article claims diversity is beneficial to the operations of the company. According to Bond and Haynes (2014), apart from boosting competitive advantage, diversity helps to improve creativity and introduce new ideas to the organization.
Points Learned from the Chapter
Promoting diversity has, however, gone beyond the legal requirements as it is a strategy that organizations can use to boost their intangible assets, such as the image of their brands. Promoting diversity helps to improve customer loyalty and win new clients, especially those that are conscious of the firm’s cultural and racial representation (Noe et al., 2013).
Points Learned from the Article
The article teaches its readers how human resources managers can collaborate with other managers to promote diversity in an organization. According to Bond and Haynes (2014), the board should ensure minority groupings are adequately represented in all the hierarchies of the company.
Additionally, it unveils the need to structure the policies of the organization in a manner that promotes diversity. In this regard, holding events and activities that align with the cultural practices of the different groups helps to boost the level of interaction and adaptability of all the employees.
Conclusion
Equality in the workplace can be achieved by giving equal employment opportunity to people of different backgrounds. Chapter 3 examines the issue of diversity from the perspective of government intervention through the formulation of different regulations. On the other hand, the article looks at the subject from the organizational standpoint, where it is the duty of a company to structure its policies and events in a manner that promotes equality. Although the two pieces use different perspectives, they can help a firm to adhere to the set labor laws while at the same time promoting its image.
References
Bond, M. A., & Haynes, M. C. (2014). Workplace diversity: A social-ecological framework and policy implications. Social Issues and Policy Review, 8(1), 167-201.
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2013). “Providing equal employment opportunity and safe workplace.” In The Fundamentals of Human resources management (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Parrotta, P., Pozzoli, D., & Pytlikova, M. (2014). The nexus between labor diversity and firm’s innovation. Journal of Population Economics, 27(2), 303-364.
