Running Head: DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Diversity in the Workplace
Angela Arnett
Davenport University
Abstract
The face of today’s worker has changed. The United States is no longer the “melting pot” rather it is becoming the “mosaic” representing many nations, many colors, and gender equality. Understanding and accepting this mosaic, today’s diverse workforce, is imperative to remaining competitive in today’s market. Today’s diverse workplace requires management to deal with cultural differences, faith differences, age differences, gender differences, and more. Establishing an environment that recruits and retains the right people for the job, regardless of their gender, skin color, or ethnicity will prove to be rewarding. Management must deal with diversity in a manner that does not affect productivity, turnover, or discriminate.
INTRODUCTION
The United States was founded on diversity as immigrants flocked here for a new start, new freedoms, and new experiences. What was once the “melting pot” has turned into a mosaic of sorts, the previous desire for assimilation has turned into a trend toward multiculturalism. This foundation of diversity is proving to be one of the greatest challenges for today’s Human Resource Management (HRM). The face of the traditional worker no longer exists as more women, minorities, and different cultures are visible in today’s workplace. The diverse workplace requires management to deal with cultural differences, faith differences, age differences, gender differences, and more. Management must deal with diversity in a manner that does not affect productivity, turnover, or discriminate. The context of this paper will explain what diversity is, how it is handled and what laws protect employees.
WHAT IS DIVERSITY?
One definition of diversity is “the host of individual differences that make people different from and similar to each other” (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2008, p 34). The differences in...