Diversity in the Workplace

1. Diversity in the Workplace

3. Overview • How Diverse Are We and Why Is Diversity Important? • Benefits of Diversity • Types of Diversity • Laws and Executive Orders Prohibiting Discrimination

4. US Workforce is More Diverse than Ever Before • More women are working than ever before • The workforce will continue to get older • The number of immigrants has increased • Ethnic and racial diversity is increasing

5. Workplace Diversity • Refers to the variety of differences between people in an organization; it encompasses race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, education and background.

6. Diversity • It not only involves how people perceive themselves, but how they perceive others, and these perceptions affect their interactions.

7. Benefits of Diversity • Increased Adaptability • Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences • Broader service range • Allows a company to provide service to customers on a global basis • Variety of Viewpoints • Varying points of view provides a larger pool of ideas and experiences.

8. Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace • Communication • Cultural and language barriers could cause ineffective communication which can result in confusion, lack of teamwork and low morale. • Resistance to change • “We’ve always done it this way” mentality silences new ideas and inhibits progress. • Implementation of Diversity Workplace Policies • Build a strategy to maximize the effects of diversity in the workplace.

9. Types of Diversity • Gender Diversity • Age Diversity • Cultural Diversity • Sexual Orientation • Family Situations • Physical and Psychological Disabilities • Political Views • Personal Idiosyncrasies

10. Gender Diversity: Nonstandard work • More women in workforce today than ever • Better educated than ever • Most “nonstandard” workers (those who do not hold regular, full-time jobs) are women • 55% of workers paid by temporary agencies are women • 70% of part-time workers are women • Stereotypes still remain • Glass ceiling, etc.

11. Gender Diversity: Wages and Income • In 2000, women who worked full-time, year round earned 74.3 cents for each dollar earned by men • Over a lifetime of work, the average 25-year-old woman who works full-time, year round until she retires at 65 will earn $523,000 less than the average working man • 58% of the workers who benefited from the last minimum wage increase were women

12. Age Diversity • As population ages, more older workers are available • Re-entry of middle-aged women to work • Retirees returning to supplement pension • Internships bring in more younger employees

13. Cultural Diversity • Affects values, view of the world • More than 40% of new entrants into U.S. workforce from non-“majority” groups • About 22% new immigrants • About 20% African-American or Hispanic • Growing international business • Employees maintain ties to national and cultural heritage

14. Equal Pay Act (1963) Civil Rights Act (1964; amended 1972, 1991) Executive Order 11246 (1965) Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1967) Equal Employment Opportunity Act (1972) Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1972) Americans with Disabilities Act (1978) Family and Medical Leave Act (1993) Federal Laws and Executive Orders Prohibiting Job Discrimination