Promoting Diversity at the Workplace - Essay Example

? “Managing Diversity” Critically discuss the role that unions might play in advancing equality and promoting diversity in the workplace? Today, the workplace diversity has become an essential part of the working environment because the global competition has reached to its peak. Any organization which wants to make increased profits while having successful operations has to maintain diversity in the workplace. However there are certain issues and problems related to it which needs to be figure out in order to maintain sound working environment. Such issues include inequality and the organization’s lack of interest in building the real diverse working situation. Managing diversity is an art in itself since when different people from entirely different backgrounds, ethnic groups, religions, nationalities and cultures work together they generally give rise to conflicts and disagreements which are if not settled on time then they can lower the productivity of the organization in one way or the other. Here the role of unions becomes even more important as they influence the workplace most and can play a substantial role in proceeding equality and endorsing diversity. A union is basically a group of workers within or outside an organization which sets up to communicate about the rights of the employees to the management and for other similar activities. Therefore they have a major control over the mindset of the workers and they can easily direct their behavior. After gaining its roots in the U.S. the workplace diversity is extending towards other countries. At present the European Countries are going through a recession which has to be dealt with carefully managed workplace diversity to successfully face the challenges of globalization (Kandola and Fullerton, 1994). The U.S. and most of the European countries are facing the demographic changes as more and more people from all other the world are migrating to these countries. These people maintain different approaches about life and needs to be deal accordingly. The no of women in the workforce has comparatively increased which further emphasizes upon the need of workplace diversity as well as equality. The role played by unions is different in European countries than that of United States. In the U.S. the concept of diversity management particularly concerns the top management while abandoning the lower one. Research has declared that diversity management is in attendance in European Countries for instance, in United Kingdom, however this is not true about all the European States as people living and working together in Europe belong to different histories, political backgrounds, casts and class systems which all constitutes to workplace conflicts and problems. In addition to this diversity is also sustained by discriminating on the basis on race and gender. During 1999 and 2004 a research was conducted in U.K. and Denmark in order to analyze the diversity management in the light of race and gender discrimination. To go further we first need to understand the term diversity which is used in different and wide perspectives. First of all it is used to explain the variety and multiplicity of people who are working together in order to achieve the organizational goals and objectives. Subsequently, it is used to make policy called the diversity management which aims at utilizing the diverse talents and skills of workforce to attain organizational goals. Finally, diversity is also used as a theoretical approach which revolves around the disadvantages and inequality. When people of same gender race or ethnic group are working together than there are comparatively less chances of discrimination and inequality however, when there is diversity inequality in hopefully at hand therefore diversity management is required to deal with such issues (Greene, A.M., G. Kirton and J. Wrench, 2005). The workplace unions generally do not have issues with the multicity of people working together but it is observed in the European countries that these unions are not good representative of their diverse workforce especially in terms of gender i.e. women rights and for the ethnic groups (ETUC, 2002). The research conducted in the United Kingdom explored that the concept of diversity as a policy is taken in entirely different dimensions in both the countries. The U.K. maintains a skeptical attitude towards it whereas Denmark welcomes it with zeal. The people of Denmark supports the concept of diversity management whereas the British struggle against the inequality as it is much found in the Great Britain. On the other hand the unions in Denmark believe that the development of diversity management and its acceptance by the people is a great step in the way of increasing business profits by managing the diverse workforce. The British unions consider diversity management as nostalgic step as they are more concerned about equality in terms of ethnicity and opportunities. The Unions may be positively or negatively associated with the diversity management which clearly depends upon the national and industrial setup of the country and the equality approach. However the term diversity is itself highly positive in nature whose significance cannot be neglected or overlooked. But the problem arises when different people with different personalities and skills ask for equality because when there is diversity the equal distribution of rewards or awards becomes highly challenging. In Denmark unions concerning the diversity relate it with the ethnic and racial differences whereas in Britain these unions are more concerned about the gender and racial equality (Greene, A.M., G. Kirton and J. Wrench, 2005). Workplace diversity is perceived in entirely different modes in different nations and countries which is quiet evident from the above quoted example of Denmark and United Kingdom. However one cannot neglect the fact that it is associated with many conflicts and inequalities. Diversity recognizes the human dignity and human rights but when different people work under the same roof to attain the common goal then it becomes highly challenging for the unions to fulfill the needs and requisites of diversity while providing equality and egalitarianism. Therefore the role of unions becomes highly challenging and critical. At one side they have to appoint workforce who is from different educational backgrounds, nationalities and cultures and on the other side they have to maintain equality within the workplace. To understand this let’s consider an example: an organization operating in FMCG sector can come up with a large variety of goods if it has a multiple workforce but at the same time it has to look after the needs of such people as well. The working women generally have issues related to their children here the trade unions would have to provide the day care or child care facilities to them in order to maintain their motivation level towards work while men are more concerned about their payments and increments, the trade unions would have to resolve these issues for them. However one point cannot be neglected when it comes about the gender equality i.e. both man and woman have different needs and requirements subsequently they cannot perform the same task operations so it is difficult for the unions to maintain equality among them but still the inequality level can be reduced to its minimum. The unions are expected to up hold their role and responsibility towards managing diversity in a way that equality is also maintained. To do this union must have to figure out the familiar and frequent characteristics of their workforce so that they can emphasize upon those points which are same for the majority and ultimately can maintain equality. For instance people belonging to different religions while possessing same nationality usually share the same customs and values which can prove to be helpful for the unions to preserve equality among them. Managing diversity is basically an organizational proposal by its decision makers to deal with the continued expansion in workplace and the consumer market (Carol Agocs, Catherine Burr, 1996). The workplace diversity is growing ever since the development of multinational organizations which maintain a head office in one country while cater to the needs of almost whole of the world. These organizations need to develop different versions of the same product as per the requirements of their customers in a particular region. For instance, the famous food chain Pizza Hut, cannot use cheese made from pork in Islamic countries hence it must develop a diversified workforce for fulfilling the requirements of these countries. Similarly in today’s business setup the women involvement has remarkably increased which gives rise to gender conflicts and discrimination. To deal with it management has to maintain unions which can look after the rights and obligations of employees as well as customers. The unions can apply the one or all of the following techniques in order to achieve equality as well as diversity (Michalle E. Mor Barak, 2011): They first have to identify the morals, individual and cluster differences existing within the workforce. Then they should manage their diversification and equality plans according the stated values and norms prevailing in the society in which the organization is operating. Recognize the needs of the employees on the basic of gender, religion, ethnic background, etc. Then finally they should maintain collaboration among the members of different departments, groups and individuals. This will help the unions to maintain equality among the employees. In 2007 a research was conducted in Scotland to analyze the beliefs and practices of trade unions in providing equal opportunities while promoting diversity. 26 unions were examined by the sameness, difference and transformation models. It was found out that the unions treat employees with discrimination and say that they are maintaining equality. Hence they may be able to respond to the cluster necessities however the individual needs and rights go neglected. It is recommended that all the unions striving for equality should move towards transformation of organizational structure and policies related to egalitarianism and diversification. In this regard conventionalization of equivalent opportunities and cooperative negotiation can prove be essential elements (Colin Lindsay, Anne Munro, Sarah Wise, 2007). Women also want the same pay as men for which they continuously bargain with the unions. Unions can actually increase the horizon of their activities related to establishing equality among employees by observing the necessities of communal justice and business desires (Dickens, 2000). Through the idea of collective bargaining unions can achieve equality by making certain that rights in law have real power and that the conciliation can bring immense improvements. To deal with the female employees they can get benefitted by the equality bargaining which has appeared as the key subject for doing research particularly in European Countries in addition to Australia and America (Blackett and Sheppard, 2002). To convince unions in order to establish equal pay opportunities and bargaining following steps can be considered (HEERY, E., 2006): Amendments should be made in Collective Employment Law by making it more feasible for providing one and the same payments to all the employees. Here employees would have to maintain conciliation with the unions. By utilizing the buying power of general public, private service providers can establish the system of bargaining through indenture fulfillment actions. To increase the level of fulfillment of compulsion law can be introduced to enticement for bargaining. Government would have to amplify its support to the unions in order to maintain bargaining in terms of equality. Collective bargaining leads to many beneficial and substantial changes in the working environment as it ensures equal pay and reduces the gender discrimination therefore it is regarded as a useful element to open up the advancement doors for both man and woman (Gilbert & Secker 1995). However it cannot be achieved by the individual struggle either by the employees or by the trade unions. It is developed on the basis of mutual understanding and co-operation involving the following key components: Development of partnership between employees and trade unions Negotiation for the equal pay opportunities Supporting employees for bringing out equivalent pay evaluation Making the bargaining plan on the fundamentals of identical pay and identical opportunities. Part-time workers should also be given their rights and an equal opportunity of participating in negotiations. The debate over the equality issues within the working environment is going on throughout the world. Particularly in Britain, the Workplace Employment Relations Survey declares in its survey conducted in 2004 that 15% of the British employees are stuck in problems related to equality and discrimination (Kersley et al., 2006). Britain is consider to have the most stable economy and business environment in the world with open and diverse career opportunities for everyone around the globe. If there the employees are facing equality issues then it clearly represents the failure of unions and proves to be an alarm for them to realize their responsibilities towards managing diversity by advancing equality although it is a difficult task yet it is attainable with little co-operation between the employees and unions for the betterment of the whole nation. Unions play a very critical and substantial role in the business environment. They can easily make up the final picture or can destroy it completely. If their efforts and struggles are solely for the sake of establishing equality based working conditions on the fundamental principles of collective bargaining which includes identical payments for the genders, occupational separation, job opportunities, balance between professional and personal lives and most importantly the reduction of harassment issues. If the unions are able to tackle with all of these scenarios then they can maintain a positive image for the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. While on the other hand if they do not succeed in upholding equality, justice, and non discriminated environment then they can put hindrance in the way of organizational success and benefits. References Blackett, A. and Sheppard, C. 2002. The Links between Collective Bargaining and Equality. Working Paper, Geneva: International Labor Office. Carol Agocs, Catherine Burr, (1996) "Employment equity, affirmative action and managing diversity: assessing the differences", International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 17 Issue: 4/5, pp.30 – 45 Colin Lindsay, Anne Munro, Sarah Wise, (2007) "Making equalities work? Scottish trade unions’ approaches to equal opportunities", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 26 Issue: 5, pp.465 - 481 Dickens, L. (2000) Promoting gender equality at works — a potential role for trade union action. Journal of Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, 5,2, 27–45. ETUC (2002) Women in Unions: Making the Difference. Brussels: ETUC. Fagan, C. and Burchell, B. (2002) Gender, Jobs and Working Conditions in the European Union. Dublin: European Foundation. Gilbert & Secker; Generating Equality? Equal pay, decentralization and the electricity supply industry. British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol 33 No 2 Greene, A.M., G. Kirton and J. Wrench (2005) ‘Trade Union Perspectives on Diversity Management: A Comparison of the UK and Denmark’, European Journal of Industrial Relations, 11:2, 179-196. Heery, E. (2006) ‘Equality Bargaining: Where, Who, Why?’ Gender, work And organization, 13(6): 522–542 Kandola, R. and Fullerton, J. (1994) Managing the Mosaic: Diversity in Action. London: IPD. Kersley, B., Alpin, C., Forth, J., Bryson, A., Bewley, H., Dix, G. and Oxenbridge, S. (2006) Inside the Workplace: Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey. London: Routledge. Michalle E. Mor Barak, 2011. Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace: the inclusive workplace model pg 8 Read More