Personal Frame of Reference with Regard to Diversity - Assignment Example

Part Draw up your own Personal Frame of Reference with regard to Diversity. I manage in a support centre for refugees and a hostel for refugees. On a daily basis I come across a number of people from various walks of life and from different cultures and races. I need to deal with all of these people and understand their needs and requirements. Doing the job I actually do, it is essential that I do not have any personal opinion about any of the cultures, religions or races. Managing a room full of refugees from various countries I come across a number of people being treated differently and also some people overpowering the others. However when the word Diversity is put forth to me, the only terms that come to my head are, ‘Everyone is the same’. This is because irrespective of people being different and needing different things, in a place like the hostel for the refugees, I treat everyone with the same amount of care and concern and also the facilities are the same for all. This however does not mean that I do not respect the others views, opinions, race or culture. There is a need to recognise the difference and acknowledge them equally with no partiality. Part 2: a) Provide an example of when you have been in a hurtful situation and describe how you were feeling. Discuss your response to the situation and whether or not you spoke to anyone else about the experience. There are a number of cases where I have been treated differently at work. This is not from the employers or from colleagues but more so from the refugees. There was a situation where I was accused of giving more importance to another refugee. The person who accused me believed that I showed partiality based on colour of skin and this was a very hurtful situation. I try to make sure I am able to accommodate all people and recognise their needs however when a situation like this occurs it is very painful as the acquisition is incorrect and not valid. I did not speak to anyone in this case and left it to others in the team to ensure complete safety and comfort for all including the person who accused me. b) Why do you think the people involved behaved in this way towards you, what was having an effect on them. The main reason for the accusation is the fact that people come from different walks of life and different cultures. Obviously the skin colour of people across the world is not the same and there are strong barriers in most of the minds that people from Asian or African origin are treated unfairly by people from the American or European regions. This was the basis of the accusation and was completely because of the block in the minds only. c) Relate this situation to your Personal Frame of Reference and state what areas may have contributed to the situation taking place. As mentioned in my personal frame of reference, I work on managing a refugee centre. This involves a number of people from different races, cultures to come together and be treated in one manner. This could have been the cause of the outburst of emotions and could have led the person to have felt that I have something against them personally. However having worked in this centre for a long period now, I understand the needs of people and try to incorporate the best possible within the means provided. Part 3: List three examples to describe how people’s differences can be valued People have different needs and requirements. Hence valuing a person’s difference can include, accepting them for what they are. Example 1: Treating people from different cultures, and treating them with respect and dignity, responding sensitively to differences. Example 2: Giving head to a younger (age) persons’ views and opinions and respecting their say in a particular circumstance. Example 3: Treating people with different sexual orientation equally and not letting their personal choice be a hindrance to work. Part 4: a) What forms of harassment, discrimination or victimisation took place? The case here is one of clear Victimisation. Susan has been made a victim of the jokes as she was a very quiet and does not indulge in sexist jokes or any other form of personal attacks on others. Participating in jokes and loose talks is not Susan’s choice and she dislikes them due to which she had become a victim of the jokes of the rest of the team as well. This is a clear form of victimisation. b) Give a definition for each of the terms; harassment, discrimination and victimisation. Harassment: Harassment occurs when offensive behaviour is directed at someone because of their race or when someone creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for another person (NCFE Level 3, 2009) Discrimination: There are two main types of discrimination: Direct Race Discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably, on racial grounds, than someone else would be treated in the same or similar circumstances. Indirect Race Discrimination occurs when a rule or practice disadvantages people because of their race (NCFE Level 3, 2009). Reverse Discrimination refers to the fundamental where the majority is given importance. For instance, in gender discrimination the men generally fall into the category of reverse discrimination unlike the women who face discrimination. It refers to the importance that is given to the majority while discriminating a set of people (Gillian, 2003). Victimisation: Victimisation occurs when someone is treated less favourably than another because of a personal dislike or because they have made or intend to make a complaint about discrimination or harassment or have given supporting evidence or intend to give supporting evidence relating to a complaint about discrimination or harassment. Part 5: a) Why is it important to manage equality and diversity? In the current world, there is a high need for equality in society. Based in terms of morality, legality, equality refers to the understanding, that everyone is different and each person has different needs and which might need a different approach towards achieving. Diversity on other hand means difference. This is similar to equality and is mainly used to refer to the need of being able to accept positively the differences in society or even in the work places (Carrell, Mann, Sigler, 2006). Considering this in terms of business, it is essential to understand that while in business, there will always be a large mix of people who might either have different needs or might also come from different cultures. Hence it is here that businesses need to play a lot of attention to diversity and equality. It is also important to be able to accept the differences and use this as a chance to a fairer society by treating everyone equally irrespective of their age, class, belief, gender, race, religion or even sexual orientation. This will bring about a sense of uniformity and a more peaceful environment as well. Also the positive part of this is that people can learn from the differences of others and become understanding and tolerable. b) What benefits can be gained from managing equality and diversity? Having a diverse workplace can have numerous benefits. With the equal opportunities and diverse labour, the organization can have a more conducive environment for creativity and also innovation. This will lead to developing improvements in terms of services as well as efficiency. Benefits are not only for companies but also for individuals. With the equality and diversity being put into action, there is a higher chance to tap better skills. Also people who have never been given a chance due to a difference in terms of age, gender, class as well can have a shot at proving themselves and can in a number of terms bring about change and improvement to the companies and society. The implementation of diversity at work will help the organization achieve optimum results through factors like: a) Improved Employee performance: It is proved that employees that are satisfied at work are more productive. With the implementation of diversity at work it allows employees to contribute in teams which makes the employees feel more committed to their jobs b) Improved Customer Satisfaction: Achieving customer satisfaction requires workforce to be responsive and with the diverse employees within the organization it would help the company deliver better and more efficient results. It is essential for organizations to know the market to deliver efficient and effective services to the community. Thus employees that mirror the customer needs are most essential to cater well to the needs of the markets. c) Improved Organizational Performance: Every organization requires to give importance to diversity. A mix of staff within an organization allows the productivity of the organization to improve in a number of ways, since there are are a number of different perspectives and different interpretations to problems which can help the organization to move towards its goals and improve its performance. Decision making within a firm can also be more firm with the introduction of diversity. Also different ways of working towards the same goal is always appreciated by. Part 6: Compare and contrast what the main differences are between managing diversity and equal opportunity. Diversity plays a very important role in all countries and the government of every country has taken this issue very seriously and attempted to improve the working conditions. Also after having discussed the benefits of diversity at work, it is quite evident that the incorporation of diversity at a workplace not only improves the business however also helps in improving the employee productivity. Diversity also emphasizes on learning from others and focuses on dignity and respect for all. Also the laws that have been introduced by the government have helped improve the situation of the minority in a number of ways and have shown very positive results. Equal opportunity on the other hand is where people are given complete equality irrespective of their personal choices in life, or they race, religion or class. It is essential to understand that it is possible to have equal opportunities in companies where there is diversity; however it is not necessary that diversity is always present in companies with equal opportunities (Foothill, 2004). This is mainly because of the fact that diversity can only be present when there is a mix of people from different cultures and countries. Bibliography Carrell, M.R., Mann, E.E., Sigler, T.H., 2006, ‘defining workforce diversity programs and practices in Organizations: a longitudinal study’, Labour Law Journal, CCH Incorporated Foothill, 2004, ‘Diversity in workplace’, Foothill DE ANZA, 3 March 2004, Accessed on 18th July 2009, Retrieved from http://hr.fhda.edu/diversity/ Gillian, F., 2003, ‘The reverse discrimination Trap’, Workforce, Jun 2003, Vol. 82, Issue 6, p 106 NCFE Level 3, 2009, Certificate in Managing Diversity, New Castle College. Read More