Managing Diversity and Equality Opportunity - Coursework Example

Managing Diversity and Equality Opportunity Table of Contents Introduction 2 Diversity and Equality 3 Diversity and Equality Issues 3 Options for Addressing Diversity and Equality Issues 4 Equality Act 4 Race Relations Act 5 Sex Discrimination Act 5 Disability Discrimination Act 5 Equal Pay Act 5 The Disadvantaged Theory 6 Importance of Diversity and Equality 6 Factors having Affect on Global Business 7 Maintaining Effective Working Relationship 7 Training Program 8 Change Management 9 Existence of Leadership Qualities 9 Conclusion 10 Reference List 12 Introduction Human Resource Management (HRM) is defined as a process of handling people in the companies in a thorough and structured manner. This encompasses the fields of retention of individuals, staffing, directing, payments and rewards, change management and performance management (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2014). The manager of human resource department is accountable for managing the expectations of employees and also the management objectives. He is also responsible for reconciling both in order to ensure the fulfilment of employees and realisation of the management goals. HRM is also referred to as a distinctive approach towards employment management that seeks to attain competitive advantage by means of a strategic progress of highly capable and committed employees by employing an integrated collection of personal, structural and cultural techniques (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2014). One of the main concerns in the field of HRM is the adoption of diversity in the place of work. It means that the organisation should welcome individual from across the world and should reflect this approach in its workplace culture as well as hiring policies (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2014). Organisations can improve or develop the workplace’ diversity and equality by executing a training program on diversity. The diversity program must include definite policies in order to reduce biasness. The organisations which are operating on global basis must welcome diversity and equality in their place of work because if they will not adopt this approach, then their business will be affected (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2014). The report will focus on the ways of keeping diversity as a main priority by taking into consideration the importance of diversity and equality in the workplace. A training program will be designed to create awareness about the importance of diversity within the organisation. Diversity and Equality Diversity and equality are different but related theories under the HRM. Equality in the place of work means that all the workers are treated in an equal manner without any distinction. Diversity means welcoming the talents from different parts of the world irrespective of the culture, race, sex and gender (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2014). Diversity and Equality Issues Under the equality and diversity, there are many issues which need to be addressed such as associative discrimination, indirect discrimination, perceptive discrimination and harassment. For example, Apple Inc. is currently experiencing issues related to gender inequality. One of the major causes is that the company is not doing enough to support gender equality. Data suggests that it employs around 70% male and only 30% female employees. Moreover, among the female workers, majority are working in non-technical sector of business (Armstrong, 2009). Associative discrimination: It refers to a discrimination or biasness against an individual based on religion, race, age, sexual orientation and gender. The main issue is that if non-disabled workers take care of the feeling of the disabled employees then they are also discriminated and lack certain benefits (Jacobs, Gerson and Gornick, 2004). Perceptive discrimination: It means that the individual is distinguished based on some vague discernment or perception of managers. The managers do not check the reality and based on their perception discriminate the employee (Jacobs, Gerson and Gornick, 2004). Indirect discrimination: Indirect discrimination takes place where certain policies apply to everybody; however, the policy provides an inconsistent impact on individuals with defended or protected characteristics (Jacobs, Gerson and Gornick, 2004). Harassment: Harassment and bullying makes the employee feel offended and intimidated by others. Examples of harassment include unfair treatment, denying the promotion or training opportunities of the employees, spreading malevolent rumours and frequently undermining a capable worker (Jacobs, Gerson and Gornick, 2004). Addressing these issues will help to create an effective workplace where the employees will feel protected and will also enjoy their work. It will further result in more productivity and ultimately excel growth. Options for Addressing Diversity and Equality Issues The human resource managers are required to create awareness among the management that they should follow some practices in order to ensure that diversity is the main priority. This requires following the range of discrimination acts in order to address the identified diversity and equality issues. Equality Act The “Equality Act 2010” officially protects individual from discrimination or unfairness in the wider society as well as in the workplace. It is the basic structure of protection against indirect and direct victimisation, harassment and discrimination in services as well as public functions (Government Equalities Office, 2015). Under this Act, nine protected features are gender reassignment, age, maternity and pregnancy, disability, race, sex, civil partnership and marriage, religion and the sexual orientation (Government Equalities Office, 2015). Race Relations Act The “Race Relation Act 1976” was instituted to prevent biasness or discriminations mainly on the basis of race, nationality, colour, national origin and ethnicity in the area of employment. The Act extended discrimination in order to include victimisation. It makes discrimination unlawful in the places of work (Bbc, 2015). Sex Discrimination Act The “Sex Discrimination Act 1975” protects the women and men from biasness on the grounds of marital status or gender. The Act concerned training, employment, harassment, provision of services and goods, education as well as disposal of the premises. The Act was revised after the commencement of ‘Gender Recognition Act’ in the year 2004 in order to guard the transgender individuals (Inbrief, 2015). Disability Discrimination Act The “Disability Discrimination Act” came into existence in 1995. It protects the individual who is suffering from disabilities including partially sighted and blind people from biasness (Rnib, 2015). Equal Pay Act The “Equal Pay Act 1970” states that it is unlawful or illegal for managers to differentiate between women and men in terms of their compensation where both are undertaking either the similar work or the work of similar value (Nidirect, 2014). All these Acts will allows for the positive action and therefore permit the employers to remove the barriers which prevent the individual from being engaged in work and developing within their companies. The human resource manager must make an approach to the top management to include all these policies in their business operations in order to keep diversity as a main priority. It will also help in operating globally in an efficient way because if the managers will employ people without any discrimination then they will be able to attract more talents. The Disadvantaged Theory The disadvantaged theory explains that the women entrepreneurs go through double discrimination in the place of work and society. It is referred to those who are barred from the leading mainstream economy because of the discrimination factor and therefore, they prefer self-employment above unemployment. Discriminated and disadvantaged people frequently face resource limitations. The authors distinguished between ‘employment market disadvantages’ ensuing from nativity, gender or racial discrimination not essentially related to individual’s productivity or group’s productivity on demand side as well as ‘resource or capital disadvantage’ on supply side (Heilman and Chen, 2003). Some authors argues that the result of those who are forced to engage in self-employment due to the significant shortcomings are more unofficial, sometimes regarded as ‘illegal’, types of entrepreneurship. Other advocates that this type of self-employment normally indicates sole proprietorships as well as low income, low equity, small and sluggish growing enterprises (Volery, 2007). Importance of Diversity and Equality Workplace diversity often allows a company to bring more capable and competent. It is extremely vital as diverse workforce in the company will fuel the economic development and can be crucial in capturing more market share. Diversity and equality exist to guarantee an inclusive place of work, where the distinction is never a barrier to grow within the company. An inclusive and diverse worker assists the organisation to circumvent the staff turnover cost. In the United Kingdom, procedures and practices are in place in order to ensure that all employees are treated in a similar way and are provided with the equal opportunities irrespective of their sexuality, race, disability, gender, age and culture. Diversity encourages innovative employees thereby bringing together people from various backgrounds, and hence is a solution towards managing business effectively. It helps to remain competitive as well as propel growth (Pilbeam & Corbridge, 2006). Diversity and equality positively impact the operation of a global business. It helps to draw top talent. A workplace with equally engaging men and women provides access to the whole talent pool. Women are progressively more talented than men, so a workplace which is not attractive towards women has the possibility of losing the greatest talent to rivals. Therefore, the companies should become aware of the importance of treating both men and women equally based on their merit. Gender equality helps to reduce the recruitment expenses. When both men and women are expected to stay with the company, they are viewed as generating turnover for the organisation thereby reducing the recruitment expenses (Pilbeam & Corbridge, 2006). Gender equality assists in performing better. There is a connection between better performance of the company and the gender equality. Among the various factors, the key aspect is that the diversity brings with itself various perceptions, generates a more holistic enquiry of the matters the company faces, thereby, leading to enhanced decision making. Furthermore, diversity and equality improves productivity and competitiveness on a global basis. Empowering women signifies a more effectual utilization of a human talent, as well as, minimizing gender disparity augments economic expansion and productivity (Pilbeam & Corbridge, 2006). Factors having Affect on Global Business There are many factors which may affect the business of international companies. Among the various factors, political, social and legal are considered as the major factors that may have an effect on the global business. Social factors such as the buying habits and the lifestyles of the people affect the way the business operates. The growth rate of the population as well as the level of disposable income has an effect on the global business. Governments as well as politics play a key role in global business. The political and legal environment in global business comprises of various factors as well as government activities which can either hinder or facilitate ability of the business to conduct its operations in the foreign market. It has been observed that there is high level of insecurity or uncertainty when doing business operations in the foreign country and various risks are also associated with it. The decrease or increase in the tax may affect the global operations of the companies. Moreover, the change in the regulation of government also affects the international business operations (Pitelis, 2005). Maintaining Effective Working Relationship To maintain an effective relationship at the workplace, certain things which need to be in place are discussed below: Developing own skills: At workplace, good relationship begins with enhanced skills of the employees. One needs to develop own skill in order to maintain good relationship with the colleagues (Hendry, 2012). Effective Communication: Effective communication is a key to maintain good relationship at the place of work. It helps in handling the matters and transferring the information from top management to the middle level managers (Hendry, 2012). Conflict resolution: Conflict generally takes place between the team members when they do not agree on particular matter. The best way to resolve the conflict is to accept the opinion of others and then one needs to give its suggestion. Therefore, listening and accepting each other’s opinion leads to effective workplace relationship (Hendry, 2012). Appreciating others: Top management should always appreciate their employees when they give an outstanding performance. It will help to build good relationship and also to boost productivity (Hendry, 2012). Be positive: The employees as well as the managers are required to be positive under any circumstances. It helps to strengthen the relationship with the colleagues (Hendry, 2012). Training Program Identifying goals and objectives: First of all, the goals of the company need to be identified. Once the goal is identified, the focus should be on the weak areas. The training should be provided to the employees on improving the weak areas (Cho et al, 2006). Identifying staff and planning: The training program need to be planned by identifying employees who are expected to benefit from the training program. The training modules which cover time management and company policies should be provided to the staff. It will help to enhance their knowledge (Cho et al, 2006). Budget planning: The management should not cut on their training costs because training is considered as an investment for the company as it will help to boost productivity (Cho et al, 2006). Implementation of training module: Training module should be implemented by keeping in mind the matter which is of utmost importance. The managers should provide learning as well as development programs in order to exploit the professional growth of the workforce. By doing this, the staff can handle their own career path as well as drive progress within their company (Cho et al, 2006). The management should provide effective training to their employees in order to keep the structure and process in place and also to achieve maximum productivity. Effective training and development program is a vital constituent and holds the key to retain efficient staff with which in turn can add to organisation’s benefit. Change Management Change management is viewed at three different levels i.e. the enterprise level, individual level and team level (Samuel, 2013). At an enterprise level, the competency and capability of an organisation is judged to cope up with the change successfully. If the organisations manage change in an efficient way, then they can attain success and propel growth. At a team level, the group members take initiatives to make changes in the existing project to present it in a more appropriate way. If the modifications are done successfully, then it assists in creating value for the organisation. At an individual level, it means that how a person adopts the novel way of performing or doing things. If a person successfully embraces change within itself, then it will result in proper management of things, thus focusing on individual’s proficiency and capability of holding new things and managing change (Samuel, 2013). Many companies are infrequently faced with some challenges that propel them to make changes in their existing business operation. The organisations have to face some amendments or changes when they have to respond towards new scenarios of development or the restructuring process. Change in the organisation has become a continuous event which should be managed in a proper way in order to survive (Samuel, 2013). The change management program is designed within the companies to assist them in surmounting compartmentalized, functional approaches of decision making and also assist in taking benefit of the innovative opportunities. The change management program helps the companies in developing relevant skills in producing a vision for change, executing change management model to promote gender equality as well as to augment the effectiveness of the company. It further assists in managing expertise in competitive universal environment, and diagnosing the areas of trouble and opportunities within the company (Depaul, 2014). Existence of Leadership Qualities The leadership qualities which help an individual to become a great leader are vision, honesty, trust, capability to delegate and respect. Vision: In leadership, the word ‘vision’ brings a long term high level strategic objectives. The leaders with certain vision align workforce with the mission of the company. It assists the employees to perform their job by keeping in mind the mission of the company (Puccio, Mance and Murdock, 2010). Honesty: Honesty is a key to leadership. A leader needs to be honest in order to make ethical behaviour because the employees and business are a reflection of an honest leader (Forbes, 2012). Trust: A leader which a clear vision and honest behaviour achieves trust of the workforce. The leader needs to trust and to be trusted by the staff members. A trusted leader can guide as well as manage the workforce in a more appropriate way. It will help to produce better result (Puccio, Mance and Murdock, 2010). Capability to delegate: Delegating tasks or works to the suitable departments is an important leadership skill which results in the growth of the business internationally. A suitable way of delegating is to recognise the strengths of team members as well as to make the most out of them (Forbes, 2012). Respect: It is very difficult to earn if the leaders does not possess the correct leadership qualities. On the contrary, a competent leader easily earns respect on the basis of their skills and capability to lead the team members (Puccio, Mance and Murdock, 2010). All these leadership qualities of a leader help to direct the workforce in an efficient way which further leads to greater productivity. The employees which are directed properly perform their task in accordance to the vision and mission of the company and put their best effort to expand the business on global basis. Expanding business internationally requires great mind as well as great effort which are not possible without proper direction of leaders. Therefore, it is ensured that the above qualities of the leaders play a major role in guiding the employees, shaping the business as well as enabling the business to expand internationally (Puccio, Mance and Murdock, 2010). Conclusion The paper is designed to provide the importance of diversity and equality in the workplace. There are many issues related to diversity and equality and therefore addressing these issues will help to create an effective workplace where the employees will feel protected and will also enjoy their work. The human resource managers are required to create awareness among the management that they should follow some practices in order to guarantee that diversity is the main priority. Diversity in the place of work helps the company to bring more qualified people. It exists to guarantee an inclusive place of work, where the distinction is never a barrier to grow within the company. It fosters more innovative and creative employees. Training is essential for personal growth and also for competitiveness, as well as, it assists individual to create a differentiation within the company. It has been observed that the political, social and legal factors have an effect on the global business. The decrease or increase in the tax may affect the global operations of the companies. The change management program is designed within the companies to assist them in taking advantage of the innovative opportunities. The leadership qualities play a significant role in shaping the business and assisting it to expand globally. Reference List Armstrong, M., 2009. Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice: Performance Management. London: Kogan Page Publisher. Bbc, 2015. 1965: New UK Race Law ‘not tough enough’. [online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/8/newsid_4457000/4457112.stm.> [Accessed 20 June 2015]. Cho, S., Woods, R. H., Jang, S. S. and Erdem, M., 2006. Measuring the impact of human resource management practices on hospitality firms’ performances. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 25(2), pp.262-277. Depaul, 2014. Leadership and change management. [online] Available at: < http://www.depaul.edu/university-catalog/degree-requirements/graduate/business/leadership-and-change-mangement-mba/Pages/default.aspx> [Accessed 20 June 2015]. Forbes, 2012. Top 10 qualities that make a great leader. [online] Available at: < http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/> [Accessed 22 June 2015]. Government Equalities Office, 2015. Information and guidance on the Equality Act 2010, including age discrimination and public sector Equality Duty. [online] Available at: < https://www.gov.uk/equality-act-2010-guidance> [Accessed 20 June 2015]. Heilman, M.E. and Chen, J.J., 2003. Entrepreneurship as a solution: the allure of self-employment for women and minorities. Human Resource Management Review, 13, pp.347-364. Hendry, C., 2012. Human resource management. New York: Routledge. Hitt, M., Ireland, R.D. and Hoskisson, R., 2014. Strategic Management: Concepts, Competitiveness and Globalization. United States of America: Cengage Learning. Inbrief, 2015. Sexual Discrimination Act. [online] Available at: < http://www.inbrief.co.uk/discrimination-law/sex-discrimination-act.htm> [Accessed 20 June 2015]. Jacobs, J., Gerson, K. and Gornick, J., 2004. The Time Divide: Work, Family and Gender Inequality. Cambridge: The Harvard University Press. Nidirect, 2014. Sex discrimination and equal pay. [online] Available at: < http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sex-discrimination-and-equal-pay> [Accessed 20 June 2015]. Pilbeam, S. & Corbridge, M. (2006). People resourcing: Contemporary HRM in practice. Harlow: Prentice Hall. Pitelis, C., 2005. On globalisation and governance: Some issues. Contributions to Political Economy, 24(1), pp.1-12. Puccio, G. J., Mance, M. and Murdock, M. C., 2010. Creative leadership: Skills that drive change. California: Sage Publications. Rnib, 2015. Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) [online] Available at: < https://www.rnib.org.uk/information-everyday-living-your-rights/disability-discrimination-act-dda> [Accessed 20 June 2015]. Samuel, K., 2013. The effects of change management in an organisation: A case study of National University of Rwanda. Journal of Management & Business Studies. 1(1), pp.1-18. Volery, T., 2007. Handbook of Research on Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Read More