Diversity Audit of Sitel Corporation - Essay Example

Diversity Audit of Sitel Corporation Diversity has assumed priority consideration in contemporary organizational development, not only because it allows for the more altruistic aim of actualizing equality among people, but also because of the benefits it contributes to the business organization that increasingly finds itself competing in a multicultural setting. Diversity has become a source of competitive advantage, because firms that could relate to peoples of diverse cultures, speak in several languages, and exhibit familiarity with demographic-specific market tastes finds itself better able to capture a larger market share in a progressively expanding global market. The Company The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings of a diversity audit conducted on Sitel Corporation. Sitel is reputed to be “the leading global business process outsourcing provider of customer care and complementary back-office processes” (Sitel, 2010). The Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility program as an agent for societal change wherever Sitel is found around the globe, which specifically totals 140 worldwide locations. It espouses a commitment to culture and values of corporate citizenship, to improving the quality of life of their associates, to providing value to the business and their clients, and to contributing to the communities where they operate and which they call home (Sitel, 2010). The manpower-intensive nature of the Company, and the wide global reach of its operations, provides plenty of opportunities for the firm to pursue diversity and inclusion in its organizational framework. It implies as much in its website where it claims to “identify and assist individuals” and to provide “empowerment through education to individuals who could have missed this career opportunity without proper training and coaching” (Sitel, 2010). While not in so many words, the Company agrees to provide opportunities to individuals situated out of the mainstream, or dominant, social group, who normally would not have had the opportunity to engage in jobs such as are offered by Sitel. Diversity criteria There are a great many criteria that may be employed to assess diversity, but not all shall be applicable in all cases and for all organizations. Sitel counts among its businesses a widely varied mix of business process outsourcing services including global call centres and personalized customer services. It is therefore necessary to assess the company according to the following attributes (Harvey and Allard, 2008, p. 329): Support for diversity from top management Managers held accountable for hiring, coaching and promoting diverse employees Representation of diverse people (race, gender, age, ethnicity, physical and mental challenges, etc.) in all levels of the organization and the board and in advertising and publications Special recruiting efforts, flexible work arrangements for parents and older workers, flexible holiday policies, etc. Effective diversity training that is ongoing, required for all levels of employees, and routinely updated and assessed for effectiveness As to an understanding as to the conduct of a diversity audit, the researchers resorted to research that included the RCN diversity program (RCN, 2008), a library diversity audit (Pineda, 2008), and the diversity audit lesson plan (Media Awareness Network, 2010). Company visit Upon arriving at the Company premises, the researchers were greeted by Stephanie Seeley, HR manager at Sitel Corporation at Painted Post, NY. Stephanie is a relatively recent addition to the Painted Post branch, having been in her present post for only about a year. During the researchers’ interview with her, she had expressed an exuberant support of diversity and inclusion as a policy in the Corporation, and already has began instituting programs in her particular branch. She has began identifying applicants to the position of call centre operator by their facility in different languages, so that callers who may find difficulty speaking in English may be assisted by an operator who could speak a language or dialect more familiar to them. She has also made it a point to look out for qualified people who may otherwise be physically disabled, such as those in wheelchairs or with a physical defect other than speech impediment. Stephanie has also scheduled social sensitivity seminars where not only operators but also staff and other company personnel are introduced to particular customs, beliefs, norms, mannerisms and other attributes particular to persons of different cultures, age ranges, gender orientations, physical limitations, and so forth, as well as issues that such individuals may find offensive or discriminatory. She has personally encouraged those who wished to publicly display their beliefs, such as the wearing of veils by female Muslim employees, or wearing of a crucifix by Christians, but with the constant reminder that they should respect the rights of others to do the same. Stephanie has other plans, such as putting up attractive posters in commonly-frequented places such as the cafeteria, that provide insight on diverse peoples in order to keep the matter consciously in the consciousness of the employees. Furthermore, she has gone about the office premises and identified certain areas that should be adapted to people with wheelchairs, and is considering arranging for particular cubicles set aside in the regular restrooms for gay and lesbian employees who have requested such arrangement. Not all the managers in Sitel, however, were in favour of diversity and inclusion as a matter of policy. It so happens that the site director, Jeff Matthews, disagrees with many of the initiatives Stephanie has spearheaded, which might account for the delay in the implementation of some of them. Jeff is of the belief that diversity is not a central issue in running the business. This is not to say that he favour segregation. Jeff believes that competence in the workplace is the primary and sole factor for consideration when hiring personnel and in evaluating work performance. He is of the conviction that to distinguish as to diversity is a form of reverse discrimination, and that it would be unfair to turn down a competent white male for a less competent person simply because that person is female, or of a minor ethnic race, or gay or lesbian, or is sitting in a wheelchair. However, he would not hesitate to hire such person if her were more or equally competent, but not for the reason of his or her diverse circumstance. Between them Jeff holds a more senior operational position than Stephanie in the site, being site director, and although Stephanie defers to him on operational matters, she is functionally under Corporate Human Resources Department at its global headquarters in Nashville. She is mandated to implement the HR directives of the Sitel Corporation, which clearly advocates diversity and inclusion as a matter of corporate policy. Diversity assessment Pursuant to the above observations, an assessment follows according to the criteria earlier identified: Support for diversity from top management - Senior management at the site sorely lacks in support; however, this is seen to be offset by Corporate policy that does provide policy support. Still, the lack of support by the a lower manager would tend to create adverse effects on diversity initiatives (Duffin, 2009). Managers held accountable for hiring, coaching and promoting diverse employees - For consistency in implementation of HR policy, the HR manager (Stephanie) determines hiring, although Jeff’s recommendation has great weight as site director. Representation of diverse people in all levels of the organization. - At this stage, it is premature to expect full organization representation, also the right measures initiated at site level. It will take some time before this level of inclusion has been attained. Special recruiting efforts, flexible work arrangements, etc. – Similarly, Painted Post is still a far cry from this, although such policy should emanate from corporate headquarters. Effective diversity training. – As may be seen, Stephanie has taken the first steps in this direction by having seminar conducted. A reasonable next step would be workshops and on-the-job mentoring, in order to facilitate assimilation of what was learned in seminars. Out of the above five criteria, it is clear that the first, second and last are evident, although not without barriers in the form of resistance from local management. The third and fourth criterion are nowhere near evident, but it is expected that in due time present efforts could lead to these. It is highly commendable that top corporate management supports diversity, however it is a natural occurrence in the workplace that personal sentiments may prove a temporary hindrance. It may therefore be concluded that like all traditional organizations just now making the adjustment, Sitel is struggling towards what may hopefully be full inclusion of diverse elements in the workforce. As with all social reform, this will take time (Choi et al., 2010). References Choi, S & Rainey, H G 2010 “Managing Diversity in US Federal Agencies: Effects of Diversity and Diversity Management on Employee Perceptions of Organizational Performance”, Public Administration Review, Jan-Feb 2010, pp. 109-121. Duffin, C 2009 “Meeting the Diversity Agenda”, Nursing Management, vol. 16, no. 3, June 2009, pp. 6-7 Harvey, C & Allard, M J 2008 Understanding and Managing Diversity. Prentice Hall Publications Media Awareness Network 2010 Diversity Audit. Accessed 29 April 2010 Pineda, T 2008 Library Diversity Audit. Accessed 29 April 2010 Royal College of Nursing (RCN) 2008 RCN Corporate Diversity and Equality Strategy. Accessed 29 Paril 2010 Sitel.com 2010 “About Sitel” Sitel official website. Accessed 29 April 2010 Read More