Business Case For Age Diversity example essay topic

Abstract This paper is aimed at providing a framework for discussion of diversity and how it pairs with demographic characteristics. It is divided into four parts. Part I represents diversity in the workforce, which reflects the rational of organizations and how they handle diversity in the occupations of their workers. Parts II characterize diversity and age, as it responds to the fact that older people have the skill set to keep them working well past retirement age. Part denotes religion, where as more employers are beginning to recognize the need to allow employees to take time to pray. Part IV symbolizes the personality traits in diversity and how "different" is not always viewed as wrong but can be an incentive to other employees.

Introduction Diversity relates to gender, age, language, ethnicity, cultural background, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. Diversity also refers to the countless ways we are different in other respects such as educational level, job function, socio-economic background, personality profile, geographic location, marital status and whether or not one has family or other career responsibilities. Diversity in the Workplace Managing workplace diversity well requires the creation of an wide-ranging environment that values and utilizes the contribution of people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspective. All organizations policies, practices and processes that impact on the lives of employees need to recognize the potential benefits that can be derived from having access to range of perspectives and to take account of these differences in managing the workplace. Work systems, organizational structures, performance appraisal measurements, recruitment and selection practices and career development opportunities all have impact on the organizational behavior upon the management of diversity. Managing diversity builds on the EEO foundation but puts a new emphasis on the importance of valuing workplace difference as good management practice.

This approach means that organizations must develop people management strategies to value and accommodate differences in the background perspective and family responsibilities of their employees. It requires them to acknowledge the positive contribution that diversity can make to improving productivity and generating new ideas and ways of doing things. Merit is also a keep principle in the succession of an equitable and diverse workforce. The merit principle means that appointment and promotion decisions must be made without patronage, favoritism or unjustified discrimination. There is a statutory vacancy advertising arrangements which ensure that all eligible candidates have a reasonable opportunity to apply.

Also selection decisions must be made on the basis of a comparative assessment of relative suitability or efficiency. Diversity and Age In order to maintain a competitive edge the legal profession and the clients for whom they represent, need to employ an age diverse workforce that reflects the demands of our changing community and its potential markets. They are considerable bottom-line benefits in utilizing qualified older workers and according to the United States study conducted for the National Council on the aging, most reported that they believed older workers were reliable, thorough, conscientious and dependable. Myths and stereotypes must be directly countered through education. By making a healthy business case for age diversity, many employers have driven significant change within their organization.

The business case is based on a simple premise; people are living longer than ever before and are having fewer children. As a result the population is aging. From an employment perspective, the dramatic drop in numbers of young people coming into the labor markets is beginning to have a huge impact on the pool from which employers are able to recruit new employees. The business case for age diversity is common sense, the United States workforce is growing steadily older, which is causing the labor pool to contract. Employers seeking skilled staff are experiencing chronic recruitment difficulties.

As the workforce, ages and contracts, skilled workers will increasingly come at a premium. Organizations that fail to respond to the threat will put their future growth and profitability at risk while missing out on the benefit of greater age diversity. Ageism is widespread and affects all age groups. Some define an older worker as "a woman over 35" and "a man over 42". At another end of the scale, a 27 year old secretary with 9 years experience may be considered too young for a post, despite having sufficient experience. The business benefit of a mixed-age workforce is now widely recognized.

There is a clear evidence that both staff turnover and absenteeism are reduced and that motivation and commitment are improved in organizations employing people of all ages. Religion Religion is an arena where the ethnic diversity can become an issue at work, and the religious makeup of the United States is changing. In 1980, only two percent of Americans expressed a religious preference other than Christians or Jewish, by 1999 the proportion outside of the mainstream has tripled, to six percent, according to the 2000 statistical abstract of the United States. By 2010, the State Department estimates, Islam will have displaced Judaism as the second largest religion practiced in American after Christianity.

Employers who ignore these trends or mishandle their implications run several risks, including legal exposure, the breakdown of employee morale and problems with retention. More and more companies are coming out of denial and realizing that these are issues that need to be addressed, says Georgette Bennett. Employers can draw a line, and sometimes must. It is not a reasonable accommodation for a Muslim man working on an assembly line to stop five times a day to pray.

Title Vii allows employers to deny a worker an accommodation that would cause an undue hardship for business, such as a substantial loss of productivity. Personality Traits Another common complaint regarding religion in the workplace is disregard for the right to be left alone. We often hear about employees who are blessing everybody and praying for everybody. Outright proselytizing can also be a problem and employers may be obligated to step in when proselytizers ignore their coworker's requests to stop.

Time off for religious observance, especially of non-Christian holidays, is a major issue for many workers who practice Judaism, Islam, or another minority religion. Some employers band the swapping of its shifts for this purpose. Some employers ask their supervisors to rearrange their work schedules. Employers that deny schedule request that could be accommodated without undue hardship run the risk of legal challenges and morale problems. Personality is defined as bearing patters in a person's thought, feelings, and behaviors across situations. Personality traits are behavioral predispositions.

Many things other than our personalities affect how we react to diverse situations and interact with other people, so our personality traits are not hard and fast rules for predicting our behaviors, but they are behavioral tendencies. Personality dimensions are the areas in which our personalities differ. For example, a bullfighter or an entrepreneur might be very low on the risk aversion dimension. That is, they are willing to pursue fairly risk courses of action. In contrast, loan officers should probably be higher in risk aversion. Appreciating the diverse personalities of people we interact with helps us to understand why they act the way they do and how to get the most out of them.

Appreciating personality diversity means respecting the strengths and limitations of each individual, and knowing how to capitalize on each individual's strength. For instance, there are advantages to lower risk aversion (willingness to be innovative and adventurous) and high risk aversion (fewer errors). There is no "one best way" when it comes to risk aversion. Some decisions are best approached from a risk-averse perspective and others from the opposite perspective. Therefore, appreciating personality diversity means following risk-averse people when risks must be minimized, and following the risk-takers when its time to be bold.

Appreciating personality diversity is the opposite of dogmatically expecting everyone to view situations the way you do, no matter how successfully you have been using your approach. We don't all think alike but that's often a good thing. Ultimately, to create a culture of tolerance that helps attract and retain employees, top executives need to set a tone that accommodates diversity practices. There is no point in diversity programs if management does not get it. And, there is no point in addressing age, and religion.

The demographic diversification of the American workforce is well underway and will become only more challenging in the future. Reference: Bennett, Georgette (2005) Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious, Understanding Religious Demographics. Durden, Lisa (1994) Diversity in the Workplace: Bridging the Cultural Divide. Marofsky, Myrna (2005), Pro group - Innovative Diversity Solutions.