I AHVE ATTACHED 3 DIFFERENT DISCUSSIONS PLEASE READ AND GIVE A RESPONSE TO EACH. PLEASE DO NOT PUT DISCUSSIONS TOGETHER. EX (RESPONSE 1).
DISCUSSION 1
The company I work for is inclusive and supports their female staff by offering different options and flexibility with scheduling. My organization does not only consider the amount of time an employee spends in the office but their results when looking at performance metrics (Rae, 2019). By allowing employees to pick their own schedule and replacing the Monday through Friday 9-5 schedule, it helps the company culture become more inclusive. Employees in a diverse and inclusive environment feel valued and heard by management. I understand my work and communication style and that it may differ from others who I work with who may be working remotely. By using mindfulness, I can better understand how to communicate with my coworkers no matter their schedule differences.
There are pros and cons of having a diverse workforce. A diverse workplace brings a variety of different skill sets to the team. These skills can be educational background, interests and hobbies, or even generation and age of the employee. With a variety of skill sets within the team, it will become a learning experience for all members. There is nothing I rely on more than being able to use my teammates’ knowledge and different viewpoints to help me with a project at work. A diverse workforce is also a great opportunity for mentoring which will help younger generations develop their craft (Ferdman, 2012). Having different generations working at your company will allow different skills, experience and knowledge to help lead to the company’s success and should be valued from a business perspective. A common con of a diverse workforce is the difficulty to communicate. Different generations will have different communications styles. An effective inclusion and diversity strategy is using mindfulness and proactive listening (Bourke, 2014). An employee can learn to communicate with everyone in their office by listening and taking other peoples perspective into consideration.
References:
Bourke, J., Smith, C., & Stockton, H. (2014, March 7). From diversity to inclusion. Delitte Insights.
Ferdman, B. M., & Sagiv, L. (2012). The value of connecting diversity in organizations and cross-cultural work psychology through dialogue and multiplicity. Industrial and Organizational Psychology 5, 373379.
Rae, S. (2019). From Inclusion to Support: How to Build a Better Workplace. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/business/recommendations-diverse-workplace-new-rules
DISCUSSION 2
In my workplace, even though we are a very diverse group that consists of African American, Hispanic and White team members, our Director hasnt given inclusion the importance it deserves. A way of demonstrating the lack of inclusion in our team is the fact that the biggest projects and praises are always given to the same two people in the team that are of the same race as our Director. In addition, whenever someone different from them tries to contribute to a project or takes initiative, at that same moment, that person is not taken seriously or is stop with comments like stay in your lane. Its very sad because the team has become disengaged and there also is a lack of innovation (Godefroy, 2018).
Mindfulness play a very important role in diversity and inclusion, because its the practice that allow us to train our brain to become more aware of our reactions and thinking patterns. The practice or mindfulness helps us train our attention and pause before reacting. We become more self-aware of our biases in our workplace and when performing our duties. In addition, mindfulness practice allows us to maintain high levels of attentiveness and concentration while carrying on projects. Mindfulness also helps us make better decisions and become better listeners (Hearfelt, 2015).
In order to become innovative and proactive, an organization must not only be diverse, but most importantly inclusive. One cannot go without the other one. When thinking about inclusiveness and diversity is not only about race, gender, age, and physical abilities, but also about diversity in thinking (Bourke, Smith & Stockton, 2014). When employees are given the chance to contribute in the organization, they will develop a sense of engagement because their ideas are taken more seriously (Godefroy, 2018). Some other benefits of having a diverse and inclusive workforce are recruiting more talented employees and retaining this talent.
Some of the best strategies to implement diversity and inclusion in the workplace are first, diversity and inclusion training for all. We cannot expect what its not taught and model. Also, involving employees in the hiring process, educating the leadership team, using inclusive language and challenging unconscious bias (Trailhead, n.d.). Most importantly, for diversity and inclusion to be effective practices in an organization, there must be a buy in from all stakeholders involved.
Bourke, J., Smith, C., & Stockton, H. (2014, March 7). From diversity to inclusion. Delitte Insights.
Godefroy, R. (2018, June 19). The benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace Its importance is a priority [Video]. YouTube.
Heartfelt Spirit. (2015, May 28). Mindfulness: The psychology behind mindfulness and meditation [Video]. YouTube.
Trailhead. (n.d.).Understand the importance of diversity and inclusion at work.
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PLEASE READ DISCUSSION 3 AND ANSWER THE QUESTION BELOW. THANKS
DISCUSSION 3
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace provide a smooth environment to work in at a particular corporation. As a manager at TD North Bank, the above aspects enabled me to be at peace with my fellow workers because we could interact well with each other. Besides, the productivity level and profitability increased incredibly at the time. Mindfulness at the workplace is essential because it results in improved and enhanced social interactions among the staff members. Besides, in a diverse and inclusive workplace, mindfulness is responsible for resilience and commitment to the performance of duties. The performance of tasks improves tremendously as few or no cognitive failures will be present among the staff members of the company (Byars et al., 2018). Ultimately there will be a high level of job satisfaction and motivation among the individuals at the workplace.
A proactive focus on diversity and inclusion improves the productivity of the workforce at the workplace (Hunt et al., 2018). The entity mentioned above helps in the critical analysis of every employee, ensuring the recruitment of only talented and qualified persons.
Advantages of having a diverse workforce include the following;
Availability of persons with various skills and thus comfortable performance of tasks.
The provision of an opportunity for mentoring others.
Individuals are exposed to diverse perspectives and opinions.
Provision of better services to customers, thus winning their loyalty.
Disadvantages of a diverse workforce include;
Difficulty in communication among the people due to different backgrounds. These communication barriers lead to resentment.
There is a high likelihood of biasness in the workplace owing to the diverse backgrounds.
Possibility of a conflict arising at the time of selecting various candidates for particular positions.
Useful inclusion and diversity strategies are critical in carrying out various activities in the workplace. One of these strategies is adopting an inclusive language to eradicate the communication barriers likely to set in at the workplace. Also, educating the leaders frequently to improve their management and leading skills is vital (Ferdman & Sagiv, 2012). Finally, creating and holding cultural events will help improve the social interactions of the staff members.
The societal and business values of having a diverse workforce include enhanced creativity and innovativeness of the workforce. Production of unique goods ensues thus establish a long-lasting brand for the company. Consequently, the company will have a competitive edge over other competitors in the market.
Byars, S.M., Stanberry, K., Shapiro, D., Boerner, B., Brancatelli, R., Chumney, W., Dendinger, L., Nantz, B., & Poepsel, M. (2018). Business Ethics. (Links to an external site.) Openstax. Introduction and Section 5: Recognizing and Respecting the Rights of All
Ferdman, B. M., & Sagiv, L. (2012). The value of connecting diversity in organizations and cross-cultural work psychology through dialogue and multiplicity. Industrial and Organizational Psychology 5, 373379.
Hunt, V., Yee, L., Prince, S., & Dixon-Fyle, S. (2018, January 18). Delivering through diversity. McKinsey & Company.
QUESTION: FOR DISCUSSION 3
How can companies be proactive in creating diversity and inclusion strategies? Are there companies who have gotten it right and lessons have been learned from them? Share your thoughts.