Changing Stereotypes Of Diversity In The Workplace

Today when you look at our country you think of it a somewhat of a melting pot or a mixed and diverse population. When you look at the populations, even in small towns you see multiple different races and cultures. This then leads to our workforce where you see that same type of diverse culture entering the workforce in the communities they live in and the ones around them. Our workforce hasn’t only changed to multicultural, it also has more and more woman as well.. If we look back 50 years you see that woman and individuals with a race other than caucasian had a very hard time finding a place

Do you think that someone will be good at a sport because of their race? Michael Scott from the T.V. show The Office thinks so. The Office is a sitcom which depicts the “typical” office environment with Michal Scott being the boss who is very insensitive and says things most people would see as very rude, but he thinks of as normal. In the office Stanley is the only African American and Oscar is the only Latino, these two are typically quiet and are insulted by Michael.

Workforce diversity is increasing. There are more women, minority men and immigrants entering the workforce.

For the most part, culture is the shared of basic expectations learned by a group as it find possible alternatives or ways to solve its problems. On the contrary, diversity as stated in the textbook, is the different values and cultures among members, and is more than simply an understanding of black versus white. For instance, culture could by identify through artifacts which include visible signs on the wall, how people display emotions, and the ways people address one another. Although, diversity are differences among people that could impact a work environment due to a social identity. For example, there is an increasing number of women and people of color in the workforce.

The 21st century has been characterized by a workforce that has three generations, the baby boomers, the generation X and the millennial. As the baby boomers and the Generation X gradually bow out of the workforce, the millennial is increasingly joining the workforce at all levels including the leadership levels. However, the entry of the millennial who are technology natives having grown up in a technology society is causing a stir in the workplace.

Diversity in the workplace has always been an interesting topic to explore. When studying the topic, one is able to see how minorities and women do not get the same job opportunities at career growth as non-minorities. The lack of diversity in the workplace can definitely keep a company from reaching its full potential. Our guest speaker Patrick McKay explored different topics dealing with diversity in the workplace that shed light on why trying to diversify the workplace occasionally fails. McKay also mentioned how it is important to be mindful of the location you choose to live when beginning your career. In the article Doing Diversity Right, Derek R. Avery and Patrick F. McKay explain how “managing diversity” in the workplace is vital in today’s workplace. Over the years there has been a greater emphasis put on insuring diversity within the workplace. McKay and Avery explain the importance of creating a diverse environment in which companies promote. It is not enough to solely recruit minorities or women but also the environment of the workplace must allow the individuals to thrive. In the article Warning! Diversity recruitment could Backfire, Patrick McKay and Derek Avery explain how companies should implement diversity into their company programs. Having a company culture that embraces diversity is the key to successfully diversifying a company.

I believe that John perceives his workplace as a casual, social environment and not a professional setting. John appears to have an extrovert personality that loves to talk and socialize. I believe he misconceives Regina’s polite greeting as her being interested in him. This is evident by him leaning on the cubicle wall when he stops to chat with Regina, although she is focusing on work. We also see John socializing with Brian at the end of the scenario. He is humoring Brian for his explanation of turning in work “ALAP” and fist-bumping him in solidarity. This is another example of how John does not take his work environment seriously. I also believe that John does not have much respect for his company and co-workers. John tries to

The workplace and its employees are crucial to the population and should treated as such. With 60% of the American population employed (United States' Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017), businesses have a great effect on the country economically and socially. Employment provides people with the means to buy and participant in the economy. Additionally, people strongly center their self-concept around their occupation. For example, Child care workers and teachers define themselves as smart or caring, and painters define themselves as creative. Because the workplace has such a heavy influence on society it is important the workplace is heavily structured and monitored for equality and productiveness.

In my seventeen years of life, an awards event hosted by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) is the one thing that exposed me to what diversity should be. Each person that bought a ticket was given free reign to be who they are. People from every age, gender, sexuality, race, religion, and social class was given equal opportunity to be themselves. It wasn’t diverse because of strategic planning, but because people wanted to be there. This event made me realize three main things: those who complain that inclusion of certain demographics is unnecessary are those who are not exposed to those people, there is a societal structure forced upon people, and there are so many things that I must learn.

Ever since mankind has been around stereotypes, gender, and racial discrimination have always been a huge part of life. Women have always been the ones who were supposed to stay home, they were supposed to cook, clean, and take care of the kids. The men are supposed to work and provide for his family. Now in the present people are breaking those stereotypes. Some men will stay home and do the so called “women's job” while the wife goes and earns money. “My point is that despite all that has been said in the past 20 years or so about sexual equality, most men make themselves as useful around the kitchen as ill-trained Labrador retriever.” (Barry page 72) Even though some people do this they get a lot of grief. I do not think that mankind will ever get out of this stereotypical nonsense.

Barbie ads always reflects the latest fashion trends and capture children’s imagination. The historic ads usually involve children dressing up along side their Barbie dolls, and this trend hasn’t changed over the years. Barbie ads nowadays still features young girls who wear similar sets of clothes with their Barbie. Barbie ads have always involved the dolls being almost lifelike, and even giving Barbie a personality. And as Barbie came out with more back stories, movies and TV shows, the ads reflected more of Barbie’s character in the specific media and often advertising the a DVD set along side the doll and accessories.

Furthermore, the power of context is the things in the environment can change people’s behaviors. This will let them know what kinds of actions are properly doing at what time. Lofferda proposes that some higher level people in the society always do not have good behaviors and take advantages of gays, she states that “the Supreme Court upheld a Cincinnati ordinance that denied gays and lesbians legal protection from discrimination in housing, employment, and other public accommodations” (249). This quote shows that even in higher government, the gays cannot get the same treatment like the housing and employees as the other residents. The surroundings around them are really terrible. They cannot get really benefits and advantages from the society or the government.

Stereotype threats are negative consequences about one’s race, sex, nationality, or social group. Stereotype threats are used a lot more frequently than people realize. Gender is a powerful stereotype that affects many people’s decisions and actions. The stereotype of women in the workplace has come a long way even in the last twenty years. Many businesses tend to want to diversify their demographics by making the ratio of men to women almost equal. “Demographic projections anticipate that by the year 2000 women will exceed 50 per cent of the total workforce…” (Johnston and Packer, 1987). Women were able to make their way in to the workplace when men were off at war during the 1950s. During this time, women proved their ability to do the same kind of jobs men did. Many women worked as machinist, factory workers, and clergies.

Managing diversity and equality effectively in the workplace is the core responsibility of any organization in the contemporary business world. Shen, Chanda, D’Netto and Monga (2009) conducted a survey whose results revealed the massive diversity within the British society in terms of ethnicity, nationality and religion. As a result, the Equality Act of 2010 was formulated and became law whose provisions focus on legal protection against discrimination based on gender re-assignment, marriage, civil partnership, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, pregnancy and maternity, sex and beliefs (Monks, 2007). Therefore, managing diversity in the workplace is critical towards the achievement of equality and discrimination free working environment. Bhatia (2008) observed that the ability to understand, accept, value, acknowledge and celebrate differences among people with respect to race, sexual orientation, religion, age, ethnicity and mental ability within an organization is crucial in eliminating discrimination. Discrimination refers to the tendency of denying equal treatment to people believed to be members of the same social group (Ozbilgin, 2009). In other words, discrimination in the work place is related to denial of equal treatment in terms of promotion, compensation, career development, training and empowerment. Therefore, managing diversity in the work place is crucial towards the achievement of a discrimination free working environment and the

Over the past 50 years, employers have seen a vast shift in the demographic of their employee's. Where once specific jobs were held by a specific type and group of people, today, at that same