Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Diversity in the Workplace: Ethnic Considerations

This article relates to the Diversity in the Workplace Competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. This competency explores whether your organization provides understanding and supports interaction among diverse population groups while respecting individuals' personal values and ideas. Research shows that by fostering a climate where equity and mutual respect are intrinsic, an organization can create a success-oriented, cooperative and caring work environment that draws intellectual strength and produces innovative solutions from the synergy of its people. All businesses can benefit from a diverse body of talent bringing fresh ideas, perspectives, and views to the workplace. However, a diverse workforce means that the managers within your organization must be capable of capitalizing on the mixture of genders, cultural backgrounds, ages, and lifestyles present in your staff to respond to business opportunities more rapidly and creatively.

This short story, Diversity in the Workplace: Ethnic Considerations, is part of AlphaMeasure's Compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. This article illustrates how decisions made by large companies can have unintended morale consequences at the local level.

Anonymous Submission

Diversity in the Workplace: Ethnic Considerations

I once worked at a small local company where the employees were not accustomed to dealing with change. It was a family owned business and most of the employees had been there for 20 years or more. They all lived in the same locale, an area of predominantly Western European ancestry steeped in religious heritage and tradition.

When the owner family sold the company to a huge multinational corporation, the changes were big and they happened quickly. Most of them were met with cheerful resignation. But I do remember one that sparked an amazing amount of controversy---changes in the holiday schedule. It was decreed that a long-standing company holiday, the Friday before Easter, also known as Good Friday, was to be scratched to make room for the secular national holiday of President's Day, never previously observed. Not a big deal, you might think, but considering the demographic of this particular part of the company, the outcry was awesome.

Most of the affected employees were women, with families and children, for whom the Easter weekend held great religious significance. For them, it's not just a one-day holiday, there are three days of religious observances, customs, and celebrations that require massive amounts of cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Many of these employees used vacation or personal time to prepare and then took the Monday after off to recuperate. They had followed these traditions all their lives and deeply resented having their holiday cut short.

They registered complaints, both written and verbal, in fact, HR was besieged. The union representing some of the employees expressed its displeasure. As a three-year employee from another region, I was amazed by the enormity of the outcry.

The huge, multinational parent company, however, was not. Executives listened to the complaints with sympathy and regret, but would do nothing. The company procedure was to go to the national level only when setting holiday schedules---it simply wasn't practical to make allowances for local ethnic considerations.

Looking back, I think the company should have changed, or at least reviewed, their policy. There were some really unhappy workers during that first spring season, and for the ten years I remained at that company, discontent was reawakened every time both holidays rolled around. In fact, in an online employee satisfaction survey completed four years later, it was still the number one complaint.

Sometimes large companies, in an effort to embrace diversity in the workplace, need to be flexible to allow for local ethnic considerations.

© 2005 AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved

This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.

Measure. Report. Improve your organization with AlphaMeasure employee surveys.

Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc.

AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.

Launch your employee surveys with AlphaMeasure.

---

Agendas Make Meetings Productive

Having an agenda template that works well for you, week... Read More

The Paradox of Job Enrichment

Ellen was a clerk working for a large insurance company.... Read More

Issue Management Methodology for Tracking Project Issues

1. What is an Issue?An issue is an incident, circumstance,... Read More

Management Procedures Usability ? How to Improve

Are your people consistently following your procedures? Each year, organizations... Read More

What You Should Know if People Dont Buy From You and People Dont Visit Your Web Site

It is essential to understand what work and what do... Read More

Can You Sleep While The Wind Blows?

Let me repeat a story I heard many years ago... Read More

Let the Intern Do It - Affordable Help for Your Business

Do you have more projects than time? Help might be... Read More

Rapport - How to Build it with Your Team

I've often heard managers say - "My door is always... Read More

Uncovering the Secrets to Effective Performance Management

In many ways there are no secrets to implementing effective... Read More

Creating Your Own Business Upturn - Powering Business Development

We all see it . . . business markets are... Read More

Why Employees Are the Best Source of Cost-cutting Ideas

Cost cutting has become a necessary and important reality in... Read More

Take the Easy Route - Delegate

It was 2.30 am. It was cold and dark and... Read More

Productive Meetings: How to Make Your Meetings More Productive

There's one simple secret to effective meetings: set an agenda... Read More

What Personal Assistants Really Want

What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation... Read More

Quality Improvement is Free

The point of a quality improvement program should not only... Read More

Business Fails When We Do Not Talk

You may remember being told as a child, "Keep quiet!"... Read More

How to Enhance Quality in Your Business

Every business must strive to provide quality products and services... Read More

Building Bridges of Communication

Building a 'bridge of understanding' between parties is... Read More

Is Busyness Affecting Your Business?

I'm too busy; I'd love to but I'm very busy;... Read More

Use Every Weapon You Have

One of the strongest weapons available allows business, non-profit and... Read More

Resistance - How to Handle It

Do you ever meet with resistance from other people -... Read More

Strategic Outsourcing: Testing the Outsourcing Waters and Staying Afloat

Before Gertrude Ederle began her historic swim off of Cape... Read More

Understanding Every Aspect of Your Organization

GET TO KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION: If you don't understand an... Read More

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

Today's successful organizations are the ones which carry on open... Read More

Contract Management Software: the Solution to the Problem of Coordination

Charles Petrie, from Stanford, released a short article entitled "The... Read More