Workforce Diversity
Workforce Diversity
By
Human Resource Management
July 24, 2006 Through the years the American workforce has become increasingly diverse; caused in large part by the globalization of the American economy, and the growth of the workforce in the areas of minority, women, and immigrant employment. Traditionally, individuals have been expected to assimilate into the standard way of doing things, accepting the burden of change and adjustment. However, this is no longer the case. This idea has been replaced with a workforce of individuals that instead chooses to maintain their individual identities, placing the burden of adjustment back on the employer. While a fair portion of the changes in cultural and social acceptance comes from the day-to-day activities of societal involvement, this is not enough. To achieve a truly diverse workforce it has been necessary to take the further steps of legislation and cultural awareness training. Although these changes have brought some positive results, whether they have accomplished their long-term goals has yet to be determined.
While the workforce has become more diverse, the thoughts and feelings of many of those within it have remained caught in the past, making it necessary for legislation to try and accomplish what common sense should have. Employment discrimination, or the unequal treatment of employees or job applicants on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disability, is addressed by several federal statutes: The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and most importantly, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as its amendments, ¡§prohibits employment discrimination against employees, job applicants, and union members on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, and gender at any stage or employment.¡¨ It also protects employees from sexual
By
Human Resource Management
July 24, 2006 Through the years the American workforce has become increasingly diverse; caused in large part by the globalization of the American economy, and the growth of the workforce in the areas of minority, women, and immigrant employment. Traditionally, individuals have been expected to assimilate into the standard way of doing things, accepting the burden of change and adjustment. However, this is no longer the case. This idea has been replaced with a workforce of individuals that instead chooses to maintain their individual identities, placing the burden of adjustment back on the employer. While a fair portion of the changes in cultural and social acceptance comes from the day-to-day activities of societal involvement, this is not enough. To achieve a truly diverse workforce it has been necessary to take the further steps of legislation and cultural awareness training. Although these changes have brought some positive results, whether they have accomplished their long-term goals has yet to be determined.
While the workforce has become more diverse, the thoughts and feelings of many of those within it have remained caught in the past, making it necessary for legislation to try and accomplish what common sense should have. Employment discrimination, or the unequal treatment of employees or job applicants on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disability, is addressed by several federal statutes: The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and most importantly, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as its amendments, ¡§prohibits employment discrimination against employees, job applicants, and union members on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, and gender at any stage or employment.¡¨ It also protects employees from sexual
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