by Jason Todd

Created on: July 04, 2007

"More than half the U.S. work force now consists of minorities, immigrants, and women" (Thomas 2001). That the American workplace is becoming more diverse is undeniable, but how are businesses approaching the issues concerning a diverse workforce. First, I would like to discuss two stimuli that effect organizational approaches to increasing diversity. Then I would like to discuss how diversity influences the organizational practices of recruitment, selection, and placement.

In a utopian world, a person's career would not be influenced by their gender, ethnicity, age, or other such characteristics. More than likely, there are employers whose employment practices are universally inclusive solely because it is "the right thing to do." More often, however, other influences are required to persuade fair personnel decisions. The two areas I would like to discuss now are legal requirements and impact on profits.

Some people have to be forced to implement cultural diversity into their sphere of influence. In order to help ensure equality in the workplace, local, state, and national governments have stepped in with demands for employers to be more inclusive in their employment practices. The Civil Rights Act provides guidance and an avenue of recourse for people in five protected groups, based on race, gender, religion, color, and national origin. The Americans with Disabilities Act provides similar protection for persons with disabilities. Finally, the various levels of government have implemented affirmative action in their personnel decisions while not legally requiring it of private employers (Muchinsky, 2006).

The legal enforcement of workforce diversity allowed employers to see the other benefits of diversity in the workplace. In addition to being the "right thing to do," many employers are learning about the benefits of diversity to the profits of the company. The Institute of Management & Administration (2005) reports that according to a survey of 400 human resource professionals, "A diverse workforce can lead to reduced costs and improved profits," and that "Organizations can measure the impact of a diverse workplace through reduced costs in absenteeism and retention, and improved recruitment, public image, and overall corporate culture." Orlando C. Richard (2000) points out that a workforce that reflects its customer base will be better prepared to server its customers and that a diverse group can offer a wider perspective, yielding better decisions while

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