Managing Diversity and Inclusion Assignment Sample

• Subject Name : Management

Racial Discrimination Accounts for A Lack of Diversity and Inclusion

Introduce Video

• Hello and Welcome to the group presentation relating to case study number 2.
• Within this group is Amy, Al, Fiona and myself and we will be discussing the topic of diversity and inclusion specifically relating to issues of racial discrimination and victimisation.

Define Diversity and Inclusion

• Diversity can be defined as “the distribution of differences among the members of a unit with
• respect to a common attribute such as tenure, age, or ethnicity” (Harrison and Klein, 2007).
• Van Knippenberg and Schippers, (2007) support this statement by recognising that diversity is differences between individuals on any attribute that another person is different from oneself.”
• Thus, recognising diversity as the differences of each individual based on the attributes they

Identify why it is an issue of Inclusion and diversity – My section

• Issue of diversity is due to lack of acceptance of different mindsets
• It is also when individuals do not accept the difference between each others ideas and goals.
• Diversity issue also arises when there is gender discrimination amongst the individuals working at same place.
• Another important issue behind the diversity is the generation gap amongst the people at a same work place.
• Language barrier amongst the individuals working at a same place cause the issues of diversification
• First step towards inclusion is the presence of diversity amongst people working together.
• If training and educating staff is not done there will be issues of inclusion.
• If the employees and staff is not listening and communicating effectively there will be issues of inclusion.
• If there is no fair treatment or any discrimination amongst the employees it will cause issues in inclusion.
• If there is no employee engagement and sense of belonging there will be no inclusion.
• If employees will get equal access to the opportunities no issue of inclusion will arise.
• Good response and flexibility of organization will not let the issues to arise in the process of inclusion

Define Issue (Racial Discrimination and Victimisation)

• Within case study two, there is the presence of racial discrimination and victimisation specifically targeting the comments made by an employer to a Serbian employee
• Racial discrimination and Victimisation are some of the multiple issues that fall under the category of diversity
• Racial discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably, or not given the same opportunities, as others in a similar situation, because of their race, the country where they were born, their ethnic origin or their skin colour (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2020)
• Victimisation is the harassment or unfair treatment as a result of a complaint or for providing evidence or information for a complaint (Anti-Discrimination NSW, 2019)

Explain (legal ramifications, methods to overcome) // Lead into rest of the video

• Employers today have an obligation to sustain a working environment that is free from harassment, discrimination and violence. (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2019)
• In the instance of a discriminatory and victimisation act, an organisation is forcing themselves into a position to face legal ramifications

Therefore, it is vital that an organisation understands why its racial discrimination and victimisation is an issue of inclusion and diversity, the legal ramifications and methods to overcome these issues.

Legal Ramifications

• Under the racial discrimination act of 1975 —> It is unlawful for a person to do any act involving a distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin.

• Within this case, the employee of the Australian Government was discriminated against based on his Serbian ethnicity, which is highly unlawful

• The company is aware of equality and discrimination in the workplace, thus implementing extensive equal employment opportunities and harassment policies —> the company has this in place to minimise the ‘legal, economic and risk to reputation on behalf of the firm’ (Miles et al, 2010).

• For an individual to receive help after being unlawfully discriminated against they can contact fair works hotline for assistance, submit an online inquiry or lodge a formal complaint. A team will investigate the ‘allegations of unlawful workplace discrimination and may initiate litigation’ (Fair Work, 2020).

• The primary legal ramification of racial discrimination is a monetary fine. ‘the maximum penalty for unlawful discrimination is $66,600 per corporation, and $13,320 for an individual’ (Fair Work, 2020)

• The illegal act of victimisation occurred within the case, which according to the Australian Human Rights Commission is a criminal offence. Complaints regarding victimisation cases can be made in the same way discriminations cases are made, both being placed under discrimination law.

Other ramifications that directly impact the organisation. These are; a tarnish in reputation for the organisation. the negative effects on mental health for the victim, an increase in absenteeism and a decrease in job moral.

Racial discrimination and employment is still a prevalent issue in the workplace and whilst we might not all see it, it’s still there. Some ways to overcome issues of this calibre include Equal Employment opportunity training, diverse hiring and writing or reviewing an anti-discrimination policy.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is the principle that everyone can have equal access to employment opportunities based on merit, without fear of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability or genetic information.

EEO training reinforces the importance of equal opportunities in the workplace and encourages staff to come forth if they witness unlawful conduct in the workplace, it recognises the significance diversity has on workplace culture and emphasizes showing respect for your fellow team members.

Diverse hiring is hiring without bias concerning personal characteristics, some ways to implement this is through blind hiring which essentially is accepting resumes without a name, age, gender or nationality as well as hosting interviews with two or more people to reduce bias. Companies could implement the ‘two in the pool’ effect which is the basis that an equal number of male and female resumes are accepted to give both genders the same opportunity to get the job. “Research featured in Harvard Business Review found that when the final candidate pool has only one minority candidate, he or she has virtually no chances of being hired”(Kayla Kozan, 2019).

Having an anti-discrimination policy sets the standard of behaviour for the rest of the workplace and what can be expected from them. Anti-discrimination policies protect those described from unfair treatment and detail the consequences for those who don’t abide by them.

Some examples of job discrimination can include;

• Not being paid equally
• Exclusion from other employees
• Being abused
• Job refusal based on discrimination
• Denial of opportunities

A voices of Australia case study revealed a telling story of a Serbian man employed by the Australian government as a van driver who was being discriminated against by his supervisor. The supervisor would make racist slurs in front of him and others such as ‘he is a serb and serbs make ethnic cleansing, might kill you.’ Unfortunately, the company was slow to investigate this complaint and he was further victimised for lodging the complaint. A co-worker came forth and provided evidence to support the victim’s statement and the matter was resolved.

Conclusion:

Racial discrimination and employment is an ongoing issue in Australian businesses, it is important for employers and employees to be made aware of the legal ramifications, take part in equal employment opportunity training, support diverse hiring, learn about victimisation and how it plays a significant role in company culture and furthermore, how to overcome these issues.

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