Discrimination Harassment And The Failure Of Diversity Training

Billions of dollars have been spent on the wrong solution to the complex, sensitive and emotionally charged issue of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Companies originally invested in diversity training in order to meet Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements, to reduce litigation costs, and to buy social peace. The result was often more social conflict—divisiveness, hostility, backlash, and an increase in litigation. This book offers a new, simple and effective solution to organizations that include the need to: establish, publish and enforce a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination and harassment; develop standards which define unacceptable professional workplace behaviors; and provide the relationship skills training necessary for all employees to meet the company's behavioral standards. Diversity training failed because of its focus on awareness, understanding and appreciating differences rather than teaching basic skills to help employees relate more effectively with each other regardless of their differences. Companies have the right to require professional behavior from their employees. They do not have the right to ask their employees to change ther personal values and belief systems. This book provides a blueprint for a skills-based solution to the elimination of discrimination and harassment. It emphasizes the development of professional relationship skills to help employees work more effectively with their bosses, their peers, their team members, their customers, and all those individuals different from themselves. For all business executives, leaders, managers, supervisors, human resource specialists, trainers, consultants, entrepreneurs, and employees.

Don’t let harassment and discrimination claims disrupt your workplace Discrimination and harassment can poison the work environment, undermine employee morale, and lead to costly investigations and lawsuits. It’s critical to take steps to prevent harassment and discrimination, as well as to appropriately respond when incidents do happen. Protect your company and employees from harassment and discrimination claims using the information and strategies in this updated edition. You’ll learn how to: develop policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination train employees and supervisors handle employee complaints and investigate claims thoroughly document your company’s response take action against wrongdoers prevent illegal retaliation, and respond to agency complaints, investigations, and lawsuits. The legal principles, strategies, and tactics discussed in this book apply to remote workers and on-site staff.

Organizations worldwide have gone global and with that, the workforce demographics have shifted to a more diverse population. Scholars project that within 30 years there will not be a “majority” group in the workplace and these demographic dissimilarities will result in withdrawal behaviors such as tardiness, absenteeism, and employee turnover because employees will not feel identify with any group (David et al., 2015). Therefore, organizations are focusing their efforts on designing strategies and implementing training initiatives in order to train the workforce, not just on diversity awareness, but on how to cope with diversity in the workplace and reduce discrimination and prejudice in the workplace. However, there are unanswered questions: Are these initiatives effective? If not, why do they fail? This study explored the reasons diversity training fails to increase awareness and reduce discrimination in the workplace, therefore, resulting in negative organizational outcomes. This study explored the how and why the failure of diversity training is linked to employees engaging in withdrawal behaviors. This study explored how leadership involvement and support of diversity management initiatives impact employees’ behaviors and attitudes. The problem addressed was the potential failure of diversity training in the educational services industry in Central Texas to increase awareness and reduce discrimination resulting in negative organizational outcomes such as absenteeism, turnover, and poor organizational performance. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study is to understand the potential failure and negative impact of diversity management and training initiatives on the employees.

Increasing workplace diversity has given rise to growing intergroup challenges that persistently manifest in discrimination. An emerging science in psychology, sociology, and management has yielded useful evidence to be brought to bear on the important problem of discrimination, but current literature is either focused on social (rather than work) settings, on legal (rather than interpersonal) issues, or on the general phenomenon of diversity instead of the social problem of discrimination in action. Edited by Adrienne J. Colella and Eden B. King, The Oxford Handbook of Workplace Discrimination provides readers with a broad and interdisciplinary review of state-of-the-art research on discrimination in the workplace. In this volume, Colella, King, and their contributing authors tackle the unique experiences of people from diverse perspectives and communities (including religious minorities, gay and lesbian workers, and people with disabilities); the myriad of ways in which discrimination can manifest and its overall consequences; explanations for discrimination; and strategies for reduction. This Handbook will propel future scholarship by clearly outlining the substantive questions, methods, and issues for the future ahead.

This volume brings together top scholars in industrial and organizational psychology with social psychologists to explore the research and theory relating to various areas of workplace discrimination. Many of the contributors to this book participated in a conference on workplace discrimination held at Rice University in May 2000. The idea came from the realization that there had been no attempt to bring together the various literatures on the topic. Discrimination and issues of employment diversity are significant topics today in IO psychology, business, and human resource management. This edited volume examines the following components of this important discussion: how to explain discrimination in organizations; understanding discrimination against specific groups; and implications for practical efforts to reduce discrimination. This book brings together, in one volume, a review of the research on discrimination based on race, age, sexual orientation, gender, physical appearance, disability, and personality. In addition, it explores the multilevel antecedents and potential bases for a general model of discrimination in the workplace. While social psychological research and theory have provided invaluable insights, an understanding of discrimination in the workplace and solutions will require incorporating factors at the organizational level in addition to factors at the individual and group levels. Although a definitive model is not reached, the aim of this text is to facilitate future research and theory.

Equal opportunity in the workplace is thought to be the direct legacy of the civil rights and feminist movements and the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. Yet, as Frank Dobbin demonstrates, corporate personnel experts--not Congress or the courts--were the ones who determined what equal opportunity meant in practice, designing changes in how employers hire, promote, and fire workers, and ultimately defining what discrimination is, and is not, in the American imagination. Dobbin shows how Congress and the courts merely endorsed programs devised by corporate personnel. He traces how the first measures were adopted by military contractors worried that the Kennedy administration would cancel their contracts if they didn't take "affirmative action" to end discrimination. These measures built on existing personnel programs, many designed to prevent bias against unionists. Dobbin follows the changes in the law as personnel experts invented one wave after another of equal opportunity programs. He examines how corporate personnel formalized hiring and promotion practices in the 1970s to eradicate bias by managers; how in the 1980s they answered Ronald Reagan's threat to end affirmative action by recasting their efforts as diversity-management programs; and how the growing presence of women in the newly named human resources profession has contributed to a focus on sexual harassment and work/life issues. Inventing Equal Opportunity reveals how the personnel profession devised--and ultimately transformed--our understanding of discrimination.

Prevent Workplace Problems and Lawsuits Harassment and discrimination are some of the touchiest issues in the workplace. To protect your business and your employees, it is essential that you have clear, comprehensive policies in place. Labor attorney Gavin S. Appleby instructs you on how to avoid the costly problems that arise from harassment and discrimination claims. He offers suggestions for establishing a diverse workplace focused on respect, thereby reducing the risk of lawsuits. He provides legal strategies for dealing with harassment and discrimination complaints and lawsuits, illustrating his points with real-life examples. Covering a variety of workplace issues, he offers proactive strategies to create business practices that will limit harassment and discrimination claims. Appleby covers: Contentious legal topics such as sexual harassment, same-sex issues, dating in the workplace, race and religion Workplace policies that reduce the risk of lawsuits, including effective employee training and proactive problem-solving methods Harassment from managers, employees, customers, suppliers and other individuals Investigating and prosecuting a harassment or discrimination case Strategies for defending your company in a harassment or discrimination suit and minimizing the damage These legal strategies will help you develop a productive, complacent workplace unmarred by harassment or discrimination issues. Sample documents include: Acknowledgement of Training Anti-Harassment Policy Guide Basic ADA Policy Basic EEO Policy Basic Nonretaliation Policy Basic Respect in the Workplace Policy Diversity Program Schematic Federal and State EEO Laws Harassment Investigation Checklist Formal Anti-Harassment Policy Provisions for Electronic Resources Policy Electronic Communication Policy Love Contract Outline for Anti-Harassment Presentation Outline for Manager Anti-Harassment Training For more than 30 years, Entrepreneur has provided the most trusted business advice available to business owners. Our legal guides continue that tradition by offering current and cost-effective legal advice so you can resolve the business and legal issues you face on a daily basis. We also help you identify when it's in your best interest to seek the personalized advice and services of a practicing lawyer.

Investigating Harassment and Discrimination Complaints is a hands-on guide for human resource professionals who are called upon to conduct a legally sound investigation into harassment, discrimination, or retaliation complaints. This important manual blends the information investigators need to develop the skills and competencies that are critical to successfully investigating harassment and discrimination complaints with a proven framework for undertaking the investigation itself. Investigating Harassment and Discrimination Complaints walks the investigator through the process of conducting a successful investigation and includes information about: The critical legal aspects of conducting an investigation How diversity affects harassment What needs to be in place prior to an investigation Creating a step-by-step plan How to properly document an investigation, and Administering discipline for policy violations and remedies for aggrieved employees Investigating Harassment and Discrimination Complaints also includes a valuable training program that human resource professionals can use to deliver in-house training programs on harassment investigations. In addition, it contains a wealth of resources including a sample policy, forms to use in an investigation, a sample report, a summary of real-world cases, and government publications from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.