Diversity is present in today’s workplace. To protect the rights of employees to
ID: 415106 • Letter: D
Question
Diversity is present in today’s workplace. To protect the rights of employees today, we have several equal employment laws. This is not only in the United States, but also around the world.
1. Present a situation that you, or someone you are familiar with, has faced related to diversity in the workplace.
2. Identify a federal law that protects the employee in that situation.
3. Determine how the organization should behave and how it can defend its actions in this situation.
4. Identify an international law that may protect that employee if the situation happens in that other country.
5. Determine how the organization should behave and how it can defend its actions in this situation.
6. Explain the similarities and differences between both laws.
Explanation / Answer
1. A situation that my friend faced which is an example of diversity at workplace is that she got a job placement in a multinational company which has employees from different places and cultures working. She is a Muslim woman and practices hijab (covering her head with scarf). She preferred to keep the same dress code to her work place also. Some employees at the office condemned this attire saying that it does not fit in the proper formal office attire. She faced criticism from her colleagues as well as seniors saying that a hijab shows a conservative culture and is not fit for giving a modernised impression on others. Hence this type of dress up showed not be accepted in the office norms.
2. The law that protects the employee is the 'looks policy'. As far as the dress does not go against the ethical. And cultural values of the place, it cannot be objected on. The dress code norms are set by company's HR policies but they should be flexible, reasonable and not discriminating different groups and should be based on federal and state anti discrimination laws. The different discrimination that can be categorised in federal law are religious discrimination, racial discrimination, gender discrimination and disability discrimination.
3. If a dress code shows religious discrimination, the leader should handle the issue keeping into consideration the beliefs of the employee, consider the business requirement that can be effected by that belief and then handle the situation by either accepting the religious culture that the employee is following, if it does not effect the results derived from the work delivered by the employee in any way; or diplomatically explain the employee why it is important for him/her to refrain from following the culture and how it is directly effecting the business and office environment.
4. International laws are also formed protecting the employees from certain discrimination they face for their dress culture at work place. Standard documents are made keeping in consideration the work environment as well as employees obligations towards their culture. The laws are formed under documents such as religious accomodation policy, disability accommodation policy, equal employment opportunity policy, standards of conduct policy and employee handbook acknowledgement. These laws help the employees to get accomodated on several isssues regarding the diversity effects they go through in a work place.