What Is Culture?

~ Who benefits financially, and who benefits culturally from the performances of African Americans in these areas?
~ What are the economic factors that led African Americans to be major participants in those areas?
~ What are the stereotypes that majority group members use to justify these concentrations?

-3 What are ways that, directly or indirectly, you have resisted the full integration of African Americans into your workplace?

-4 Notice what kinds of individual acts of discrimination keep the segregation in place (decisions by landlords, real estate agents, employers, teachers, etc.). What is one thing you can do to support public policies against discrimination?

-5 How can you challenge other majority group members when stereotypes of African Americans are used to blame them for social problems? What information or other preparation do you need to be able to do this well?

-6 What are some of the positive stereotypes that you hear about African Americans? What complexities and problems do these stereotypes cover up?

-7 Is it difficult for you to avoid judging African Americans? Explain.

-7a Can you think of examples of when you judged African Americans today? When you didn’t judge them?

DID YOU KNOW?

~ While 70% of African Americans feel they themselves are discriminated against, only 41% of majority group members feel that happens

~ Minority groups - Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians represent the greatest growing spending power in the U.S., over $600 billion

Hispanic Americans - trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America - includes Mexicans Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and more recent immigrants from Central America, South America, and the Dominican Republic.

Census projections indicate that the total Hispanic-American population may soon exceed the African-American population. There are about 28.3 million Hispanics. In addition, a large number of legal and illegal immigrants come from Argentina, Cuba, Peru, and Venezuela. In some communities Mexican Americans are the victims of more job discrimination than African Americans.

After the Mexican-American war, the United States seized land that previously had belonged to Mexico and many formerly wealthy Mexican ranchers became impoverished farmhands. When Puerto Rico became a possession of the United States in 1917, Puerto Ricans acquired U.S. citizenship and the right to move freely to and from the mainland. In the 1950’s many migrated to the mainland when the Puerto Rico sugar industry collapsed. Cuban Americans primarily live in the southeast and Florida. Many Cuban Americans were affluent professionals and business people who fled Cuba after Fidel Castro’s 1959 Marxist revolution. The second wave arrived in the 1970’s - many had been released from guarded institutions in Cuba and their arrival fueled an upsurge in prejudice against all Cuban Americans.

Contrary to what we have been taught, descendants of Spanish colonists have lived in the Southeast, Southwest, and West for considerably longer than have most English-speaking people. Spanish-speaking Americans and many Africans arrived in this country from the earliest period of colonization. Some were here before any northern Europeans. More recently, a large number of Spanish- speaking people have arrived from Cuba, Haiti, and many Central and South American countries.

Hispanic lives, culture, and the deprivations they have suffered are in many instances invisible to us. For example, in the Los Angeles uprising in 1992, the greatest number of people killed from any ethnic group were Hispanics. The greatest damage done was to property owned by Hispanics. Immediately following the uprising, there was a massive immigration crackdown and hundreds of Spanish-speaking Los Angeles residents were deported, most without trials or legal recourse. These episodes were silenced because the media focused on African Americans as the villains and Black-White, Black-Korean interactions.

Spanish-speaking Americans occupy various positions in the overall racial hierarchy of the United States depending upon economic and cultural factors. This racial hierarchy still has white people on top, but today, Spanish-speaking people are considered along with African Americans, to be at the bottom of the racial hierarchy.

Exercise #1-C

Remember objective for minority group exercises.

-1 Which Spanish-speaking people live in your town, city or rural area?

-2 Which Spanish-speaking people provide labor or services on which you personally or the economy is dependent (farm workers, low-wage manufacturing workers or workers in factories near the Mexican border? What do you gain and what do you lose when these workers are poorly paid, work in unsanitary conditions, are exposed to dangerous chemicals and have unsafe working conditions?

-3 In what ways are Spanish-speaking groups under attack at this time? Which social problems are they being blamed for?

-4 How has the emergence of English as the language used in international communication been an advantage and a disadvantage for us?

-5 Do you speak Spanish? If not, what might be reasons for learning to do so? Why haven’t you in the past?

-6 What are some of the positive stereotypes that you hear about Hispanic Americans? What complexities and problems do these stereotypes cover up?

-7 Is if difficult for you to avoid judging Hispanic Americans? Explain.

-7a Can you think of examples of when you judged Hispanic Americans today? When you didn’t judge them?

DID YOU KNOW?

~ Over 62% of Hispanics in this country are native-born, and 69% are U.S. citizens

~ Hispanics (Latinos) as a group have the highest number of Congressional Media of Honor winners (37)

Asian Americans - diverse groups with roots in Asia and the Pacific Islands - Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Pakistani, and Indonesians.

Asian Americans represent unique histories, customs, and cultural contributions. Many Asian Americans are neither poverty-stricken nor poorly educated.
The initial wave of Asian immigrants, primarily Chinese, occurred between 1850 - 1900 - pushed from China because of harsh economic conditions and pulled to the U.S. by the power of gold in California and employment opportunities, Many Chinese women were brought to the U.S. Against their will and forced into prostitution where they were treated like slaves. There were stereotyped as coolies, heathens, and chinks. Some were attacked and even lynched by working class whites who feared that they were losing their jobs to Chinese immigrants.

Japanese immigrants primarily worked on sugar plantations in Hawaii in the 1860’s. Many were viewed as threats by white workers and became victims of discrimination. During World War II, Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps where they received harsh treatments because they were seen as a security threat despite the lack of evidence. After the war, the U.S. government issued an apology for its action against the Japanese and agreed to pay $20,000 to each person who had been placed in an internment camp.

The Koreans also worked on sugar plantations in Hawaii between 1903 - 1910. The second wave followed the Korean War in 1954. The Immigration Act of 1965 made a way for more Koreans and Filipinos.

A substantial number of Chinese were encouraged by American business interests to come and work in this country in the mid 19th century to replace African Americans after slavery was abolished and African Americans began to gain power during Reconstruction. When Reconstruction ended and African Americans were forced back to the fields, Asians became less desirable as field hands. Chinese workers were used to compete with African American labor, and the practice of using Asian workers against African Americans continued for decades. For example, soon after African Americans organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, Filipino men were brought in and were given the jobs African Americans had. White business leaders employed Asian workers when they needed them and excluded them when they did not need them.

National and cultural identification is quite variable among Asian Americans. Some have no connection with a country of origin; others maintain substantial personal and community ties. Some practice primarily white customs, and many practice mixtures of culture derived from their own and African American traditions. Many Asian Americans have been inclined to assimilate into American society so they would be less subject to violence and exclusion and more able to reap the advantages that being white has always meant.

Today we have increasing middle and upper middle class segments of the Asian, Hispanic and African American communities. However, many White Americans still consider people of color different and inferior.

Exercise #1-D

Remember objective for minority group exercises.

-1 List four key Asian American concerns in your community. If none come to mind, why might you not know? How could you find out?

-2 Are different Asian American groups represented in your city and county governments, school boards, and other local political institutions?

-3 How are Asian American and Asian culture and history represented in the schools in your community?

-4 What is demanded of Asian Americans for acceptance into the white community? Are there hidden reservations for that acceptance.

-5 What are some of the positive stereotypes that you hear about Asian Americans? What complexities and problems do these stereotypes cover up?

-6 Is it difficult for you to avoid judging Asian Americans? Explain.

-6a Can you think of examples of when you judged Asian Americans today? When you didn’t judge them?

DID YOU KNOW?

~ Asian Pacific Americans comprise over 59 different ethnic groups

~ In 1993, there were 39% more births to Japanese-White parents than to Japanese-Japanese parents in the United States

MULTIRACIAL PEOPLE

We have learned from previous discussions that race is generally defined by perceived skin color - white or nonwhite. While one category exists for whites (who vary considerably in actual skin color and appearance), all of the remaining categories are considered nonwhite. There are few subjects regarding race that challenges our perceptions of race more than the millions of people of mixed heritage in the United States. It is estimated that 30 - 70 percent of African Americans are multiracial. Practically all Hispanic Americans, Filipinos, American Indians and Native Hawaiians are multiracial. A significant proportion of white-identified people are of multiracial origin.

The true diversity of the population is not revealed when multiracial individuals in the United States are placed in vague categories such as “other”. For example, Hejin Centridela has an African American grandmother and a Hawaiian Chinese grandfather. His other grandparents were of Irish and German descent. While Hejin’s birth certificate lists him as white, a Census Bureau worker listed him as Hispanic because of his name. Limited classifications such as these ignore the rich, colorful heritage of many residents in the United States.

How do you classify yourself with regard to race? For many people, this is becoming a difficult question to answer. Today there are more than a million officially designated interracial married couples in the United States (Newsweek, 1995). One student shared her experience

I am part French, part Cherokee Indian, part Filipino, and part Black. Our family taught us to be aware of all these groups, and just to be ourselves. But I have never known what I am. People have asked if I am a Gypsy, or a Portuguese, or a Mexican, or lots of other things. It seems to make people curious, uneasy, and sometimes belligerent. Students I don’t even know stop me on campus and ask, “What are you anyway?”

How people are classified remains important because such classifications affect their access to employment, housing, social services, federal aid, and many other publicly or privately valued goods. People of mixed heritage pose difficult challenges for white people and people of color. Many people of color are pushed to portray marginal identities in resistance to white racism. At the same time, fear and untruths about people of color have pushed white people to disown and persecute other white people in racially mixed relationships and people of mixed heritage - including members of their own families.

We are rapidly becoming a country with a significant population of people of mixed heritage. Eventually, physical characteristics, skin color, country of origin, cultural roots, and the origin of our ancestors, will become practically indistinguishable. Multiracial people challenge our assumptions about racial difference and the naturalness of our racial categories.

Exercise #1-E

Remember objective for minority group exercises.

-1 What experiences formed your own identity?

-2 How did you learn about social group identities? For example, some people prefer to identify themselves via their ethnic origin as opposed to their race (Italian, Jamaican, Korean, etc. as opposed to the black or white race). Did you worry about fitting in or were you given the freedom to self-identify and make your own decisions around your group identity?

-3 What are some of the assumptions you make about the categories people fit in? Have they changed as you developed personally and professionally? How?

-4 What happens when incorrect assumptions are made about people? Do they impact how people are treated and respected? Have you had any personal experience of this?

-5 What if you appear to be a part of a group you do not identify with?

DID YOU KNOW?

~ Biracial and multiracial people are the invisible minorities. On many employment and census forms, there is no appropriate box for them to check

~ Between 1968 and 1989, children born to parents of different races increased from 1% of total births to 3.4%

~ From 1970 to 1991, the number of mixed-race married couples tripled

The vast majority of people in this country live racially structured lives. If racial equality existed in this country, race would not be a consideration in the selection of leaders, in hiring decisions, or in the distribution of goods and services.

In the United States and other multiracial societies, people with “undesirable” attributes are assigned less value and receive less favorable treatment than persons with “desirable” attributes. For example, many African Americans historically had outstanding skills as baseball players (desirable attribute) but were categorically excluded from major league teams because of their skin color (undesirable attribute). In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color line to become the first non-white in the Major Leagues. However, his experience was marred by racial slurs, hate letters, death threats against his infant son, and assaults on his wife.

A few months before tennis star Arthur Ashe died of AIDS in 1993, which he contracted through a blood transfusion, a reporter asked “ Mr. Ashe, I guess this must be the heaviest burden you have ever had to bear, isn’t it?” Reflecting on his battle with AIDS, Ashe replied:

No, it isn’t. It’s a burden, all right. But AIDS isn’t the heaviest burden I have had to bear...Being black is the greatest burden I’ve had to bear. No question about it. Race has always been my biggest burden. Having to live as a minority in America. Even now it continues to feel like an extra weight tied around me.... A pall of sadness hangs over my life and the lives of most African Americans because of what we as a people have experienced historically in America, and what we as individuals experience each and every day. Whether one is a welfare recipient trapped in some blighted housing project in the inner city or a former Wimbledon Champion who is easily recognized on the streets and whose home is a luxurious apartment in one of the wealthiest districts in in Manhattan, the sadness is still there. (Ashe and Rampersad, 1994)

It is surprising to learn that a man who had reached the pinnacle of professional tennis still was plagued by racial prejudice and discrimination? Even in the 1980s, Arthur Ashe could name places in the United States where he would not be allowed to play tennis because of his color. Sports played in “private club” settings ( such as tennis, golf, swimming, sailing, and polo) have been less accessible for people of color because of the exclusionary policies of some of the most prestigious clubs where matches, tournaments, and regattas are likely to be held.

Prejudice is a negative attitude based on faulty generalizations about members of selected racial and ethnic groups; an opinion held in disregard of facts that contradict it. These attitudes may be either felt or expressed. Prejudice is often based on stereotypes about the appearance, behavior, or the characteristics of all members of a group. How is prejudice created? Many believe prejudice results from social learning; in other words, it is learned from observing, and imitating significant others, such as parents and peers.

Whereas prejudice is an attitude, discrimination involves actions or practices of majority (dominant) group members (or their representatives) that have a harmful impact on members of a minority (subordinate) group. Discriminatory actions vary in severity from the use of derogatory labels to violence against individuals and groups. Discrimination also varies in how it is carried out. Individuals may act on their own or they may operate within the context of large-scale organizations and institutions, such as corporations, governmental agencies, schools, and churches.

How does individual discrimination differ from institutional discrimination? Individual discrimination consists of one-on-one acts by members of the dominant group that harm members of the subordinate group or their property. For example, a person may decide not to rent an apartment to someone of a different race. Institutional discrimination consists of the day-to-day practices of organizations and institutions that have a harmful impact on members of subordinate groups. For example, a bank might consistently deny loans to people of a certain race. Institutional discrimination is carried out by the individuals who implemented the policies and procedures of organizations.

Some forms of institutional discrimination are intentional. These actions are carried out on a routine basis by the dominant group members based on the norms (established rules of behavior or standards of conduct) of the immediate organization or community. Intentionally excluding people of color from public accommodations is an example of this type of discrimination. A former manager made this statement in a fairly recent class-action against an international restaurant chain:

I am a white male formerly employed as a manager with Denny restaurants in San Jose, California....While employed with Denny I was instructed by my district manager to implement policies designed to limit or discourage black patronage. Instructions on policies applied to black customers were given at district meetings and, to a greater degree, individually at the restaurants by district managers.... During these meetings the term “blackout” was used on many occasions in the presence of district and regional managers...In time, I heard the term with enough frequency to learn that “blackout” was used by Denny management to refer to a situation where too many black customers were in the restaurant. At district meetings ....we were taught to avoid blackouts by requiring black customers to pay for their meals in advance or simply close the restaurant for a few hours when we started getting too many black customers (quoted in Labaton, 1994: E4).

These practices of direct institutional discrimination were built into the organization’s procedures and conveyed to employees for implementation. Although in that lawsuit a large out-of-court settlement was reached, discrimination such as this continues.

What should happen when people from different racial and ethnic groups come into contact with one another? Contact between people from divergent groups should lead to favorable attitudes and behavior when certain factors are present.

Members of each group must

-1 have equal status

-2 pursue the same goals

-3 cooperate with one another to achieve their goals

-4 receive positive feedback when they interact with one another in positive, nondiscriminatory ways.

What happens when individuals meet someone who does not conform to their existing stereotype? Often, they ignore anything that contradicts the stereotype or interpret the situation to support their prejudices. For example, a person who does not fit the stereotype may be seen as an exception -“You’re not like other [persons of a particular race].” When a person is seen as conforming to a stereotype, he or she may be treated simply as one of “you people”. Intergroup contact may either intensify or reduce racial and ethnic stereotyping and prejudice. When you hear or see individuals expressing prejudicial thoughts or engaging in discriminatory acts directed at others, stop immediately and address the issue. It is often what we don’t say that fosters prejudicial thoughts and behavior.

Suggestions:

~ Call people by their right names. Ask individuals for the correct pronunciation of their names

~ Try to understand local minority-group customs and histories

~ Analyze your feelings about various ethnic minority groups

~ When you hear prejudicial judgments and stereotypical remarks challenge them and encourage the speaker to examine where they came from.

~ Don’t be afraid to engage in conversations that touch on the subjects covered in this course. Being uncomfortable is part of the learning and accepting experience.

WOMEN

Some people may find it surprising that even today women’s work continues to be seen by some people as natural functions, instinctive, and of little importance when compared with men’s work. The downgrading of women’s work has been a foremost cause of current status problems of women. Many women experience role conflict (when incompatible role demands are placed on a person by two or more statuses held at the same time). Role conflict may occur as a result of changing statuses and roles in society. Research has found that women who engage in behavior that is gender-typed as “masculine” tend to have higher rates of role conflict than those who engage in traditional “feminine” behavior. For example

Many women experience role strain in the labor force because they hold jobs that are less satisfying and more stressful than men’s jobs since they involve less money, less prestige, fewer job openings, more career roadblocks, and so on. Married women may experience more role strain than married men, because of work overload, marital inequality with their spouse, exclusive parenting responsibilities, unclear expectations, and lack of emotional support.

Numerous movements have taken place to help bring about social changes and laws that have positively impacted women in our community and in the workplace.

The Women’s Liberation movement began in the 1800’s. The National American Woman Suffrage Association was formed in 1890 (NAWSA). Its task (NAWSA) was greatly facilitated by other women’s groups that emerged during the Progressive Era (1889 - 1920’s) [ The Progressive Era - a concerted effort to reform political, economic, and social affairs. Issues like child labor, the concentration of economic power in the hands of few industrialists, limited suffrage, political corruption, business monopolies, and prejudice against African Americans were all targets of progressive reform efforts] .

With economic activity on the rise, millions of men going off to war, a sudden need for women workers developed. The trends of the 1920’s - more women workers and more of them married - soon accelerated. By 1944, 6.5 million additional women had entered the work force, and at the peak of war production in 1945, more than 19 million women were employed. Additional thousands were serving in the armed forces: 10,000 in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps, others in the navy, marines, and air corps auxiliaries.

Initially, there was considerable resistance to what was happening. About one out of every three husbands objected in principle to his wife taking a job. Many employers in so-called heavy industry and in other fields traditionally dominated by men doubted that women could handle such tasks. These male attitudes lost force in the face of the escalating demand for labor. That employers usually did not have to pay women as much as men made them attractive, as did the fact that they were not subject to the draft.

Black women workers had a particularly difficult time, employers often hesitating to hire them because they were black, black men looking down on them because they were women. Few wartime jobs were easy and for women of all races there were special burdens, not the least of which was the prejudice of many of the men they worked with. For married women there was housework to do after a long day not to mention children to care for.

Women sought for protective legislation in the form of maximum hour or minimum wage laws for women, improved sanitation, public morals, and education. Other women’s club movements were created to provide increased cultural and literary experiences.

While many things have changed, women still lag behind their male peers in terms of those employed as executives. This issue is not women - it is sexism. Sexism is the process of assigning life roles according to gender. This system fosters sex- related roles that usually entitle men to positions of authority in government, industry, education, science, and business. Sexism means any stereotyping resulting in arbitrary discrimination against females or males. Sex discrimination is differential employment decisions based on an employee’s gender. Sexual harassment is unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature. Sexism does not respect race, color, nor culture. It many ways it is better compared to racism in that is identifies a portion of the population and designates them different and inferior.

The roots of the women’s rights movement stem from the prejudices and frustrations women encounter regularly when they attempt to leave their designated role and enter the world of work, research, or study. The most damaging of all the challenges a woman faces when she enters the world of work is the general assumption that a man by his very nature is capable of more than she is and in every respect. Just as some white males used paternalism to keep blacks in their place during slavery, chivalry (manliness or the “consummate knight in shining armor”) is used to keep women in their place today.

The masculinist attitude some men possess places women on a pedestal so that he knows where they are at all times. While some women enjoy being placed on pedestals, many more want the pedestal placing to come from valuing them as individuals and not as objects or something men possess; respecting them as human beings first, striking a balance between pedestal placing and respecting what they want to achieve in their careers. Regardless, women in the world of work frequently step down from their pedestals.

Women in leadership positions are often in a Catch-22 situation - They are devalued if they display feminine behaviors (nurturing, cooperative, passive) and disapproved when they exhibit masculine behaviors. For example

It is imperative that executives, and managers avoid using language and making condescending references that demean or treat female employees as a low-status, homogenous group. When necessary, management must engage in counseling if that will help females adapt to their work environment. Consider the following ( many of these apply to both male and females)

~ Have and be able to convey a genuine sensitivity for the concerns of female workers. For example, - role conflict and being torn between the job and home, lack of equity in pay, inadequate promotion opportunities, occupational segregation; sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and unfounded beliefs about what is appropriate behavior for men and women.

~ Have an understanding of how interpersonal problems can affect an organization - work performance may not reflect lack of commitment to the job.

~ Get to know individual female workers and convey sensitivity to each worker in a noncondescending manner.

~ Be fair and make sure that all employees know and understand the standards, policies, and procedures.

~ Listen carefully for negative and positive feelings - seek understanding.

~ Recognize the limits of their authority - it may be appropriate to refer female (or male) workers to someone else who specializes in certain problems

Do not : make unsubstantiated assumptions about women and what they can and cannot do, argue with them, flaunt authority.

Effectively dealing with female workers is an extremely important human resource. They are essential to the functioning of business and industry and the economic survival of our society.

Exercise #1-F

SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRUE OR FALSE EXERCISE

TRUE FALSE

T F -1 Sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem experienced only by women.

T F -2 Most instances of sexual harassment involve requests for sexual favors.

T F -3 According to recent surveys, most complaints of sexual harassment were against an immediate supervisor.

T F -4 Most sexual harassment victims come forward and file a grievance or complaint against the alleged perpetrator.

T F -5 The only way that an organization can be sure that sexual harassment does not occur is to limit relationships among participants, whether they are students and faculty or employees and supervisors.

T F -6 If an employee is found guilty of sexual harassment, that individual may be individually liable to the harassed employee and may be ordered by the court to pay out-of-pocket expenses not reimbursable by the employer.

T F -7 Women in the military frequently experience sexual harassment.

T F -8 In the media, women are always depicted as the victims of sexual harassment and men as the perpetrators.

T F -9 A cartoon hanging over an employee’s desk might constitute sexual harassment.

T F -10 A professor who invites a student to go out on a date even though the student has previously refused to go out in the past may have committed sexual harassment.

== Answers

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

-1 False. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem for both men and women; however, women are more likely than men to be the victims. For example, women are nine times more likely than men to quit their jobs because of sexual harassment, five times more likely to transfer, and three times more likely to lose heir jobs.

-2 False. Situations in which sexual favors are demanded in exchange for being hired or promoted, getting a raise, and even keeping one’s job do occur often in the workplace. However, the majority of reported instances involve sexual harassment that creates an abusive or hostile work environment.

-3 True. Most of the formal complaints filed pertaining to sexual harassment are against an immediate supervisor. One-fourth of the complaints are against a more powerful person such as an executive officer or a vice president.

-4 False. It is estimated that as many as 90 percent of sexual harassment victims are unwilling to come forward because they fear the possibility of retaliation (such as losing their jobs) or a loss of privacy.

-5 False. Not only would it be virtually impossible to restrict interpersonal relationships in this way, but placing such limitations on relationships would not free an organization of sexual harassment. Instead, it might create an oppressive environment in which harassers simply used more covert methods.

-6 True. A court can award damages for back pay, emotional harm, punitive damages, and attorney fees to the employee who is the victim of sexual harassment. In some situations, the courts have prohibited the employer from paying the damages and instead have required the harasser to assume financial responsibility.

-7 True. In a 1990 study of sexual harassment, two out of three women in the military indicated that they had been sexually harassed. This problem captured the national spotlight when the 1991 “Tailhook” scandal occurred. Many U.S. Navy officers at a convention in Las Vegas were disciplined for drunken behavior and sexual harassment; several top Navy officials resigned.

-8 False. Recently, the media (especially novels, television talk shows, and movies) have depicted a few women as the perpetrators of sexual harassment. However, women are still more likely to be shown as victims rather than as harassers.

-9 True. The U.S. Supreme Court has said that acts that create a hostile or offensive work environment may constitute sexual harassment. A cartoon with sexual undertones may be considered sexual harassment if it creates a hostile offensive environment.

-10 True. If the student believes that rejection may result in adverse academic action, such as a bad grade or recommendation, this situation could constitute sexual harassment.

DID YOU KNOW?

~ Women comprise 43% of total employees in the executive, administrative and managerial occupations. Women in these areas are more likely to be employed in services, public administration and finance, insurance and real estate industries than male managers.

~ More people work for women-owned firms than for Fortune 500 companies (according to Fortune Magazine’s Fortune 100)

OLDER WORKERS AND WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES

Aging and disability are not synonymous. Aging is the physical, psychological, and social processes associated with growing older. As people age, they do not inevitably become disabled. A disability is a physical or health condition that stigmatizes or causes discrimination. Not all disabilities limit people physically, and many disabilities are not visible to others. Likewise, most people over age 65 are comparatively robust and capable of making contributions to society.

Older people and persons with a disability share some important concerns. Both may be targets of prejudice and discrimination based on commonly held myths about aging and physical capabilities. Older persons may be viewed as handicapped solely on the basis of their age; persons with certain types of disabilities are perceived as much older than their actual age because of physical or psychological frailties associated with their disability. Both groups may need assistance from others and support from society and both have used similar methods to gain individual dignity and autonomy.

At one time or another, all of us will be affected by aging or disability.

OLDER PERSONS

The rate of biological and psychological changes in older persons may be as important as their chronological age in determining how they are perceived by themselves and others. As adults grow older, they actually become shorter, bones become more brittle, arthritis increases and connective tissue stiffens joints. Wrinkled skin, age spots, and gray or white hair appear. Older persons have increased chances of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. Although most older people experience some decline in strength, flexibility, stamina, and other physical capabilities, much of that decline does not result simply from the aging process; with proper exercise and diet, many conditions that cause and result in declining health can be avoided if not reversible. With the physical changes come changes in the roles that older adults are expected to perform.

Stereotypes regarding older persons reinforce ageism - prejudice and discrimination against people on the basis of age, particularly when they are older persons. Ageism against older persons is rooted in the assumption that people become unattractive, unintelligent, asexual, unemployable, and mentally incompetent. Older adults are often stereotyped as thinking and moving slowly; as bound to themselves and their past, unable to change and grow; as being unable to move forward and at times moving backward. They are viewed as cranky, sickly, and lacking in social value; as demanding, aimless and absent-minded.

In industrialized societies, the skills necessary for many roles are more complex and the number of unskilled positions is more limited. Younger people are being taught the necessary skills for future employment rather than perform unskilled labor. Older persons are expected to retire so that younger persons can take their places. When older people have fewer productive roles to fill, inequality may increase. For instance, the downsizing movement - the work force has contributed to pressure on some older workers to retire early which saves money for employers and preserves jobs for younger workers.

Age discrimination can be costly. For the 90% or so of such cases settled out of court, financial penalties and defense costs are high. Even if your state does not have restrictive age bias law, a plaintiff can sue you for emotional distress caused by age discrimination - awards are usually higher in such cases. While the typical successful Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) age bias case averages $150,000, state law wrongful discharge suits run upwards of $1 million (once people pass the age of 40, they are protected by the federal ADEA).

The United States is no longer a country with an under thirty majority population - it is increasingly becoming older.

At the turn of the twentieth century, about 4 percent of the U.S. population was over age 65. In 1980 that number had risen to approximately 11 percent. Fourth-fifths (87.3%) of the population now reach age sixty-five. Those who reach sixty-five live an additional fifteen years. By the year 2050, according to projections, about 20 percent of the population will be at least age 65, and the population of persons age 85 and over will be more than triple in size from about 9 million (1.3 %) in 1993 to about 19 million (15 %).

In this country, growing old gracefully seems to only apply to a small population of older people. Just as important, it is difficult for most workers to grow old and remain useful. Although numerous studies conclude that while differences in hourly output among age groups are insignificant, older workers suffer from the stereotypes that suggest they are unproductive, doddering, inflexible, and inactive people.

Those who support our nation’s social insurance programs - the employed workers - are buckling under the load of future generations. Many economists have pointed out that never in the history of the Social Security Act have so many people depended on so few for their income. It does not appear that this program is going to survive much longer unless something is done to ease that load. In addition, many private and public sector employer pension plans are also close to being solvent. Soon the unfunded liabilities of public and private pension programs may exceed the national debt. Retirement, especially early retirement, as we would like it to be, does not seem realistic.

When organizations offer work opportunities to older persons, they supplement their own talents with a pool of skills, experience, knowledge, and past productivity. As the pool of younger workers grows smaller in the future, it is in the best interest of companies to look to older workers for more than token help.

The key to most human relations problems is effective communication. Managers must be aware of obstacles to good listening that may be caused by prejudice against elderly employees. When managing older employees it is important to recognize and practice the following :

~ Acknowledge that ageism probably exists - [ Do not tolerate expressions of the old - old bag, old fogey, old maid, old fart, old goat, dirty old man, etc.]

~ Provide training programs for older workers that have longer lead and learning times.

~ Incorporate incremental changes in work activities

~ Use praise instead of punishment to bring about changes

~ Do not allow a young versus older worker caste system to develop

~ Set goals in terms of brackets and ranges instead of absolute marks

~ Do not expect productivity to occur at a constant rate

~ Provide clear, helpful feedback and encourage trainees to tell managers what they understand their assignments to be

~ Where possible, let the employees rehearse their new assignments

~ Communicate your understanding that change is a way of life

DID YOU KNOW?

~ Forty one percent of respondents feel younger people definitely adapt better to new situations. Only 22% thought an older person would handle a new job that required learning new skills; 25% thought they would do the same.

~ Ninety percent of employers surveyed found older workers cost-effective and rated as either excellent or very good in attendance, punctuality, commitment to quality, and job performance.

DISABLED WORKERS

There are many definitions for disability. In business and government, it often is defined in terms of work - “an inability to engage in gainful employment.” Medical professionals tend to define it in terms of organically based impairments - the problem being entirely within the body. Not all disabilities are visible to others or necessarily limit people physically.

An estimated 43 million persons in the United States have one or more physical or mental disabilities. This number continues to increase due to medical technology and people who formerly would have died from an accident or illness now survive, although with an impairment; people are living longer, often experiencing diseases such as arthritis which often brings disabling health conditions. Although anyone can be disabled, some people are more likely to be or become disabled than others. African Americans have higher rates of disability than whites; persons with lower incomes also have higher rates of disability. However, disability knows no socioeconomic boundaries. You can become disabled from your mother’s poor nutrition or from falling off your horse.

Environmental, lifestyle and working conditions all may contribute to either temporary or chronic disability. For example, air pollution in automobile-clogged cities leads to a higher incidence of chronic respiratory disease and lung damage, which may result in severe disability in some people. Eating certain types of food and smoking cigarettes increase the risk for coronary and cardiovascular diseases.

In contemporary industrial societies, workers in the second tier of the labor market (primarily recent immigrants, white women, and people of color) are at the greatest risk for certain health hazards and disabilities. Employees in data processing and service-oriented jobs also may be affected by work-related disabilities. The extensive use of computers has been shown to harm some workers’ vision; to produce joint problems such as arthritis, low-back pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome; and place employees under high levels of stress that may result in neuroses and other mental health disorders. Being different can include confinement to a wheelchair, slurred speech, impaired hearing, a limp, or a missing part of the body. These differences are comparable to those of ethnic minorities, who may be different because of skin color, language, hair texture, physical features, and religious beliefs.

Unfortunately, some employers believe that individuals with disabilities are less than normal. These employers are likely to recall a negative stereotype of physically disabled people and consequently expect less of their own workers with disabilities. They also often believe that individuals with disabilities should expect less of themselves - they are not surprised when an individual with a disability is unable to get a job.

The stereotypes of persons with disability fall into three categories:

-1 Deformed individuals who also may be horrible deviants - For example horror movies - In the movie the Nightmare on Elmstreet, the villain was turned into a hateful, sadistic killer because of disfigurement resulting from a fire.

-2 Persons with disabilities are to be pitied - fund raising activities by many charitable organizations whose goal is to help those with disabilities have contributed to this perception. For example, the “poster child” campaigns - a photograph of a child with a visible disability and appealing for donations to help cure and care for such children [ many people with disabilities disapprove of this approach].

-3 Positive stereotypes can become harmful - An example is what some disabled people refer to as “supercrips” - people with severe disabilities who seem to excel despite the impairment and then receive widespread press coverage. Many advocates note that such stereotypes do not reflect the day-to-day reality of most persons with disabilities.

Prejudice against persons with disabilities may result in either subtle or overt discrimination. Some examples:

A restaurant owner who asked a woman with cerebral palsy to leave because her appearance was disturbing to other diners

An airline employee threw an elderly amputee onto a baggage dolly rather than helping him into a wheelchair so that he could board a plane

Treating persons with disabilities as asexual (a more subtle type of discrimination)

Today about two-thirds of working age persons with a disability in the United States are unemployed. Most of them believe that they could and would work if offered the opportunity. When persons with disabilities find jobs, they typically earn less than persons without a disability. The problem has been particularly severe for African Americans and Hispanic Americans with disabilities. Among Hispanics with a disability, only 10 percent are employed full time; those who work full time earn 73 percent of what white persons with disabilities earn.

Grave psychological disturbances can result when individuals with disabilities who are able to work are barred from participating in this most important societal activity. When individuals are unable to find or keep a job because of prejudices about their disabilities, physical disability becomes a “handicap.” The work capabilities of most people with physical disabilities have been demonstrated many times.

Organizations must value this perspective about what work represents for disabled persons:

~ It is a source of self-respect, a way of achieving recognition or respect from others

~ defines a person’s identity, his or her role in society

~ provides the opportunity for association with other people for building friendships

~ allows for self-expression and provides the opportunity for creativity and new experiences

~ permits people to be of service to others

The following behaviors will help managers interact constructively with employees with disabilities:

~ Become absorbed in the search for the truth about disabilities
~ Genuinely care - not being satisfied with quick, easy, superficial answers about disabilities,
~ Learn to communicate nonverbally with employees and understand their nonverbal communication,
~ Do not avoid doing difficult and worthwhile things because of the fear of failure.
~ Ask questions for which no ready answer exists
~ Encourage subordinates to take time out to relax
~ Let subordinates know that it is all right to do things differently
~ Learn the names and unique conditions of subordinates with disabilities

Older people have resisted ageism through organizations such as the Gray Panthers, the American Association of Retired Persons, and the Older Women’s League. In the disability rights movement, alliances have been forged among individuals and groups representing hundreds of different disabilities. Working toward passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act briefly brought many persons together for a common cause-to end discrimination and gain opportunities for all people with disabilities. People with disabilities and older people do not want pity. They insist on common respect and the opportunity to build bonds to their communities and within the workplace as fully accepted participants in everyday life.

Exercise #1-G

*Everyone has a disability. List four or five of your disabilities and briefly describe the jobs these disabilities keep you from performing satisfactorily.

AGING, DISABILITY, AND EMPOWERMENT TRUE OR FALSE EXERCISE

TRUE FALSE

T F -1 Most older persons have serious physical or mental disabilities.

T F -2 Women in the U.S. have a longer life expectancy than men.

T F -3 Scientific studies have documented the fact that women age faster than men.

T F -4 Most older persons are economically secure today as a result of Social Security, Medicare, and pensions.

T F -5 Studies show that advertising no longer stereotypes older persons.

T F -6 Positive stereotypes regarding persons with disabilities may produce negative results.

T F -7 Organizations representing older individuals and persons with a disability have demanded the same rights and privileges as those accorded to younger persons and individuals without a disability.

T F -8 The rate of elder abuse in the United States has been greatly exaggerated by the media.

T F -9 Having a disability inevitably shortens person’s life expectancy.

T F -10 After women reach menopause, they enjoy sexual activity more than when they were younger.

==Answers

AGING, DISABILITY, AND EMPOWERMENT

-1 False. Only about 14 percent of older people have severe functional limitations; at age 85 or over, 31 percent have severe disabilities.

-2 True. In 1992, female life expectancy (at birth) was 79.0 years, as compared with 72.3 for males. These figures vary by race and ethnicity as well as gender.

-3. False. No studies have documented that women actually age faster than men. However, some scholars have noted a “double standard” of aging that places older women at a disadvantage with respect to older men because women’s worth in the United States often is defined in terms of physical appearances.

-4 False. Although some older persons are economically secure, persons who rely solely on Social Security, Medicare, and pensions tend to live on low, fixed incomes that do not adequately meet their needs. A number live below the official poverty line.

-5 False. Studies have shown that advertisements frequently depict older persons negatively - for example, as sickly and silly.

-6 True. Disability rights advocates have pointed out that the image of persons with disabilities as being “wheelchair racers” and “supercrips” does not reflect the struggles faced by persons with disabilities in everyday life.

-7 True. Organizations such as the Gray Panthers, The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and ADAPT (a national group that promotes the rights of people with disabilities) have been instrumental in the enactment of legislation beneficial to older persons and individuals with a disability.

-8 False. Although cases of abuse and neglect of older persons are highly dramatized in the media, most coverage pertains to problems in hospitals, nursing homes, or other long-term care facilities. We know very little about the nature and extent of abuse that occurs in private homes.

-9 False. Many persons with one or more disabilities live out the full life expectancy of their birth cohort. Some conditions do not change, such as the loss of a limb, hearing loss, or visual impairments; others may be progressive in nature and may eventually result in death. Examples include potentially disabling chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer among older persons.

-10 True. Women may enjoy sexual activity more after menopause because their sexual enjoyment now is separated from the possibility of pregnancy.

DID YOU KNOW?

~ One in five Americans, approximately 49 million, have some type of physical disability.
~ According to the United Nations, there are a half-billion people in the world, and 43 million in the U.S. with disabilities, making the disabled the largest minority in the world.
~ Two out of three people with disabilities are not working, but want to.
~ According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, more than half of all job accommodations for people with disabilities cost employers absolutely nothing; another 30% cost less than $500.

FOREIGN WORKERS

The admittance of large numbers of foreign workers into the United States has always been viewed reluctantly by Americans. Most twenty-first century immigrants and foreign workers are from countries often referred to as Third World countries - Africa, Asia, and Latin America. A large number of immigrants come to America intending to stay temporarily. Most African and Asian immigrants are here only to achieve a college education or earn a sizable amount of money and then return to their homeland. To accomplish this, they select occupations that do not tie them to a territory for long assignments, seeking jobs that allow them to be mobile. They often work long hours and spend little money - they come to save money or to send some of it home, not to spend it.

Foreign workers who plan to return home have little motivation to develop intimate, lasting relationships with Americans. Ethnic and regional associations are maintained within enclosed social groups that resist bonding relationships to nonethnic group people. Integrating foreign workers who are here temporarily into the workforce can be challenging.

Americans tend to assign positive or negative attributes to citizens of other countries on the basis of the category or group to which they belong (e.g., peoples of “developing” countries are uncivilized or of lower intelligence) . On the other hand, positive stereotypes foster the belief that the peoples of Western industrialized countries are highly civilized and quite intelligent.

The belief that one’s own culture is superior to all others, ethnocentrism, is the major source of cross-national problems. Ethnocentrism makes it difficult for employees to communicate with peers and subordinates from other cultures, who are believed to be inferior. When we fail to acknowledge an individual’s equality, it leads to hostilities and other work related disruptions.

The number of immigrants living in the United States is uncertain. Estimates range from a low of 1.3 million to a high of 4.2 million. Conditions that tend to push or pull immigrants to the U.S., depending on their reasons for leaving their home country, include political unrest, growing imbalances between population and food supplies, and high income taxes.

In most organizations, English is the most prescribed language. Employees whose first language is not English are expected to leave their native language at the door before entering the organization. The theory behind the speak-English-only norm - it is believed that if immigrants speak only English they will be able to interact better with the other employees. Employers who support such behavior fail to understand that forced exposure to a new language can sometimes make it more difficult to learn communication skills in that language. These norms are very hard to enforce. Many English speaking employees become frustrated with language barriers. Very often foreign workers can sense this frustration which adds to the difficulty of learning.

Most employees in this country believe that it is not only desirable but correct to tell their supervisors what they think, even when they disagree with them. While many do not do this, those that do are not faulted. This is not the case in most other nations where it is difficult for people to express their differences face-to-face and authority is strongly emphasized. Consider the following tips:

~ Do not try to cover too much material at one time
~ Organize your thoughts and avoid irrelevant materials
~ Use simple phrasing and words familiar to the employees. Avoid unnecessary jargon, or slang. If job related jargon is used - provide a glossary
~ Speak slowly, distinctly, and in a nonpatronizing manner.
~ Use extensive handouts, especially those with visual aids
~ Ask questions to encourage learning but do not force debate and intergroup competition
~ Allow employees who prefer to do so to ask written anonymous questions
~ If you must test for comprehension, avoid multiple choice questions; allow quizzes to be self-graded and repeated
~ Recap the major points presented and frequently check to make sure the employees understand them

In order to avoid national origin lawsuits, employers should adhere to the following:

~ Review recruiting and selection procedures to make sure they comply with the INS regulations
~ Require managers to treat all ethnic groups fairly
~ Treat lawful aliens in the process of becoming U.S. citizens the same as the U.S. citizens
~ Include nationality discrimination in the organization complaint procedure

Exercise #1-H

Remember objective for minority group exercises.

-1 Sometimes people from other countries seem aloof: The more they are pressured to interact, the more they withdraw. But this is not unique to people from other countries. Recall a situation when you behaved that way. Why did you withdraw?

-2 People of some countries are more attractive to us than those of other countries. List the characteristics of foreigners that you like and those you dislike.

Like:

Dislike:

DID YOU KNOW?

The following people are all first-generation immigrants:

~ Designer Liz Claiborne (Belgium)
~ Former New York Knicks Basketball player Patrick Ewing (Jamaica)
~ Coca Cola Chief Executive Roberto Goizueta (Cuba)
~ Cellist Yo-Yo Ma (French-Chinese)
~ Actress Elizabeth Taylor (Britain)

WEIGHT-BASED DISCRIMINATION

As many people who are overweight have experienced, a person’s weight may be fair game for jokes even in an era when remarks about race, sex, or religion are considered unacceptable. Discrimination against overweight people has been referred to as one of the last acceptable forms of prejudice. People who do not appeal to existing weight and appearance norms are often devalued and objectified by others (treating people as if they were objects not human beings).

When we judge people on the basis of their appearance in a stigma-loaded category (e.g., such as “fat slob” or “hundred-pound” weakling), rather than on the basis of their individuals qualities, we have objectified them. In this country, it is common for women to experience objectification.

Studies suggest that men and women may have negative perceptions about their body size, weight, and appearance. Many men compare themselves unfavorably to muscular bodybuilders and believe that they need to gain weight or muscularity - for some this is associated with masculinity and power. For women, body image is an even greater concern. Women may compare themselves unfavorably to slim stars of television and believe that they need to lose weight. Men are less likely to let concerns about appearance affect how they feel about their own competence, worth, and abilities; among women, dislike of their bodies may affect self-esteem and feelings of self-worth.

Cultural differences in appearance norms help explain why women and men feel differently about their bodies. Women tend to be judged more harshly and they know it. Throughout life, men and women receive different cultural messages about body image, food, and eating. Men are encouraged to eat while women are made to feel guilty about eating. Female beauty and being thin is flaunted by the advertising industry. The job market reinforces it through overt or hidden discrimination against women who do not fit the image. Women of all racial-ethnic groups, classes, and sexual orientations regard their weight as a crucial index of their acceptability to others.

Studies indicate that attractive people generally are better liked than unattractive people and are perceived as having more favorable characteristics such as ----à intelligence ---à disciplined ----à skill

Obesity is seen as unattractive by many people and is associated with ----à laziness--à incompetence -----à disorganization ----à lack of self-discipline

Often times, these biases are carried over into employment decisions regarding who gets hired, given a raise, and promoted. One study indicated that overweight job applicants are significantly less likely to be hired than are slimmer people. Another study found that overweight employees face workplace restrictions not placed on other employees. For example

Being told to keep off of new office furniture so it will not break
Being forced to pay higher premiums for health insurance
Being told that they will not be promoted unless they lose weight

Obesity has resulted in lower pay. One study consisting of 850 male MBA graduates revealed that those who were at least 20 percent overweight earned about $4,000 less than men of average weight. A flight attendant received her twenty-five year pin from a major airlines - on that same day she was fired for being eleven pounds overweight.

In the absence of a statute clearly stating that employment-related discrimination against people for being overweight is illegal, it is unclear if the law protects people from weight-based discrimination. There are a few states (Michigan, Connecticut ) in which the law provides that discrimination against a person in employment decisions is illegal if based on “religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex,, height, weight, or marital status”. In states lacking such a statute, overweight people tend to rely on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in court challenges to weight discrimination. Under the ADA, having what others regard to be a physical or mental impairment can constitute a disability.

People who challenge adverse job-related decisions argue that their weight does not preclude them from carrying out the duties of a particular job, but rather that it is perceptions about their weight that result in unlawful discrimination.

For some jobs, obesity, especially morbid obesity, which is defined as being at least one hundred pounds overweight or twice the normal weight for a particular height, might preclude a person from performing successfully. These are jobs that have a “bona fide occupational qualification” (BFOQ) that an overweight person cannot meet. Even in states with statutes outlawing employment decisions based on weight, employers can claim BFOQs as a valid requirement (e.g., a firefighter or a police officer).

Ultimately, overweight people have the burden of proving that weight discrimination was the reason for the adverse employment-related decision. It is worth mentioning that they are beginning to succeed, both in court and in the workplace.

Exercise #1-I

Remember the objective for minority group exercises.

What jobs do you feel should have a BFOQ? Why?

Is anyone close to you overweight (family, friend, coworker)?

As an observer, do you feel their size affects how they perform their job? Explain.

DID YOU KNOW?

~ According to the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, 90% of high school junior and senior young women diet regularly even though only 10 - 15% are over the recommended standard weight.
~ Seventy-eight percent of the population is deemed overweight
~ Some courts view weight-discrimination claims as disability discrimination, especially in light of the fact that obesity is often genetic.

Part Three - Module A ( 45 - 60 minutes)

Objective: To demonstrate how change may cause discomfort and therefore resistance; the importance of appropriate communication and to point out the consequences that a lack of respect and appreciation/acknowledgment generates when valuing and managing diversity is not exercised.

HOW READY ARE YOU?

Some of the most dangerous prejudices are negative attitudes directed toward groups of people. They are represented by or generalizations about all or most members of a particular group (“You know what they say about those people”). We are not born with attitudes; they are learned. A diversity related attitude is a degree of readiness to behave in a given manner toward culturally different people. This perspective speaks to how managers perceive their employees, and suggests that in order for a manager to curtail scrutiny, he or she must quickly respond to them, be motivated to respond to them, and have experience responding to them - the degree of readiness must pass the test.

A diversity-related attitude is “to act” not an act itself - when responding managers must be sure and/or convey sincerity if they are not sure. It is not an overt or negative response. For instance, one employee replied “I know what I should do, I don’t need you to tell me. Those people are always complaining about the same things.” The degree of acceptance of diversity is a function of motivation and the desire to reach the goal - there will be talkers, doers, and talkers who are doers. Once positive diversity-related attitudes are formed they must be reinforced.

Antidiversity attitudes are seldom changed by logic - when employees who hold antidiversity attitudes are confronted by supervisors with logic or with new information (prodiversity attitude or information), they usually do not change their beliefs. Instead, they tend to hide their attitudes and pretend to have been converted, especially if their supervisors or managers are monitoring the training; what is said becomes less important - who said it is an important component influencing whether information will change attitudes. For example, male managers’ attitudes toward female employees may be tolerant during diversity training but does not carry over into the workplace.

Most attitudes such as those supporting racism, sexism, and ageism are seldom initially formed by logic; nor are they frequently changed by logic. Employees receiving this information have several options:

~ They can fail to hear, see, or correctly interpret the new information
~ The can receive the information accurately but deny its validity keeping their existing beliefs intact
~ They accommodate the new information by adopting both prodiversity and antidiversity perspectives - a popular middle ground
~ They abandon their antidiversity beliefs and accept diversity endeavors

When training and work environments are desegregated antidiversity attitudes are not always changed - simply doing this can be counterproductive. The participants may observe some members responding in ways they feel are stereotypical such as: crying when frustrated; behaving as inarticulate, ingratiating people; falling asleep during lectures.

However, healthier attitudes can be formed or changed by personal experience

-1 if the attitudes are not in conflict with more powerful motives
-2 if the experiences are carefully selected to place the participants in relationships with peers they do not perceive as being snobbish
-3 if the attitudes to be changed involve perceptions that are so simple they contradict former views based on observation - all participants are placed in a win-win situation in which there are no losers when the diversity initiative is completed.

The degree of attitude change depends on employees’ initial position regarding diversity, their attention to the message and the communicator, and their understanding and acceptance of the message. Efforts to bring about attitudinal and behavioral changes often result in strong resistance from employees. Listed are several reasons for resistance:

~ If the changes are not clear to the employees - “The change is necessary because of new laws” or “It is what we ought to do” - with no further meaningful explanation

~ Different people will see different meanings in the proposed changes. Minorities and women may see job opportunities, white males may see “reverse discrimination.

~ When employees in supervisory positions are caught between forces pushing them to make changes and strong opposing forces pulling them to maintain the status quo - opponents must not be made to “lose face” during the change process.

~ If the changes are made on personal grounds rather than impersonal requirements or sanctions. If the employee resists the program, managers should avoid statements such as “I think you should implement the diversity plan.” No one really cares what he or she thinks. Instead, they should reply “This plan is consistent with the company’s diversity objectives.”

~ If the changes ignore the organization culture. An effective change will neither ignore old customs nor abruptly create new ones. Timing and balance is important. This does not mean that diversity plans should drag on for months or years.

Often, during the process of preparing employees for diversity, employers are insensitive to the emotional needs of white males. While many white males enter diversity already being “pro-people”, neither antiminority nor antiwhite, others internalize conflict which is heightened when white males learn about the cultural heritage and contributions of minority groups and women. Denial, guilt, and anger are typical responses during the middle passage to cultural literacy. This is an important period of information that often helps them experience digestion and redefinition of self and hopefully lead them to accepting themselves and peoples of other culture as coworkers of equal human worth.

COMMUNICATION

All human behavior is potentially a communication. In many instances, what is communicated is not interpreted as it was intended. Effective communication is when the receiver interprets the message in the same way intended by the sender. This is not always easy to do across cultures. Unless managers and supervisors communicate with their subordinates effectively, diversity initiatives will fail or be inappropriately carried out. The following are commonly known barriers to accurate communication of company initiatives:

-1 Language differences hinder accurate communication
-2 Nonverbal communication is often subjective and more emotional
-3 Cultural stereotypes and a high level of anxiety tend to distort meanings
-4 Most people tend to evaluate what others say and do as being either good or bad.

By the very nature of their jobs all managers and supervisors should be concerned with successfully managing diversity. Verbal and nonverbal communication are inherent aspects of all organization behaviors.

During the course of sharing experiences or work, people talk and communicate their cultures to each other. They will discover differences, ask questions, offer support, and share emotions and feelings.

Employees struggling to understand coworkers who use different language or argots (special vocabulary of a particular social group or class) experience firsthand the difficulty in crossing cultural barriers. Argots reflect a way of life - they are keys to attitudes, to evaluations of people and society, to modes of thinking, to social organization and to technology. For example, one employee said to a foreign worker “That division in the company is the pits” - the foreign worker envisioned that division setting down in a large, deep whole, literally in a pit - the employee simply meant that the division he was referring to was an undesirable sector of the company to him.

Words are helpful, harmful, or neutral in their effect. The words (and their meanings) that mangers use will greatly determine how successful or unsuccessful they will be in relating to their subordinates. The use of jargon, company jargon, or precise technical terms, are factors that subvert effective communication.

Only about 20 to 30 percent of what is communicated in conversation is verbal. Nonverbal communication (or body language)should never be considered a total substitute for words unless the employee has a hearing impairment. People use several kinds of body language:

-A Gestures and Movement - produced by facial expressions, postures, movements of the arms, hands, fingers, feet, legs, etc.

-B Manner of Speaking - the tone of an individuals voice and the placing of oral emphasis are closely related to gestures. The manner of speaking includes the quality, volume, pitch, and duration of speech

-C Eye Contact - Most Americans are taught not to stare at other people. Instead, they learn to acknowledge another person’s presence through deliberate and polite inattention. In other words, they look long enough to make it clear that they see the other person and then look away. The lack of eye contact, the blinking of eyes, staring and staring at the total body are all subject to misinterpretation.

-E Facial Expressions - It is generally accepted that a smile means a a person is happy or wants to appear happy. Biting the lip, yawning, and grimacing have predictable meanings. There are cultural restraints to facial expressions. In Japan, it is considered disrespectful for an individual to betray his or her feelings of grief or pain.

-F Touching - The sense of touch conveys acceptance or rejection, warmth or coldness, positive or negative feelings. Little of the manager’s contact with subordinate requires touching.

Some degree of touching upon greeting is considered proper in most cultures. In North American culture it is acceptable for girls to hold hands, but not for boys. White and African American fathers touch their sons. Homosexuals who choose to reveal their sexual orientation may be seen holding hands or hugging. In Africa and the Middle East, it is an accepted sign of friendship for males to hold hands. In Germany it is expected that people will shake hands at almost every meeting. In the United States handshaking is very common but not required. Males are taught that a firm handshake can command respect. Other variations would be the “high-five” and “low-five”, both have been adopted by peoples of many cultural background.

-G Listening - Effective communication does not occur unless effective listening also occurs
-H Movement - Most managers do not understand how various cultures use movement and the arts (music, dance, drama, and visual arts) in communication. Africans, Latin Europeans, Latin Americans, and Native American Indians use movement and the arts as modes of communication. Managers must learn to fit how people move and say and do things into a total social and cultural context.

Managers and supervisors can effectively communicate with culturally diverse employees, by trying to understand each individual, his or her personality, his or her cultural background, and the workplace situation. In addition they must:

~ Listen to what others say - Effective listening requires paying careful attention to not only the spoken words but also the speaker’s body language
~ Organize your thoughts and make sense of the many perceptions that may be running through the subordinates’ minds - “I am embarrassed talking about this.” “She is asking me to do something I am afraid to do.” It is helpful for employees to be encouraged to state their feelings and to make their points clear,
~ Wait for reaction once something has been presented to employees - Waiting for a reaction means more than listening to the words. It also means, where possible, observing the other person’s body reaction.
~ Keep an open mind - Be receptive to subordinates’ ideas. Be willing to question one’s own values and perceptions.
~ Make sure of the communication - Once an agreement has been made regarding the subject under discussion, every attempt should be made to ensure that the subordinates’ understanding and the manager’s understanding are the same.
~ Avoid Mine Fields -

-1 Pronounce employee’s names correctly. When in doubt, ask them for the correct pronunciation.
-2 Use proper titles of respect: “Mr..,” “Mrs.,” “Doctor”
-3 Call employees by their proper name; avoid slang such as girl, boy, honey, dear, guy, ace, fella, babe, stud, chief, mama, and sweetheart (just to name a few).

Shifting from the old to a new paradigm of prevention is an important part of the process of creating environments that welcome, value, and manage diversity. Proactive prevention should provide the framework for diversity initiatives designed to teach and demonstrate the skills necessary for dealing with prejudicial or discriminatory attitudes. Administrators must provide programs that help individuals sharpen their self-awareness, and improve their sense of self-esteem and self-worth.

In order to achieve this goal, the emphasis should be on eliminating the risk factors that contribute to the impact of prejudicial and discriminatory attitudes, while fostering the protective factors that shield employees from the effects of negative attitudes.

Risk factors are attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, situations, and actions that put employees, groups, and organizations, at risk and create harmful or negative environments.

Protective factors are: opportunities to contribute and be regarded as a resource, healthy expectations and a positive outlook that includes all people, an environment that encourages the development of problem solving and critical thinking skills; a positive sense of humor, positive and caring relationships with people who are different.

Exercise #1-A

Objective: To think about and examine your listening skills.

Try to list some of the things that prevent you from really listening to others. Are you more concerned with what is happening to you? Do your own thoughts get in the way?

How do you know when you are really listening? How does your body language change?

How do you know when someone else is really listening to you?

Can you list some occasions when you haven’t listened or just assumed you knew what someone was going to say before they said it? How do you think it made them feel?

How do you feel when you perceive that someone isn’t really listening to you? How do you express your frustration?

HARMFUL WORDS/LANGUAGE

The concept of corporate culture involves the basic assumptions, values norms, and language that guide employees’ behaviors within a company. It is a product of long-term social learning and reflects what has worked in the past.

Verbal misunderstanding are frequently the beginning of problems between culturally different employees. Most employees fear things and people who are different and they often verbally strike out or physically lash out in an aggressive manner to protect themselves. Compared with other forms of discrimination, verbal attacks appear to be less harmful. Although they differ from physical violence, the consequences of hateful words are no less painful.

Control over language and discourse in the workplace is vital for either maintaining or reducing cultural oppression. Monitoring what is conveyed in newsletter, memorandums, corporate meetings, job interviews, news announcements, and other forms of communication is essential. Words are not without organizational consequences.

Symbolic racism allows for subtlety, indirectness, and implication. Communication in the form of graffiti, epithets (abusive word or phrase), or older film productions may be racist in their tone. However, today’s racism is more sophisticated, less obvious. Hatred is often vented through innocent stories such as a black neighbor who does not keep his lawn tidy or a foreign worker poorly cleaning an office; a female being typically emotional during a meeting. The reality of such conversations is that through implication they insinuate negative behaviors or characteristics to the target group. Very often these derogatory references are prefaced with “I have nothing against them... Some of my friends are...” or something else similar. The bottom line is the target group is misrepresented.

Racism is responsible for much of the hostility that transpires in the workplace. In some companies, racial, sexual, and other derogatory remarks are transmitted through hate mail, hate faxes, or the old fashioned way - scribbled on desks and lockers. These incidents have been occurring at a high rate in the last few years.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 22,396 violent physical acts on the job in 1993, of which approximately 6% were committed by present or former coworkers. According to BLS Annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses nonfatal workplace assaults are distributed almost equally between men (44%) and women (56%).

From 1990 to 1991 there was a 31 percent increase in attacks on gay people in five major U.S. cities. Anti-Semetic incidents reached the highest level since the Anti-Defamation League began its annual monitoring of hate crimes - an 11 percent increase from 1990. In Los Angeles County alone, where the first human relations commission was established in 1944 to promote understanding among ethnic groups, hate crimes (which are classified legally as violations of the law, based on the victim’s background - ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) increased 22 percent. African Americans, Hispanics, homosexual males, and Jews were the primary targets of most of those hate crimes. The following are specific examples

~ An African American employee of an East Coast company took the day off to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Upon returning to work, he discovered a note that had been scribbled on his desk calendar “Kill four more, get four more days off.
~ An elderly Jewish employee in an East Coast electronics firm was told face-to-face by another employee that the new boss was about to design microwave ovens large enough for people to walk into.
~ Fifteen employees in a West Coast public utilities corporation marched in a gay pride parade with the company’s logo. When they returned to work, they were greeted by hundreds of e-mail letters, one read : “If I had been anywhere near the gay pride march and had an ax, I would have axed you people.”

Even today, because of the war against Iraq, Arabs are believed by many Americans to be barbaric, uncultured people. Similar images are projected to other foreign workers whose countries have been associated with hostile actions against U.S. citizens. These images are so powerful that personal knowledge of friends and public figures may not change them.

There are few things that can convey hatred for an individual based on his or her membership in a group as quickly or as vividly as a derogatory ethnic label (DEL). DELs have such great impact that their use in face-to-face interactions between members of different ethnic groups often leads to violence. The following are just a few

beaner cameljockey chink nigger wop frog Jap kikes gook peckawood spic redneck honky greaseball junglebunny coolies savages turbanheads guinea Nazi dagos heathens spook

Classic field studies revealed that DELs are used when hostilities between groups escalate, even when the groups are arbitrarily formed. Studies found the following three are especially relevant to the workplace:

~ Majority group members use stories to place themselves in the victim role and thereby justify their prejudiced views.
~ Majority group members tend to present themselves to interviewers in a positive light.
~ Majority group members often explicitly communicate tolerance while implicitly conveying prejudice.

DELs primarily symbolize all the negative, stereotypical beliefs associated with the group. Since DELs have the power to communicate all the negative beliefs about a group in a single word, they are especially potent communicative devices. Words have the power to make a concept appear to be natural throughout the world. For example, there are many negative beliefs about blacks in the United States, but the term nigger crystallizes these beliefs into a concept or prototype that has a sense of concrete reality to peoples throughout the world.

Exercise #1-B

Objective: To point out your awareness of DELs and or stereotypes used by yourself or others.

-1 What slang terms do you, some of your friends or associates use for the following people?

Polish Americans
Black Americans
Mexican Americans
Italians Americans
Jews
Catholics
Poor Whites
Homosexuals
Elderly People
Arabs

-2 What is your stereotype for the following executives?

Males -
Females -

-3 What abusive word or phrase do you consider offensive when they are used to describe your race, ethnic group, and gender?

Managers can help curtail and prevent discrimination based on race, color, gender, and national origin by implementing bias-free written and spoken language in the workplace. Additional suggestions:

-1 Identify people by race, color, gender, and ethnic origin only when this identification is appropriate. Unless there is a very good business related justification, it is inappropriate to identify people by race, color, gender, and ethnic origin. For example: “Celia Vasquez, a female Hispanic American engineer, has been with the company for five years”). If this statement is part of an affirmative action report, identifying Celia’s gender and race is appropriate. Otherwise, it is inappropriate.
-2 Avoid using words and phrases that may not be offensive to you but can potentially offend others . For instance, culturally deprived or culturally disadvantaged - these terms imply inferiority. The term culturally different does not carry a negative connotation.
-3 The language used in business communication should include all employees rather than exclude some of them.

Words are not neutral. People associate words with feelings and behaviors. It is essential for employers to embrace models that are inclusive.

MANAGING CONFLICT

To effectively manage diversity, managers and supervisors must be aware of the values, motivations, communication styles, attitudes , and needs of their employees. Work environments in which the majority of employees are from the same ethnic group often create the illusion that all employees are alike, distorting individual uniqueness and causing workplace identity conflicts.

Cross- cultural differences and multicultural conflicts are very involved because of the multiple identities found within cultures. For example, multiple identities include Catholic African Americans, Hispanic homosexuals, Asian Lesbians, and White Americans who remained in or chose to live in neighborhoods that are or became predominantly black. Becoming aware of the many dynamics that are a part of the history of an ethnic group, and its relationships with other groups is critical to recognizing and resolving cross-cultural conflict.

There are many causes of cross-cultural conflict, including, but not limited to, language and communication barriers, racism, sexism, and ageism. The following barriers must be aligned:

-1 language differences
-2 differences in emotional and nonverbal communication
-3 cultural stereotypes that distort meanings
-4 evaluating the content of speech as either good or bad
-5 high levels of anxiety that distort meanings

It is common for managers to be confronted with resistance and hostility from employees during efforts to resolve conflict. No matter how polished an organization’s prevention program, some employees refuse to recognize the existence of a problem. Resistance is not always bad thing. Quite frankly, it is a necessary part of the change and growth process - conflict is a natural and inevitable aspect of life. In this vein, resistance can be therapeutic rather than something to be feared and avoided - a healthy amount can be a positive force; it can energize an organization. Similarly, conflicted employees will invariably deny that they have a problem, at least until the symptoms can no longer be denied.

However, employers should not minimize the fact that many employees do not report conflicts because they fear such disclosure will cost them their jobs. The fact that a troubled employee is being offered assistance by his or her supervisor may encourage other employees to come forth. Too much employee resistance will ruin diversity initiatives and create other job crises. Managers and supervisors rarely get sustained, employee resistance if they are honest and sincere in attempting to help troubled individuals to become more effective employees. Managers and supervisors must be more than disciplinarians - they must be effective counselors.

Effective managers are effective listeners. The greatest block to interpersonal communication is the inability to listen intently. Numerous studies have documented that the average manager or supervisor in a counseling interview will talk about 85 percent of the time. In order for managers to really listen to employees, they must let them do about 90 percent of the talking.

Sometimes the communication process will break down between managers and subordinates. This is especially true when there are job related conflicts and confrontations. If racial, gender, and disability issues are also involved in the communication break-down, the conflict is even more heated.

Conflict is intermittent and personal. Even though every company contains many factors that lead to conflict, efficient functioning requires that it be controlled. Minimizing the importance of a conflict situation or denying that it exists may be expeditious but this will only allow the conflict to simmer and then resurface and escalate.

Effective managers engage in the following conflict resolution behaviors

~ They are sensitive to the egos and self esteem of all parties involved in the conflict. They try to not publicly embarrass or criticize subordinates, which results in distrust, disrespect ,and possibly anger and bitterness.
~ The do not let the conflict drag on for a long time. To do so would increase stress and hostility among the parties.
~ They focus on what is right instead of who is right.

In order to be optimally effective, managers and supervisors must be culturally proactive and not reactive. During conflict resolution, effective managers are able to elicit trust and respect from their subordinates. These administrators have learned to do the following things during counseling sessions involving diversity-related problems:

-A Clearly define the behaviors in question
-B Specify acceptable behaviors
-C Listen patiently, attentively, and actively to all parties of a conflict.
-D Focus on behaviors, not personalities.
-E Criticize inappropriate behavior but never the individual For example, you should say “I will not tolerate this behavior because it is against company policy (state of federal laws)” instead of “I will not tolerate you.”
-F Never argue while trying to counsel employees.
-G Use a problem-solving approach, with mutual goal-setting.
-H End each counseling session with a concrete plan for further action.
-I Follow through and monitor agreements and directives.

Central to conflict resolution is mastering the processes of problem solving -

-1 The facts that constitute the problem must be understood. Facts almost always consist of both objective reality and subjective reactions.
-2 The facts must be thought through. They must be probed into, and turned over in order for distressed employees to grasp as much of the total configuration as possible.
-3 A decision must be made that will result in resolving or alleviating the problem. This usually involves a change in behavior and attitude.

It is important for organizations to include diversity as an aspect of career progression. Successful career counseling as an aspect of managing diversity will improve employee morale and loyalty.

In addition, managers must keep in mind

~ Information alone is seldom enough - Too much information can freeze negative attitudes and reinforce dysfunctional behavior. In order to be helpful, the manager must believe the information.
~ Sensitivity is the capacity to identify and empathize with the values, aspirations, and feelings of subordinates - Managers must be able to see employees as they see themselves, to dispel fears of cultural differences, and to communicate with their subordinates in a sincere manner.
~ Frequently managers are problems themselves or causes of problems - If a manager gets wrapped up in his or her own inner world, he or she will not be able to perceive clearly the feelings of others. The challenge is to be able to empathize with subordinates but not to the point of losing their objectivity.
~ The manager must consciously focus on feelings - Facts alone are relatively ineffective in altering deep-seated stress. Facts include accounts and events seen and felt by all parties in a dispute. All parties must be allowed, and if necessary, encouraged to express their feelings so that the manager can focus on the same issues.
~ In many instances, aggrieved workers do not know how they really feel about their situation until they have communicated these feelings to someone else - Distressed workers may only be aware of internal discomforts. Providing opportunities for them to tell how they feel is usually the first step in isolating negative feelings and related behaviors.
~ It is very important for distressed workers to stay focused on problems that can be solved - Age, gender, etc. cannot be changed.

Resolving diversity problems should not be left to the whims of individual managers. Care must be taken to not place the burden of conflict resolution on minorities and women. The rewards are many to organizations that successfully manage diversity - and are quantifiable. If conflicts are ignored, employee problems such as lateness, absenteeism, poor job performances, wrongful dismissals, sexual harassment, and racial discrimination are likely to increase. If managed correctly, conflict resolution will be a win-win process.

Exercise #1-C

Objective: To help participants think about what actions can be put in place to prevent or minimize problems such as the ones mentioned in this section.

-1 How do you define prevention?

-2 Share some of your ideas that would help conflict resolution be a win-win process.

The following are just a few of the many Civil Rights Laws (Acts) put in place to protect United States citizens from discrimination

THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964

Barred discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in the “full and equal enjoyment” of goods and service in any public accommodation.

Authorized the Attorney General to initiate lawsuits to force desegregation of public schools on behalf of private individuals.

Made illegal the use of literacy tests or other administrative devices or tests designed to impede minority voting.

Barred discrimination in any program or activity receiving federal assistance.

Prohibited discrimination in employment on grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.

Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to monitor and enforce the bans on employment discrimination.

Title VI- as amended, forbids employment or membership discrimination by employers, employment agencies, and unions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Title VII was amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 to prohibit discrimination in employment against women affected by pregnancy or related conditions.

EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963

AGE & DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT ACT OF 1967 - prohibits, in general, discrimination against employees or applicants for employment who are at least 40 years old. Exceptions are made for employees covered by collective-bargaining contracts and for bona fide executives or high-level policy makers. - amended in 1975 - prohibits “unreasonable discrimination on the basis of age” by recipients of federal financial assistance, including revenue sharing funds.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990 - prohibits discrimination against qualified people with disabilities in employment, public services, transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunication services.

THE IMMIGRATION REFORM AND CONTROL ACT OF 1986 - makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against legal aliens merely because they are aliens or look “foreign”. The provision is enforced by a special counsel’s office in the Justice Department. Employers of 15 or more workers - also prohibited from engaging in national origin discrimination.

REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 - requires federal executive agencies under Section 501, and federal contractors under Section 503, to take affirmative action to employ and promote qualified persons with disabilities. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1991 - was signed into law on November 21, 1991 - the 1991 Civil Rights Act amends several federal EEO laws and enacts new provisions that apply nondiscrimination requirements to Senate and presidential employees. The Act overturned several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that were adverse to the interests of employees claiming employment bias. By providing for jury trials and compensatory and punitive damages, it also made sweeping changes in the remedies available to employees who prove intentional bias. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in April 1994 that these changes do not apply retroactively to cases that were pending when the Act was signed.

WHO IS THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION?

The U.S. EEOC is a division of the government organized to ensure equality of opportunity by vigorously enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination through investigation, conciliation, litigation, coordination, regulation, education, and technical assistance. An average of 75,000 charges of employment discrimination are filed with the EEOC annually. The surge in employment bias charges is attributable in part to the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which made discrimination against persons with disabilities unlawful and became effective for employers with 15 or more employees July 26, 1994.

The most frequent basis claimed for discrimination is still race, followed by sex, with sexual harassment charges rising significantly in recent years.

The following are achievements resulting from the EEOC’s litigation program (1998)

~ an age bias settlement with Lockheed Martin (formerly Martin Marietta) for $13 million in back pay and 450 jobs for older workers who were dismissed
~ settlement of race/national origin/sex bias claims against a major supermarket chain in Texas for $2.5 million in back pay and over 5,000 entry-level and 34 management trainee job offers to qualified African American, Hispanic, and female applicants previously denied positions
~ A $34 million settlement in a sexual harassment case with Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, and a settlement of almost $10 million in a sexual harassment case against Astra USA Inc., a pharmaceutical company in Massachusetts -the EEOC’s two largest sexual harassment settlements to date. These cases are notable for Mitsubishi’s adoption of extensive changes to its sexual harassment prevention policy and complaint procedure, and Astra’s issuance of formal apologies to the women involved
~ under the ADA, a $5.5 million jury verdict for an employee who was discharged from his job because he has epilepsy, and a $3.5 million jury verdict for a paraplegic job applicant denied a job at Wal-Mart after being told the store had “no openings for a person in a wheelchair”. [This case sent a powerful message to those who would discriminate on the basis of disability]

Other cases

~ The American Civil Liberties Union and six other parties brought a lawsuit against Kentucky Baptist Homes for children on April 18, 2000 ( a large nonprofit organization; with 8 residential facilities, 22 outpatient counseling centers, pregnancy counseling, foster care, adoption programs, etc.) The lawsuit states that the organization committed religious discrimination during 10/98 when it fired Alicia Pedreira because she is a lesbian. Some of the facts

= She had been hired as an art therapist for teenagers
= She revealed her sexual orientation to her manager before she was hired.
= She received glowing reports and the respect of fellow employees
= On her own time, she participated in an AIDS walk as a private citizen
= Her manager, Jack Cox, and four other employees quit in protest to the firing
[ There is no known evidence at this time that Alicia talked about her sexual orientation to other employees or to the clients of KBHC. Of the KBHC’s 3,300 clients, probably about in excess of 100 are gay or lesbian]

~ The U.S. Department of Labor Federal Contract Compliance Programs office examined 4,179 companies as of 1994. They found three-quarters to be violating federal regulations by not recruiting widely, by openly discriminating in hiring, or by not having an affirmative action plan. These are companies that voluntarily do business with the federal government and agree, at least on paper, to abide by regulations mandating affirmative action efforts to remedy past and present patterns of discrimination.
~ Several studies have shown that, when white and black applicants are both interviewed, proportionately more white applicants get job offers.
Between 1989 and 1992 several studies of employment discrimination in semiskilled, entry-level jobs were conducted by the Fair Employment Council (FEC) of Washington, D.C., and the Urban Institute (UI). Using pairs of white and black testers, the researchers sent them to file job applications and to seek to be interviewed. Black testers faced discrimination at the interview or job-offer stage about 20% of the time in the FEC study and about 38% of the time in the UI study. In the FEC study the white testers received substantially more positive comments in the interview setting , such as “you are just what we are looking for”, than did the black testers. In addition, 47% of the white applicants who were interviewed got a job offer, compared to just 11% of the black applicants.
~ Researchers found numerous employers admitted that their hiring decisions involved stereotypes about the personality traits, attitudes, and behaviors of black workers and other workers of color. The researchers found that white employers held stereotyped images that white male and female workers perform better than black workers because of racial stereotypes. Employers often rejected skilled black and Latino workers - they had the mindset that they were best fit for lower-paying menial jobs regardless of their skills; black workers were often not considered for more skilled positions.
~ A recent major survey of 40,000 U.S. military personnel, including enlisted members and officers, found that 18% of the black personnel had faced racial discrimination in regard to their assignments or their career just during the last year ( imagine their entire careers). In addition, another Pentagon survey of black officers found that a recurring complaint was that they did not get the same quality of mentoring as white officers. Officers of color were also less likely to be brought into the informal social networks that often provide the critical information necessary for doing well on the promotion ladder. For many black officers this lack of mentoring had lesser access to networks can restrict their ability to take advantage of career-enhancing assignments, and this in turn reduces their ability to be competitive with whites for continuing promotions up the military ladder.
[ In this same group - 52% had been told offensive racist jokes or stories; 49 percent had suffered unwelcome attempts to draw them into offensive discussions of race; 46% had endured acts of racial condescension; 37% has encountered hostile racial stares; 28% had endured racist comments or epithets; 23% had been excluded from social activities because of race; and 20 % had been confronted with racist periodicals or other materials. Nine percent were threatened with retaliation if they did not go along with racially offensive actions against them; and six percent had been physically threatened or intimidated because of their race. Not only did they report discrimination in the military workplace, 69% of these black enlisted people and officers also reported racial harassment or discrimination from people in the civilian community].
~ In 1996 the New York Times revealed that some top executives at Texaco, an international oil company and the nation’s fourteenth largest corporation, had met in 1994 to discuss a discrimination lawsuit filed by black employees. According to a tape of the meeting, the white executives did not take the discriminatory complaints seriously and discussed destroying important documents. Black employees were termed “black jelly beans” who all agree with this “diversity thing” and who “seem to be stuck to the bottom of the bag.” The executives may have used the word “nigger” though this has been denied. One executive says on the tape that he is “still having trouble with Hanukkah, and now I have Kwanzaa” (African American winter festival).
In an affidavit filed with the lawsuit, a white manager in a midwestern office of Texaco reported to his boss, a senior executive in Texas, about a discrimination complaint made by a black employee. His boss reportedly told the manager that he would “fire her black ass.” When the manager pointed out that company policy protected her from dismissal, the senior executive reportedly said, “I guess we treat niggers differently down her.”
Many of Texaco’s nonwhite employees contend in the court papers that they were subjected to racially hostile behavior but did not report it for fear of losing their jobs. Court documents also showed that among the 873 highest paid executives at the company there were just 6 black executives. A Department of Labor audit of a controller division at the company found employees of color got less desirable job evaluations and were promoted much more slowly than whites.
In 1996 the EEOC found that Texaco had discriminated against black employees in promotions. The company eventually agreed to a $176 million settlement with its employees. The largest award ever in a class-action discrimination lawsuit.

Exercise #1-D

Objective: To increase participants awareness to standard or usual practices taken for granted and to sensitize participants to how racism has benefited some and is a cost to others ( this applies to Exercise 1-D and 1E).

Read the following benefits checklist. Put a check beside any benefit that you enjoy that a person of color of your age, gender, and or class may not have experienced or enjoyed. Think about what effect not having that benefit would have had on your life. If you do not know the answers to these questions, research - ask family members (do what you can to find the answers).

__ My ancestors came to this country of their own free will and have never had to relocate unwillingly once here.
__ I live on land that formerly belonged to Native Americans.
__ My family received homesteading or landstaking claims from the federal government.
__ I or my family or relatives receive or received federal farm subsidies, farm price supports, agricultural extension assistance or other federal benefits.
__ I lived or live in a neighborhood that people of color were discriminated from living in.
__ I or my parents went to racially segregated schools.
__ I live in a school district or metropolitan area where more money is spent on the schools that white children go to than on those that children of color attend.
__ I live in or went to a school district where the textbooks and other classroom materials reflected my race as normal, heroes and builders of the United States, and there was little mention of the contributions of people of color to our society.
__ I was encouraged to go on to college by teachers, parents or other advisors.
__ I served in the military when it was still racially segregated, or achieved a rank where there were few people of color, or served in a combat situation where there were large numbers of people of color in dangerous combat positions.
__ I received job training in a program where there were few or no people of color.
__ I have received a job, job interview, job training or internship through personal connections of family or friends.
__ I worked or work in a job where people of color made less for doing comparable work or did more menial jobs.
__ I work in a job, career or profession or in an agency or organization in which there are few people of color.
__ My parents were able to vote in any election they wanted without worrying about poll taxes, literacy requirements or other forms of discrimination.
__ I live in a neighborhood that has better police protection, municipal services and is safer than that where people of color live.
__ I have never had to worry that clearly labeled public facilities, such as swimming pools, rest rooms, restaurants and nightspots were in fact not open to me because of my skin color.
__ I see white people in a wide variety of roles on television and in movies.
__ My race needn’t be a factor in where I choose to live.

Question:

Do any of these questions make you feel guilty or uncomfortable? Do you want to say “Yes, but....”?

Exercise #1-E

It can be hard for us to be honest with ourselves about the costs of racism in our own lives. Put a check after each of the items that applies to you.

__ I grew up with people of color who were servants, maids, gardeners or babysitters in my house.
__ I did not meet people of color in person, or socially, before I was well into my teens.
__ I grew up in a household where I heard derogatory racial terms or racial jokes.
__ I have felt that people of another racial group were more spiritual than white people.
__ I have been nervous, fearful or find myself stiffening up when encountering people of color in a neutral public place (e.g., in an elevator, on the street)
__ I was in a close friendship or relationship with a person of color, where the relationship was affected, stressed or endangered by racism between us or from others.
__ I am not in a close significant relationship with any people of color in my life right now.
__ I have been in a close friendship or relationship with another white person where that relationship was damaged or lost because of a disagreement about racism.
__ I have felt embarrassed by, separate from, superior to, or more tolerant than other white people.
__ I have been in an organization, work group, meeting or event which people of color protested as racist or which I knew to be racist.
__ I have had degrading jokes, comments, or put-downs about people of color made in my presence and did not protest or challenge them.
__ I have felt racial tension or noticed racism in a situation and was afraid to say or do anything about it.
__ I have seen a person of color being attacked verbally or physically and did not intervene.
__ I live in a community where, for whatever reason, no people of color are present, so that some of these questions don’t apply.

** Describe how you felt (or feel) when some of the above statements applied to you.

Part Four - Module A (20 - 30 minutes)

Objective: To review and reinforce the learning of this course; suggestions for moving forward.

MOVING FORWARD

In light of everything we have discussed, the question we now ask is: “Now What?” It is certain that organizations must be clear about what they are committed to accomplish before putting diversity initiatives in place. While this may seem obvious, more often than not, administrators respond to troubling incidents such as disagreements among workers, distribution of derogatory jokes or comments (via e-mail, faxes, letters, etc.), name calling or verbal hostility which often leads to physical altercations, character assassination (spreading lies) which generates numerous forms of discord or retaliation, sexual assaults, etc.

Companies who do not have an in-depth diversity strategy in mind find themselves merely reacting to periodic events with the notion that something needs to be done to hinder future incidents.

When an organization has carefully thought through how to articulate its diversity strategy, the chances for a successful outcome increase significantly when the message conveyed is emphasized to all levels in the organization:

-1 that the diversity goals in this company “will not” take a back seat to an employees personal discomfort
-2 that evolving to a “valuing and managing diversity” environment will require the assistance of diversity professionals from within or outside the organization
-3 the depth and complexity of the issues involved in diversity - managers and supervisors are better prepared to communicate to individuals why their cooperation, and attendance (in the case of diversity training classes or seminars) is mandatory
-4 that members in leadership roles gain a better understanding about how much time, money, effort, and personal presence is necessary to make sure strategic goals are met.
-5 that upper level administrators cannot allow diversity efforts to cave in if the popular opinion is that “it was a waste of time” - what would this suggest about the character of an organization that would allow such attitudes to derail continued commitment on these volatile issues?
-6 that NO ONE “already fully understands and supports diversity” - diversity issues cannot be examined in a box using an individuals personal feelings, perceptions, assumptions, and experiences as their escort . They must realize that the good intentions behind their attitude will do virtually nothing to undo hindering systems already grounded.

In addition, it is very important that administrators realize that changing hiring policies will not alone bring success. A solid commitment from managers and supervisors is imperative. Once a diverse work force is in place, management should be asking “given the diverse work force we have, are we getting the productivity, is it working smoothly, and is employee morale high - as though each individual in the organization was the same sex, race, and nationality?”

If this understanding does not exist at all levels of the organization, any approach runs the risk of failure through its own disorder and lack of uniformity which is the very climate that created the need for diversity awareness and concrete diversity programs in the first place. When organizations commit to diversity management on all levels on an ongoing basis, valuing diversity becomes an integral part of the corporate culture.

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES

The following are popular strategies for diversity initiatives (orchestrating these steps usually involves a diversity consultant)

~ Executives own the process for setting the organization climate
~ Procedures are established requiring continuous support and compliance
~ Education on organization culture - (a priority)
~ Conducting a diversity needs assessment by asking employees at all levels questions about how they feel diversity is currently being addressed Structured Group Interviews are put in place for hiring/recruitment initiatives (diverse staff) - closely monitored
~ Information gathering from individual employees and feedback to key administrators in the company
~ Action Planning Committeeà organizes employee driven activities
~ Building Teams -à work procedures can be developed by leadership and subordinates - interpersonal relationships can be improved by working on communication skills and conflict management
~ Multicultural Problem Solving à group meetings involving culturally different people focusing on intergroup conflict - matters such as beliefs that discrimination is occurring in favor of minorities and women to the detriment of white workers and vice versa
~ Periodic active listening, problem-solving, and conflict management training for management and employees
~ Mentoring Training à carefully selecting members to mentor employees
~ Conducting surveys that examine group attitudes
~ Retention Activities à maintaining the diversity you have
~ Recognition and Rewards à promotions, advancement - based on job performance

To further compliment the list shown above, the following should be implemented and/or exercised to not only reflect commitment to diversity initiatives, but also to aid in achieving sustained morale and productivity

-1 Lunch Programs à that continually provide education on diversity related topics and issues (reinforces commitment) -
-2 Family awareness policies àare examined and established (flex-time, paternity leave, job sharing, daycare, eldercare, etc.)
-3 Best Practices Review à constantly reviewing what other organizations are doing
-4 Know your customer à Who is your customer? At a rapid rate, the customer base is becoming more diverse - Analyze this! What do you honestly represent? Does the demographics in your organization reflect the demographics in your community?
-5 Community Outreach? à Are members in nonleadership roles instrumental in this program?
-6 Company Resource Center à library of audio tapes, books, magazines, and videos related to all aspects of diversity àfosters a learning company
-7 Periodic Newsletter à discussing internal and external practices and events; activities, achievements, cultural events and exhibits
-8 Display or calendar à listing ethnic or religious holidays (and the meanings associated with them)

Working through diversity initiatives presents many challenges and it isn’t always appreciated by some employees. While you may experience some failures, administrators must continue to work towards achieving goals keeping in mind that managing diversity is not just good human relations - it is good business.

Final Exercise

Objective: To emphasize the necessity and importance of honesty when answering these questions.

What have you learned about trust, respect, acceptance, and cooperation as they relate to differences?

What has changed for you as a result of taking this course? How do you think you’ll perceive people who are different from you- blacks, whites, gays, Asians, Hispanics, foreigners, disabled people, older persons, or whoever is appropriate - as a result?

How do you feel about the length of time it took to complete this course? Was it comfortable? Did you feel frustrated? Did you want to rush through it?

What is the most important thing you learned about yourself as a result of this course?

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