WORKPLACE DIVERSITY ISSUES

DATES: (Students must attend ALL meetings)

             April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 2003

This workshop consists of 5 3-hour segments for 5 consecutive Wednesdays in April, 3:00-6:00 p.m.  5 segments = 1 credit. See below for more details. The workshop meetings will be held in Admin 326.

Presented by Sylva Staab, Director of Human Rights Compliance, Office of Diversity and Human Rights, University of Idaho.

This series of five segments comprises 1 credit-hour of workshop study

Segment Dates, Times & Topics:

April 2, 2003   (3:00-6:00 p.m.):  Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance

April 9, 2003   (3:00-6:00 p.m.):  Harassment/ Sexual Harassment

April 16, 2003 (3:00-6:00 p.m.):  Diversity and the Impact on Human Resource Practices and Policies

April 23, 2003 (3:00-6:00 p.m.):  The Workplace: Valuing Diversity at the Interpersonal Level

April 30, 2003 (3:00-6:00 p.m.):  Tying it All Together

Location:  Admin 326

Segment Descriptions:

Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance

This workshop will look at the history of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity and will go into some of the questions that have come up in recent years about whether affirmative action is still needed in the workplace. The differences between affirmative action and equal opportunity will be explored and scenarios will be given to participants to review and to discuss to see how varied perspectives are in our society and how they are impacted by cultural differences.  

Harassment/ Sexual Harassment

Although sexual harassment has existed in the workforce for centuries, employers and managers are now forced to deal with the problem under penalty of law. It has been mandated, as part of the Title VII Civil Rights Act of 1963, that each and every working person has the legal right to work in an environment free from harassment on the basis of sex.  We will look at the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission guidelines definitions of sexual harassment and will use video examples for discussion. We will also look at how harassment generally is being approached legally and by organizational policy.

Diversity and the Impact on Human Resource Practices and Policies  

The increased diversity of the work force has caused organizations to reexamine policies, practices, and values. We will look at the impact of women joining the work force in increasing numbers and the legal and policy implications. We will also look at other work force demographics such as populations where English is the second language, aging workers, dual-income couples, disabled employees who may need accommodations and other diversity issues. This workshop will focus on employee expectations and the response management makes in practices and policies.   

The Workplace: Valuing Diversity at the Interpersonal Level  

We’re all different. We have different work methods, different communication styles, and different personal values. We will discuss why it is important to  our workplaces in an increasingly diverse world.  With video examples and case studies, we will look at the ways we can minimize conflict and value diversity in the work place.  

Tying it All Together

In this final session there will be an open discussion about how the four workshops have changed how the participants look at diversity. We will evaluate what they have learned and how it can be applied to the real world.