Diversity in the Society

Diversity in the Society

Diversity in society is inevitable. The world today is interacting faster and more vigorously today compared to a few years ago. More women are working in formal employment and succeeding in their roles, more people with disabilities are coming out to work and more people are against discrimination in society. It is a good sign because discrimination is divisive while diversity promotes growth and general calmness in society.

What was one of your earliest experiences concerning race? Describe the experience, how you felt, and how the experience was handled. If you could rewrite that experience, how would you change it and/ or how it was handled?

My earliest experience concerning race came up when I was about ten. I saw an elderly who was Caucasian being denied services due to her skin colour at a grocery stall. The grocery was owned by a white man who went on to lament how the Caucasian customers always want to bargain the prices. He caused a big scene that humiliated the elderly lady but she just walked away and went to a different stall where she was treated well and went on her way. The white man went on grumbling that Caucasians make his customer feel insecure because they are thieves and beggars. He said many prejudiced things about them based on the account of that one lady who he did not even know. One of his clients asked him if the Caucasian’s blood had a different colour that would warrant him to speak of them like he was doing. He got even more agitated and claimed that anybody who thought the Caucasians were good. That statement sent all the clients that had lined up at his stall away (Atecheson, 2018). He did not seem remorseful at all, which I felt was being unfair to innocent people. I felt that people reacted appropriately to his remarks but should have schooled him on racism instead of walking away and leaving him to keep insulting innocent people.

If I could rewrite the experience, I would have stood up for the elderly lady and escorted her to a different stall and made sure she got what she wanted to buy. I would have done my best to reassure her that she was not inferior or deserving of the insults for being different. I would also make sure that the white man apologised to the elderly Caucasian lady. This way the outcome would have changed the world one incident at a time. 

Explain the concept of “best practice” and what it means in the context of diversity strategy. What are the challenges of developing and implementing best practices? What are the potential benefits?

Diversity strategy is the process of increasing the number of minorities in the workplace. The best practice actions should be measurable and have clear guidelines for doing so. All the members of the organization should be involved and make it a continuous process that thrives on a fair and strict process (Reichenberg, 2001). The efforts of diversity are expected to be decentralized so that everybody gets a chance to contribute to the implementation process. Every member of the organization has to be involved for it to be a success. Additionally, when training the people who will take part in the process, it should be all-inclusive and not just tied to the management. It is a process that should be continuous as well and not just a one-off training program in society. 

It is challenging to implement the diversity strategy using the best practice concept in an area that is dominated by one dominant group that is prejudiced against other minority groups (Hicks, 2017). Penetrating such an environment can prove difficult but is manageable. It is difficult to ensure that diversity is enhanced without proper accountability. There can arise a challenge in measuring accountability because of the intensity it requires in terms of collecting and analysing the numbers. The employees may also fail to be transparent to the process making it fail or slow down. The benefits of best practice in the process of applying the diversity strategy are beneficial in bringing in talent into the company without focusing on matters of race and ethnicity. It also helps the company find ways of getting to clients of all races and ethnicities because they are represented in the production, design, marketing, sales and management departments in the company.

What are some of the ways that Pitney Bowes has aligned its goals for diversity with a market-driven approach to meeting its customers’ needs? Be specific.

The company has included women in the management and gone ahead to develop and Inclusion Network for the women in the company. It has been the company policy to always involve women in the management and workforce. Besides having the women in the workforce of the company, the company has played the role of being a board member in the catalyst body that campaigns for the inclusion of women in the workforce. There is a catalyst women on board initiative that is for the success of women in their professions, where the CEO of Pitney Bowes is a member (Pitney Bowes, 2019). The company also supports the inclusion of young people in the workforce. It is a company that clearly cares about young people who are yet to get into the job market. This the company does through the Pitney Bowes Young Professionals program which offers young people from all over the world internship opportunities.

 The company is also spread globally and serves people from different countries. This is a sure way of encouraging diversity in the company because they take their services to them. Therefore, Pitney Bowes has aligned its goals well for diversity with a market is driven approach by ensuring that all its employees are comfortable and passionate about their jobs. The company also has a policy that eliminates ethnicity in both its workforce and the delivery of services to the market space. The company also caters for people with disabilities in both their workforce and market space. All these levels of inclusivity make the company one of the best to work with globally. It also makes it the best for the clients because they can easily see that the values of the company do not just lie in the generation of profits. 

References

Atecheson, S. (2018, September 25). Embracing Diversity and fostering inclusion is good for your business. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shereeatcheson/2018/09/25/embracing-diversity-and-fostering-inclusion-is-good-for-your-business/#22a7d55a72b1

Hicks, P. (2017, March 13). 5 Ways to Improve Workplace Diversity. Retrieved from Recruit Loop: https://recruitloop.com/blog/workplace-diversity/

Pitney Bowes. (2019). Diversity and Inclusion. Retrieved from Pitney Bowes: https://www.pitneybowes.com/us/our-company/corporate-responsibility/diversity-and-inclusion.html?tab3

Reichenberg, N. E. (2001). Best Practices in Diversity Management. New York: International Personnel Management Association.