Introduction
Human resource management is a term that replaces the formally used personnel management and industrial relations. Therefore human resource management refers to the human activities in the organization, this include the employee and managers relation in the work place. Human resource management has become one of the most important aspects of running a company.
Why is cultural diversity an important issue for all organizations? What are the potential disadvantages of ignoring it as an issue? What steps should a proactive organization take to respond to this challenge?
Cultural diversity refers to the integration of different cultures coming together or brought together by a given activity like work, education or religion activities.
In an organization, cultural diversity is an important issue as it helps the company to address various problems that could be brought about by the cultural difference like, the mode of dressing, way of addressing others and believes in regard to some products. (Bryton, 1992)
If an organization ignores the issue of cultural diversity, it may experience viability in prospected results as each of the individual will have a distinctive way of approaching an issue in the organization, example, people from a culture where they don’t believe a woman should put on trousers will avoid being in work line with members of a society where this is not an issue.
In this regard, the organization should have a set policy to govern this and to train it employees on how to accept any member of any cultural background and work together as brothers and sisters.
(Lawler et al, 2000, p.110-118)
2. How might a diversity training program create disadvantages and ill-will between an organization’s employees?
Training employees on diversity might be seen as a way of favoring some cultures. This is because some of cultural issues will be covered and regarded as out dated. This might bring in conflicts between the employees as some would see other from different cultural background doing the odds of the respective cultural background. This again might be leaving some of the duties unattended.
3. What kinds of policies can a company design to integrate minorities into management positions?
The organization can have policies that address issues of employee no mater the racial, financial or religion background. This would help the minorities to enjoy all the privileges that are also enjoyed by other employees. The company should have a design strategy that only the qualified person would hold bigger positions in the company regardless of the background. The higher management positions in the company can be recruited through academic qualification. (Randall, 1990)
4. What form if harassment is it when there is an office romance and how does it affect morals in the workplace?
Sexual and romance harassment in the office is one of the most critical offences that affect the business. This kills the respect among the concerned parties and also spoils the name of the company and its products in the market. Example, if the manager is involved in romance activities with his employees, they might end up disrespecting him and would affect the expected operations of that particular office.
5. What are some disadvantages of a word of mouth promotion system?
As some of the slow growing and dictatorship companies, the leadership positions are given to anyone with a close relationship with the selecting team no matter the qualification. Such companies with word of mouth promotion may have less competent leaders would pose a great risk to the company.
6. Sexual orientation in the workplace is an increasingly important HR issue. How should managers handle the issues?
Sexual orientation in the company is an important issue to any given organization. The managers should handle this by orienting both sexes in a single manner as this would help in eliminating different believes in regard to ones’ sex. As it was for a long time believed and still believed by some companies and societies that women should not hold big positions in the company, the orientation in the company would help fighting this and motivate people of all sexes to work competitively to achieve the company’s goals as well as theirs. (Spector, 1998, p.5)
Reference:
Bryton, P. (1992) Reassessing human resource management, Sage, London
Lawler et al,(2000) Employee involvement, p.110-118
Randall, S. (1990) International dimensions of human resource management, plus-kent, Boston
Spector, B. (1998) Reading in human resource management, Free press, New York, P.5