Affirmative action programs used in the hiring process can be discussed as the policies which are developed to promote and maintain the equality among the employees according to their gender, race or the national origin. From this point, the hiring process which is based on the affirmative action program is effective for contributing to the workforce diversity within the definite company (Taylor, 1991).
Should the hiring officials who are oriented to the affirmative action programs hire minorities to balance diversity at workplaces?
Although the principles of the affirmative action programs are actively argued with references to the issue of discrimination and its effects, basing on the data collection and qualitative studies, it is possible to state that it is necessary to hire the representatives of the minority groups to realize the affirmative action program completely.
The developed affirmative action programs worked out in companies can be successfully used in the context of realizing the strategy in relation to the workforce diversity when employees are hired in spite of their race, color of skin, gender, and status (Dixon, Roscigno, & Hodson, 2004). The workforce diversity is the symbol of the modern business which develops according to the ideas of globalization and multiculturalism (Brady & Collier, 2004; Kellough, 2006).
Nevertheless, the problem of affirmative action is more controversial in comparison with the general question of the workforce diversity. The aspects of the issue are traditionally examined with the help of the data collection method and qualitative or mixed methods.
The data collection method in association with the usage of the affirmative action program is based on collecting the necessary data about the advantages and disadvantages of the policy and the quantitative characteristics of the process.
The hiring officials and HR managers should organize their work depending on the results of the data collection according to which it is possible to concentrate on the information about the employees’ gender, race, ethnicity, and disability.
This information is significant for forming the necessary affirmative action database to regulate the associated issues and workforce diversity. From this point, hiring officials should hire the representatives of minorities with references to the affirmative action programs as the important part of the diagnostic analysis of the workforce and potentials (Tomasson & Crosby, 2001).
However, qualitative or mixed studies are also important for developing the affirmative action program and for its further realization. It is the employers’ responsibility to follow their affirmative action programs, but the employees’ attitude to the process can be examined with references to the results of the qualitative studies (Axinn & Pearce, 2006).
For instance, the qualitative methods based on interviews can reveal the tendency to discuss the ineffective affirmative action programs as the representation of a quota system which is beneficial only for employers, but not for employees (Griffin & Museus, 2011, p. 83).
Interviews and observations are also significant for making conclusions about the potential of the affirmative action programs to overcome the issue of discrimination, for instance, in relation to gender and, as a result, parent status (Correll, Benard, & Paik, 2007).
The efficiently developed affirmative action programs with references to the required data collection and qualitative methods are effective for employers to follow their hiring strategy.
The accents on the affirmative action programs can be also presented as the employers’ rejection of any kind of discrimination at the workplace in relation to the workers’ definite qualities and characteristics. Thus, the issue of affirmative action is closely associated with the question of hiring minorities.
References
Axinn, W. G., & Pearce, L. D. (2006). Mixed method data collection strategies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Brady, H. E., & Collier D. (2004). Rethinking social inquiry: Diverse tools, shared standards. Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield.
Correll, S. J., Benard, S., & Paik, I. (2007). Getting a job: Is there a motherhood penalty? American Journal of Sociology, 112(5), 1297-1339.
Dixon, M., Roscigno, V. J., & Hodson, R. (2004). Unions, solidarity, and striking. Sociological Forces, 83(1), 3-33.
Griffin, K. A., & Museus, S. D. (2011). Using mixed methods to study intersectionality in higher education: New directions in institutional research. USA: John Wiley & Sons.
Kellough, J. E. (2006). Understanding affirmative action: Politics, discrimination, and the search for justice. USA: Georgetown University Press.
Taylor, B. R. (1991). Affirmative action at work: Law, politics, and ethics. USA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Tomasson, R. F., & Crosby, F. J. (2001). Affirmative action: The pros and cons of policy and practice. USA: Rowman & Littlefield.