It is necessary to note that diversity and inclusion have been a part of the company’s culture throughout decades. It has also been one of its competitive advantages as the company managed to employ diverse workforce and create a positive image (Harvey & Allard, 2012). Notably, the company has also paid a lot of attention to training and development.
Admittedly, in the times of the internal and external change it can be challenging for an organization to maintain such characteristic as diversity. Nonetheless, the company has managed to implement the change. Now the company is operating in 130 countries and it still maintains its core values. The company has adapted with the help of a number of strategies. First, the company has certain standards on diversity and monitors the rate of women and ethnic minority employees. Thus, 43% of employees are women, 43% are minorities, 31% of Board of Directors are minorities, and 23% of Board of Directors are women (2009 Corporate Responsibility Report, 2009). In recruitment, the company also collaborates with such organizations as the Black Engineers Associations and the Women Engineers (2009 Corporate Responsibility Report, 2009). Finally, the company launches a variety of training courses for its workers.
Admittedly, these strategies help the company employ diverse workforce and create a favorable atmosphere in the workplace. The quotas utilized in the company ensure that diversity in the company is maintained. At the same time, the quotas are effective due to collaboration with external recruiting companies that provide qualified workers (and people committed to develop). Finally, the company trains the staff and ensures that employees are developing and are able to get promotion. Therefore, diversity in the level of top management is also secured.
Bad Check Accusation
It is possible to assume that store managers knew the GAF manager who used to take the cards pretty well and might have thought the new individual who came could have been a criminal who tried to receive certain products. Clearly, the store managers could not make any assumptions but had to provide the goods in accordance with the documents provided after they had the information from GAF.
It is also quite possible that the human resources management (as well as corporate culture) is very poor and the employees in the store were sure that there is particular bias against black customers (Bell, 2012). This assumption can be based on poor treatment of black employees. Overall, the situation is a product of insufficient training of the staff and poor human resources management.
To avoid similar incidents in the future, the store management has to pay specific attention to staff’s training especially when it comes to diversity. Minorities have to feel the company treats all customers and employees equally irrespective of their race, ethnicity, and gender and so on. Clearly, these values should not be only proclaimed. They should become of day-to-day operations in the store as well as in the entire company. It is also possible to include this case in the staff’s training and develop specific strategies for employees to utilize. Store managers have to act in accordance with rules set in the company. Verification procedure has to be more efficient and more rapid so that customers could have only pleasant experience in stores. At that, employees have to know peculiarities of procedures employed and should not approach customers and give any advice if they are unsure of what is actually happening as the managers who told Mr. Pitt about bias could be mistaken as well.
Reference List
2009 Corporate Responsibility Report. (2009). Web.
Bell, M.P. (2012). Diversity in Organizations. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Harvey, C., & Allard, M.J. (2012). Understanding and managing diversity. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.