Treat Others Fairly at Work

Key Terms Gender: The state of being male or female Sexual Orientation: The inclination of an individual with respect to heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual behavior Physical Condition:  the condition or state of the body or bodily functions Ethnic: Of or relating to a population subgroup (within a larger or dominant national or cultural group) with a common national or cultural tradition Heritage: Valued objects and qualities such as cultural traditions, unspoiled countryside, and historic buildings that have been passed down from previous generations Lifestyle: The way a person lives his or her life, including geographic location, type of home, method of transportation, and social situations. Harassment: To annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way

Ways in Which People in the Workplace Differ Language Religion Gender Age Beliefs Values

The Importance of Valuing Differences in the Workplace Market Segments Linguistic Skills Ideas Cultural Savvy Talent

Market Segments Businesses sell to an increasingly diverse customer base in a multicultural society. Having employees who come from different demographics and market sectors can only further a company's understanding of its customer base. This may help tailor approaches to sales, services and even product development.

Linguistic Skills People from different backgrounds bring different languages with them. This can be a huge asset for communicating with customers and vendors--particularly for businesses situated in ethnic communities or selling to various ethnic markets. In an increasingly global market, companies with overseas operations, partners and vendors may also benefit greatly from having a multilingual staff.

Ideas Smart companies encourage employees to come forward with ideas. Creativity and idea generation are among the most valuable assets to a growing company that wants to be innovative and take the lead in a market. Employees of different backgrounds may have ideas about how to improve a product, service or marketing approach to better capture a the demographic or market segment from which they come.

Cultural Savvy Knowing how to change a process or approach to meet different needs can be what sets an organization apart. Staff from different backgrounds may better understand the needs of a particular community or market. For example, many city hospitals benefit from having Latino and Asian staffs who can not only speak to elderly patients with similar backgrounds, but who understand their needs. They may understand a particular culture's need to have a same-sex nurse or assistant when getting help in the restroom. And this can be what gets one hospital more business than another.

Talent Talent comes in many packages. People of all backgrounds, colors, ages, shapes and sizes have important skills. Being open minded may be the difference between hiring good and hiring the best. In many cases, great talent comes from abroad. Some companies sponsor immigration for software engineers and information technology specialists when these skills are in short supply domestically.

Why Treating Others Fairly at Work Is Important Fewer lawsuits Increased productivity Higher morale Quality workers attracted to the company Decision making improves Better understanding of diverse customers Creation of goodwill and positive ties with government agencies

Procedures for Treating Others Fairly at Work Avoid showing favoritism toward one employee over another one. Doing so can cause the unfavored employee to resent you. What applies to one employee should apply to all. Do not discriminate based on race, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender or any other quality. Promote an employee solely based on how qualified he is to perform the job, not because of a personal relationship. Otherwise, his promotion will appear unfair to other employees who are more qualified to perform the job. Post all job openings for all employees to see, instead of verbally telling an employee about an opening. By posting all job openings, employees have an equal opportunity to apply for open positions. Listen to your employee. By listening to your employee, you send the message that her opinion and feedback is important. If you do all of the talking but never take the time to listen, it's unfair.

Procedures for Treating Others Fairly at Work (continued) Provide each employee with an employee handbook or rulebook to ensure he knows the rules. Disciplining an employee who is unaware of the rules is unfair. Along that same line, if one employee is disciplined for breaking the rules, all employees should be disciplined for breaking the rules. Recognize and reward each employee for her accomplishments, regardless of where she is on the staff hierarchical structure. Avoid “lording it” over your employees. Instead, treat your employees as equals. Remember that if it were not for the employees, you would not have a job. They need you. You need them. You're a team. It is OK to make a distinction if you are in management. However, your title should not make you superior.

References Ethnic. (2014). Oxford Dictionary. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/ethnic?q=Ethnic Feigenbaum, E. (2014). The Importance of Diversity in the Workplace. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/value-diversity-workplace- 3035.html Gender. (2014). Oxford Dictionary. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/gender Heritage. (2014). Oxford Dictionary. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/heritage Imani, F. (2014). How To Treat Employees Fairly at Work. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://work.chron.com/treat-employees-fairly-workplace-3070.html Physical Condition. (2014). The Free Dictionary. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/physical+condition

Treat Others Fairly At Work Activities Treat Others Fairly At Work Worksheet (In Zip File) Treating Others Fairly At Work Newsletter (Using Publisher) Research and find 5 articles where companies were sued for discrimination by one of the workers. Summarize the articles and include how the case ended. Was the company found guilty or not guilty of the accusations? If company was found guilty, what actions were taken? Treat Others Fairly At Work Brochure Create a Brochure including the following: the importance of treating others fairly at work, what are examples of treating people unfairly at work, what are examples of treating people fairly at work, what happens when people are not treating fairly at work Treat Others Fairly At Work PowerPoint Presentation Research and find an article on the importance of treating others fairly at work. Summarize your article. Treating Others Fairly Essay Write an essay on a time where you or someone you know were treated unfairly. Discuss how you or this person were treated unfairly, how this made you or the person feel, what did you do about the situation, what was the outcome