Non-Discriminatory Work Environment Paper

Essay by fchaconUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, April 2007

download word file, 6 pages 3.7

Today's workplace environment has become a melting pot of diverse cultures, personalities, and work ethics; that challenge the success of businesses around the world.

Creating a non-discriminatory work environment, that embraces these differences and utilizes the wealth of experience, knowledge, and skills; will help organizations maintain the competitive edge as we journey into a stronger global economy. Establishing this non-discriminatory work environment is not as easy as legislating behaviors and serving up consequences for non-compliance. In the words of Martin Luther King, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." The fruition of this dream will be experienced when employees stand side by side as one team; striving for a common goal, with a spirit of excellence regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnicity, age, or disability.

There are several initiatives and methods used to create a non-discriminatory workplace; Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity, and developing a culture of diversity.

In order to assure a non-discriminatory work environment, many employers are adopting affirmative action plans. "The purpose of affirmative action laws and policies is to eliminate discrimination in the workplace by increasing employment opportunities for minorities and women," (Belz, 2003). The affirmative action and equal opportunities is not optional in the working environment. Discrimination is not as widespread as it was in the past, minorities and women are still overlooked when it comes to employment.

In abiding by the affirmative action, we express in our place of employment that all individuals are equal and there should be equal opportunity for all. There should be no consideration given to race, religion, sex, language, etc, when offering employment to an individual. The Civil Rights Act...