Workforce

It becomes more and more fashionable to talk about diversity in the workplace. They say that organisations that do not consider the opportunity to hire people of different genders, ages and ethical groups miss valuable human resources and lose their chance to appeal to a wider range of customers. Indeed, it is true. However, a diverse workforce is fraught with many challenges and problems, which, if not addressed by managers, can have an adverse effect on the company, decrease the productivity, cause the losses in personnel and so on.

Advantages of a Diverse Workforce

Before we discuss the challenges of the workplace diversity and the ways to get over them, it would be useful to examine advantages of this diversity and find out if the efforts are worth trying at all. So, from the very beginning, let us consider the benefits, which a diverse workforce brings.

Firstly, if an organisation does not limit itself to only one ethical or age group, it has a wider range of human resources and can choose the best employees in every one of them (Nataatmadia & Dyson 2005, p. 580). Thus, it will have more qualified and skilled professionals and a stronger team.

Secondly, an organisation can take advantage of a variety of cultures and increase the clientele since people usually tend to trust those of the same nationality or a cultural group. As Nataatmadia and Dyson (2005, p. 581) claim, ‘just as ethnic minorities may prefer to work for employers who value diversity, they may also prefer to buy from such organisations’. As the proof, they stated that the Avon Company became much more popular among African-Americans and Hispanics, after the representatives of this population groups took the positions of managers (Nataatmadia & Dyson 2005, p. 581).

Thirdly, a variety of cultures means a variety of languages, which is a priceless advantage. Due to it, a company can be competitive on a global level, save money on hiring interpreters and make its employees more involved in the company’s life.

Fourthly, hiring people of different age groups (even the old-aged) and individuals with disabilities is good for the company’s reputation since such social programs always attract much of people’s attention.

Finally, a diverse team (if all challenges that can negatively affect it are overcome) makes its members more tolerant, understanding and attentive to each other, which significantly improves the teamwork and increases the productivity.

Considering all mentioned above, the organisations with a diverse workforce have a priceless competitive advantage over the companies, which have more classical teams.

Different Sides of the Workplace Diversity

One of the reasons for the presence of diversity and its challenges is an increasing number of women in the workforce. Presently, fewer and fewer women consider themselves as housewives and are willing to spend their lives cooking, cleaning the house, upbringing children and waiting for their husbands to return from work. Many of them strive to be self-sufficient, independent and earn a living on their own. As a prime example, the study conducted by Houkamau and Boxall (2011) in New Zealand confirms that the number of women in business has vastly increased. In December 2010, women made up nearly the half of the workforce in that region, and the majority of them (57.4%) were working full-time jobs (Houkamau & Boxall 2011, p. 441). An increasing number of women in the workforce brings many challenges and problems, where gender discrimination and sexual harassment go first on the list.

Another reason the workforce diversity exists is the presence of ethnic minorities. The same team can unite people of several ethnic groups, who obviously have different cultures, religions, traditions and views. It is extremely difficult to build a well-knit and friendly team, if talking about various nationalities, since many of them in the same group can cause the cultural challenge, probably, the most difficult one.

Finally, besides the differences between groups of people, there are also many diversities within those groups. Among those are different ages, various levels of knowledge and skills, the presence of individuals with disabilities and so forth.

Challenges of a Diverse Workforce and Ways to Overcome Them

From my point of view, the most significant challenge is cultural since a diversity of nationalities and ethical groups can cause such problems as ethnocentrism and prejudice (Northous 2012). Those inevitably interfere with the regular work and communication within the team and hinder any success and goal achievement. Even when managers are able to step back from their own culture and are free from any prejudice, most frequently, they still have to deal with those feelings in their employees. That is why the first thing a manager should do to overcome the cultural challenge is teaching the employees to respect and understand each other regardless of a diversity of nationalities.

Managers should start with psychology and introduce to their subordinates the standards and principles of ethical leadership. In her book, Thornton (2013) defines seven lenses, which ethical leaders should be guided by in their day-to-day practice. Those are profit, law, character, people, communities, the planet, and the greater good (Thornton 2013). The third one will encourage employees to take into account the needs and interests of others even if they do not agree with them.

To teach their employees with those and other principles, managers should arrange the team building, interventions, workshops, etc. They can provide the subordinates (and especially the newcomers) with the lists of do’s and don’ts, which will address the cultural challenge. They can regularly give the employees some kind of social tasks. For example, employees can be asked to connect with people of other cultures through social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter, interview those and present the results to the group (Smith & Victorson 2012, p. 50). The same or similar methods can be used to avoid other types of discrimination in the workplace, including those based on gender, age or physical abilities (if a company hires people with disabilities).

Finally, every organisation that employs people of different ethical groups/genders/ages should set particular diversity management policies, which will ensure that managers are aware of all nuances associated with a diverse workforce. If those policies are absent, managers can abuse their positions, discriminating ethical minorities, women, old-aged people and so forth. As a prime example of that, Nataatmadia and Dyson (2005, p. 581) describe the concept of ‘the glass ceiling’, when discriminated people are never promoted. The term ‘the glass ceiling’ quite accurately describes this situation: people can see everything through the glass and watch their co-workers moving up the career ladder, but they are not able to get there by themselves (Nataatmadia & Dyson 2005, p. 581).

Presently, the statistics show that not all companies that have diverse teams set their diversity management policies. According to Kramar (2012, p. 253), a survey of 1,500 Australian organisations revealed that only 49% of them had formal written diversity management policies, and only 20% had informal ones. That means that the remaining 30% are at risk in this regard. Additionally, similar policies should be established for the employees as well. That will guarantee that neither ethnocentrism within the team nor any type of discrimination will go unpunished.

One more significant challenge to be overcome while creating and managing a diverse team is linguistic. A variety of languages is not only an advantage on a global scale but also a barrier. When hiring people, whose first language differs from English and who do not speak English well enough, managers will face difficulties associated with the communication within the group. To overcome this challenge, an organisation should hire more bilingual employees and provide particular training courses to improve employees’ language skills.

While working with diverse teams, organisations also face such challenge as a broad range of lifestyles, habits, traditions, religions, etc. That means that employees are used to different time zones and schedules, want to live and work in different environments, have different holidays, on the occasion of which they want to take days off, and so on. Therefore, an organisation should adapt to all of them, providing flexible schedules and working conditions, allowing employees to wear clothes that they like and arrange their workplaces in their own fashion.

Admittedly, it is hard to consider all mentioned above. It is even more difficult to address all of these challenges and get over them to finally build a strong and friendly team. However, the result and all benefits that a diverse workforce can bring are definitely worth every effort.

Reference List

Houkamau, C & Boxall, P 2011, ‘The incidence and impacts of diversity management: A survey of New Zealand employees’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 440-460. Web.

Kramar, R 2012, ‘Diversity management in Australia: a mosaic of concepts, practice and rhetoric’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 245–261. Web.

Nataatmadia, I & Dyson, LE 2005, ‘Managing the Modern Workforce: Cultural Diversity and Its Implications’, Managing Modern Organizations Through Information Technology, pp. 580-583. Web.

Northous, PG 2012, Leadership: Theory and Practice, 6th edn, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA. Web.

Smith, MC & Victorson, J 2012, ‘Developing a global mindset: Cross-Cultural Challenges and Best Practices for Assessing and Grooming High Potentials for Global Leadership’, People and Strategy, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 42-51. Web.

Thornton, LF 2013, 7 Lenses: Learning the Principles and Practices of Ethical Leadership, Leading in Context, Richmond. Web.

Introduction

Every organization has its own way of analyzing performance of its workforce in order to attract customers. Among the very many modalities of performing organizational analysis is carrying out a training needs analysis. Training needs analysis (TNA) involves the examination of both occupational and industrial requisites of different occupations, qualitatively and quantitatively with an aim of identifying performance gaps.

Training needs analysis affects numerous levels within an organization. In most cases, the main aim of TNA is to identify and correct various performance gaps, which might hinder the normal operations of an organization. For instance, TNA examines industrial needs aimed at extolling industrial leaders; company needs in order to attain market share; department needs with an aim of achieving sales objectives, and team needs in order to enhance teamwork and increase production. Thus, for organizations to do away with performance gaps and attract more customers, it must develop a well-planned TNA and implement it analytically.

Companies and organizations that have successfully implemented TNA programs into their system of operation and administration continue to report increased production and investment returns. Primarily, in developing a TNA program, the developer focuses on the company’s strategic objective. For example, if the company’s objective is to attract customers, then the TNA should highlight the various techniques of attracting customers through customer service. First, it is necessary to examine the existing customer service and access its performance before arriving at a particular TNA program (Frances & Roland, 1994, pp. 3-12).

Performing a TNA Program

Performing a training needs analysis is not an easy task. This is the reason why an organization needs a consultant or an in-house trainer to collect and document viable information in one of the three issues, that is, the organization’s desire to increase production from a given opportunity, probable new systems or technology or performance quandaries. Of great importance to an organization, wishing to develop a TNA in order to establish the performance gaps in a department sat, customer service, is the aspiration to welcome change no matter the cost.

For example, if an organization wants to carry out a TNA for customer service, a consultant must be in a position to predict the perceptions of the workforce regarding the change. Most organizations that have for along time experienced no needs analysis have its employees so unwilling and reluctant to welcome new changes, especially training. In most case, they find it very difficult to transfer their newly acquired skills to the daily tasks citing managerial constrictions.

In order to perform a training needs analysis, the organization must choose somebody who understands the missions and vision of an organization. For example, in order to carryout TNA for customer service, a consultant must examine the performance of three groups of employees: the recently hired, the veteran employees and those undergoing training. By studying each of these groups, the consultant will be in a position to identify and suggest the best training needs to offer in order to enhance customer service.

To start with, it is important to note that new employees can be a disadvantage or an advantage to an organization. At times, new employees can cause organization to go at the peak or to the bottom. For example, a training needs analysis for customer service ought not to exhibit high and low peaks. Instead, there should be some consistency in order to maintain the customer base.

Nonetheless, the problem is easy to solve as consultants can create a program characterized by progressive sequences, which will eliminate any jam caused by new hires. It is also imperative to note employees come from diverse backgrounds. Thus, each employee has an individual way of handling customers. In most case, the newly hired employees are not even familiar with their employers and do not understand how the company operates. Thus, it is important to carry out an analysis whether these newly hired employees have a glimpse of the company’s orientation. Good customer service agents are those who are aware of the company’s policies and administrative facts.

The training needs analysis for customer service involves assessing veteran employees and identifying whether they have the required skills to manage the new program. Nevertheless, this group of employees offers the greatest challenge to consultants carrying out the analysis. For example, it is imperative to determine how many veteran employees are wiling to undergo further customer service training and the amount of training they require. It is true some of them have prior experience hence do not need further training. Some of them might be developers of the new programs following their enormous experience. Nevertheless, the successful implementation of the new training programs will largely depend on the willingness of veteran employees to tailor the program (Rossett & Sheldon, 2001, pp. 65-68).

How TNA creates a training program for Customer Service

Observation

This is the first approach for creating a training program for customer service. A consultant is able to obtain information regarding performance of each employee through first-hand surveillance and analysis. In addition, the consultant can access how worker relates to both customer and fellow colleagues. The main reason for carrying out observation is to identify weaknesses and strengths and later on develop a training program aimed at alleviating weaknesses among employees.

Conducting Interviews

Interview forms part of the larger training program. Through interviews, one can determine whether employees hold same views on certain issues pertaining customer service or any other discipline within the organization. However, the questions should only cover customer service, as this is the intended area. Interviews or face-to-face communication gives a consultant a glimpse of performance deficiencies and strengths. From the gathered information, one is in apposition to create a training program that addresses these deficiencies.

Questionnaires

A questionnaire is also one mode of carrying out a training needs analysis. Normally, an in-house trainer will write down question on customer service and then send them to the employees for response. However, employees have the mandate to fill in the questionnaire according to their wishes. Since the questionnaires have the same questions sent to every employer, it becomes easier to analyze and then develop a training program based on the answers given. A questionnaire is a vital tool for training needs analysis as one can get a picture of employees’ perceptions regarding customer service and as to whether these employees believe they are on the right track. In most cases, the program developers use questionnaires to create training programs for various needs in an organization (Training Needs Analysis, 2010, p.1).

Job Description

When carrying out a training needs analysis, job analysis is very important. Primarily, job analysis involves the study of all responsibilities associated with a particular job. For example, employees working in the customer service division should be in a position to explain their responsibilities, as this is the bulwark of the organization. These employees are the one responsible in attracting customers to buy the products or services of an organization. Thus, information emanating from job analysis acts as a yardstick for the course content. Eventually, the in-house trainer will tailor a training curriculum that explains responsibilities of various posts within an organization.

Appraisal Reviews

During training needs analysis, appraisal review is one area aimed at determining the duties employee duties and responsibilities. In most cases, the answers gotten from appraisal interviews are indisputable meaning; they are paramount in establishing the needs, discrepancies and incursions, which a training program should contain.

The feedback information arising from appraisal interviews can also assist program developers to develop training programs based on what employees do not understand well regarding job description, responsibilities and duties. Since training needs differ from one employee to another, the appraisal interview session allows the executive and worker to unearth their limitations in customer service. All these gathered information provides a curriculum for a training program (Leigh, Watkins, Platt & Kaufman, 1998, pp. 87-93).

Motivational Identity

Research shows that motivation is the main factor behind employee development. Thus, when carrying out training needs analysis, it is vital to identity some of the factors that cause motivation among employees. Some motivational factors enhance individual training skills and stimulate desire in an employee to work towards achieving certain individual goals. Propping into this analysis will perhaps provide further information regarding the self-confidence and attitude of individual employees. Thus, motivational identity is one area that is important in developing training program for customer service.

Conclusion

A training needs analysis is an important tool of discovering weaknesses among employees and then developing a training program aimed at improving employee performance. Thus, conducting a training needs analysis for customer service will see an improvement in this sector, enhance productivity and increase investment returns.

Reference List

Frances, B, & Roland B. (1994). Training Needs Analysis and Evaluation. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Leigh, D., Watkins, R., Platt, W. & Kaufman, R. (1998). Alternate Models of Needs Assessment: Selecting the Right One for Your Organization. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 11(1), 87-93.

Rossett, A. & Sheldon, K. (2001). Beyond the Podium: Delivering Training and Performance to a Digital World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Training Needs Analysis. (2010). Web.

The gender wage gap is a phenomenon that measures the difference in pay between men and women in employment. This is one indicator of gender inequality in a country, especially when analyzing the labor market involvement regarding gender preferences. According to Golan (par. 1), in the article, “Ask an Economist: Is there a gender gap in promotions and pay in the top-executive market”, a gender gap exists in top executive jobs and in deciding which gender should be promoted.

Notably, the article asserts that only 10 percent of the total executive professionals in companies are women. Moreover, averagely, female professionals tend to earn less compared to their male counterparts in the workplace. However, the research further shows that women tend to earn higher than males at any given point in their careers, despite having the same demographics and backgrounds as their counterparts in the workplace (Golan par. 4).

Despite getting higher earnings than the males, it is noted that women are also subjected to fewer uncertainties regarding income and tend to be promoted faster as it is assumed that they are highly likely to leave their jobs. This view is true due to the traditional nature of women. Traditionally, women were assumed to be the homemakers and responsible for overseeing the developmental needs of their children. In effect, they were assigned sexist roles that involved attending to home duties, childbearing, and child-rearing. However, this mentality is still prevalent in the workplace today, despite the various changes that have taken place. Notably, it is assumed that women are only productive up to certain years of their careers until they desert their jobs to become family persons and take care of their families.

Further, it is assumed that women can easily leave their jobs or resign from their positions in a need to establish work-life balance as compared to the males. Thus, in spite of the narrowing pay gap, women continue to earn less than their male counterparts due to a myriad of reasons (Jonung and Persson 2). Women take a lot of their time taking care of their families and children, thereby having to reduce the number of hours they commit to the workplace to strike a balance between their families and their work. Further, some of the women quit their jobs to take care of their families. Such a trend is not notable with men, meaning that men are more reliable at the workplace. As such, a decision to promote men remains definite for a very long time.

Notably, even though most women have now attained well-paying jobs and hold more managerial jobs, especially positions that are initially male-dominated, the general women population continues to work in lower-paying occupations than their male counterparts (Blau and Kahn The gender pay 38). In effect, there are two main reasons that explain the variance in pay between men and women at the workplace. These are occupational segregation and direct discrimination that occurs among people that have attained the same educational level and experience.

Discrimination due to gender tends to be more subtle. For instance, the International Labor Organization purports that women only constitute 40.4 percent of the total working population compared to men, who cover the remaining percentage. Further, the occupational positions that women take tend to be the poorest paying jobs. These are jobs like teaching, nursing, and secretarial jobs. The trend may be attributed to two factors (Blau and Kahn 2). The first is the unpaid natural role that women pursue, which involves caring for their children and families. The second reason is the selection effect, which means that women tend to choose some occupations that favor men over them. However, employers aggravate the problem as they do not improve their work environment to suit this characteristic of women.

In effect, there are very few women working in companies, meaning that there are very few women to promote (Blau and Kahn Gender differences 5). Another reason that contributes to the amount that women earn is how women earn their skills. In effect, women have little to show in how they attained their skills as they are assumed to use less effort and energy in their quest to do so (Blau and Kahn Gender differences 2). Further, the gendered division of work implies that women have to endure inferior jobs. Therefore, they have limited bargaining power in the market compared to men.

Women would love to progress in their careers and gain better pay, but several factors hinder their ability to do so. One study has shown that women are most successful in completing their higher education compared to their male colleagues. Nonetheless, they are still paid less than their male co-workers when it comes to working. One essential barrier is that of general role and duty bias. It is a social construction that mothers are better parents than fathers. Consequently, a mother cannot be excused for choosing her career over her children in the name of attaining better pay (Blau, Brinton, and Grusky 15).

Nonetheless, women are joining the higher employment ranks, where they are rising the corporate ladder just as fast as their male colleagues. In effect, the United States employed population constitutes about 50% of women in the workforce (Blau and Khan Women’s work 764). Notably, women have also filled the 75 percent new positions of the jobs that were created in the year 2000. Globally, women have been able to endure the economic shock that hit the work industry, with most women retaining their jobs, despite 75% of the total working male population having to lose their jobs because of the effects of the great economic recession. Nonetheless, women are yet to gain higher corporate positions or rise in their leadership capacities as males. While women enter the labor market in maximum numbers, they tend to disappear over a given period. In fact, so bad is the situation that only three females were among the top 500 positions of Fortune 500 companies.

Even though women have tried to gain considerable grounds on gender equality issues like harassment and discrimination at the workplace, they still continue to struggle in attaining gender parity issues in career development and gaining top leadership positions because they struggle with balancing their career responsibilities and their role as caregivers. Thus, women find themselves lagging behind their male colleagues at the workplace. Further, even though many workplaces have designed specific policies and flexible programs allow women to return to their jobs, only a few of the companies have innovative promotion options or growth plans that can rejuvenate the careers of the females. This explains why women who have maintained their top corporate positions are likely to get promotions and attain higher salaries faster than their male colleagues.

Works Cited

Blau, Francine D., and Lawrence M. Kahn. “The Gender Pay Gap: Going, Going… But Not Gone.” The Declining Significance of Gender (2006): 37-66. Print.

“Women’s Work and Wages.” The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 8 (2008): 762-772. Print.

Gender Differences in Pay Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2000. Print.

Blau, Francine D., Mary C. Brinton, and David B. Grusky. The Declining Significance of Gender? New Jersey: Russell Sage Foundation, 2006. Print.

Golan, Limor. “Ask an Economist: Is there a Gender Gap in Promotions and Pay in the Top-Executive Market” The Regional Economist 2015. Web.

Jonung, Christina, and Inga Persson. Women’s Work and Wages New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.