Diversity in the Workplace Given

Diversity in the Workplace

Given the facts presented in the case study, it is simple to recognize that the company has built up a "hostile" work environment. This is based upon the fact that Bob will not now work with Daniel due to Daniel being gay. Bob insists on this present discriminatory behavior despite the past successful work relationship with Daniel.

Frankly, the company is bending over backwards to try to accommodate Bob. Certainly, Earth First Pharmaceutical has not violated the law by its efforts to delegate one of Syl's team members to do the work instead. However, it is understandable from Daniel's point-of-view that he would see the organization as creating a hostile work environment. From Daniel's point-of-view, he feels resentment. He has been a stellar employee up to this point of time and has performed admirably. When an insignificant piece of personal information came up about sexual orientation, then only then did his homosexuality become an issue ("Facts about discrimination," 2011)

In addition, two other stake holder's viewpoints must be considered. Internally, no one has tried to factor in what the negative impact will be once word of this situation gets out to other workers in the company. Secondly, no one has considered what the potential consequences will be upon the company's progressive image will be once word gets out over this situation. In a competitive market (especially in a recession), the company needs every dollar it can get and the gay demographic (double income, no kids) is a significant factor in this.

Cox models have be used by many organizations to deal with conflict resolution issues, including those with diverse populations. In Cox analysis, the change model for work on company diversity has provided an effective approach to establishing and maintaining diversity in workplaces. When we review this issue, leadership is the key aspect here because this situation raises core questions about the company leadership's philosophy, vision, strategy and integration. Leadership in such situations has been found to be critical in guiding organizations during times of social change, especially with regard to dealing with diverse populations in work places. In such situations, sensitivity training has been successful if combined with a cost benefits analysis. While it might be "nice" to treat people with respect, it has statistically been proven that such efforts are enhanced when employee stakeholders find that the issue impacts their own bottom lines. They, they have a personal stake in the issue and they tend to be more motivated to overcoming differences to make a profit (Cox, 1991).