Final paper Employee Training

Employee Training: Considerations
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Employee Training: Considerations
The success of any organization is highly dependent on the performance of employees. Organizations that have the best talent in the industry have a competitive edge, and as such, it is important to focus on not only attracting and maintaining the best talent but also continuously developing and nourishing the talent. According to Rodriguez and Walters (2017), providing employees with training and development opportunities improves their skills and competencies, therefore giving the organization a global competitive advantage. However, to achieve the maximum benefits of employee training and development, organizations must have effective training courses and programs. This is especially the case in the era of globalization. Kopp (2014) indicates that human resource (HR) professionals must adapt their HR practice to fit the needs of an international workforce. One of the areas of consideration in HR practice is cultural diversity. Most organizations are globalized, and as such, HR professionals in such organizations manage a diverse workforce with different cultural practices. To foster positive and respectful relationships among a diverse workforce, a diversity training course is necessary. Fujimoto and Hartel (2017) reveal that diversity training was introduced in HR practice to help employees form unbiased and non-discriminatory relationships with each other in the workplace. A cultural diversity training course helps employees eliminate biases and stereotypes about employees with different cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this paper is to address the legal, cultural, and ethical implications in the creation of a cultural diversity training course. It will also discuss the appropriate media and effective implementation approach for a global organization.
Legal Implications
Over the years, organizations have been motivated to create cultural diversity training courses and other diversity initiatives because of the benefits associated with having such initiatives. On a legal aspect, several issues motivate organizations to create a cultural diversity training course. One of the issues is compliance. According to Dover, Kaiser, and Major (2019), many countries have anti-discrimination laws that require employers to make sure that the workplace environment is just and fair. Employers are required to ensure that they establish a non-discriminatory culture. This means that employees from minority cultures and ethnic groups should be treated fairly and equally with their counterparts from dominant cultures. By training employees on how to treat each other and eliminate bias and stereotypes, the organization protects itself from accusations of non-compliance with the law. The second issue is that a cultural diversity training program informs employees on the existing laws and regulations relating to discrimination against people from a different cultural background (Fujimoto & Hartel, 2017). It also informs them of what constitutes bias and stereotype. When organizations train their employees, they ensure that they cannot be held legally liable for the action of their employees since they have already informed them of the laws and regulations that have been put in place. The third issue is to ensure that there is an avenue for reporting and addressing discriminatory behavior from any member of the organization (Dover, Kaiser, & Major, 2019). Oftentimes, certain people are uncomfortable interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds and might, intentionally or unintentionally, throw in some racial or religious remarks to a colleague with a different racial/religious background. A cultural diversity training course ensures that the offended party knows the right procedure for reporting the issue and that the organization has a clear guideline on how to discipline the offender. Therefore, the legal implications of such a training program are that it protects the organization from legal issues such as discrimination lawsuits and liabilities. Also, as revealed by Dover, Kaiser, and Major (2019), diversity programs usually offer organizations a diversity defense because organizations that have diversity initiatives are more likely to win when sued for discrimination.
Some of the laws and regulations that should be considered while creating a cultural diversity training course are anti-discrimination laws and equal employment opportunity regulations. For instance, in the United States (US), there are federal and state laws that have classified discrimination in the workplace as an illegal act. The laws require minorities to be treated equally and have access to the same employment provisions as the majority group (Kopp, 2014). Other countries also have laws in place that ensure that people from different cultural backgrounds are given equal access to employment opportunities and benefits.
Effects of Demographic Diversity
Although diversity in the workplace is a positive thing as it is associated with positive legal implications and improved overall performance, it can still affect the discussions of cultural diversity. For a cultural diversity discussion to be effective and productive, employees from different cultural backgrounds must be included. They should also be allowed to share their experiences, concerns, and suggestions concerning what should be done to make the workplace a more inclusive environment. According to Hatipoglu and Inelmen (2017), employees need to have a voice and be heard. This is the only way HR practitioners can identify the training needs of employees. However, demographic diversity affects an employee's voice. Demographic diversity can be defined as the visible characteristics and attributes of an individual, which include gender, color, age, among others (Tasheva & Hillman, 2018). These attributes often determine an employee's behavior at the workplace. As revealed by Hatipoglu and Inelmen (2017), demographic diversity influences an employee's ability and decision to share their experiences, concerns, and ideas with an employer. The demographic attributes of an employee, such as age or gender, can help them decide whether to participate in discussions or not. For instance, some younger people may decide not to share their dissatisfaction with an employer-based purely on their age. In the same case, the demographic attributes of employees influence whether they will participate in a cultural diversity discussion or not. Yet, the voice of employees from different backgrounds is essential in cultural diversity discussions. HR practitioners need to put this in mind and create an environment that allows everyone to participate regardless of demographic diversity.
Also, demographic diversity has been associated with poor team effectiveness (Tasheva & Hillman, 2018). In the absence of teamwork, the discussions of cultural diversity may not yield the required results. Rather than employees sharing their experiences and knowledge about cultural diversity and how it can be enhanced to create organizational success, they may choose to stay silent and not contribute to the discussion. Tasheva and Hillman (2018) also indicate that demographic diversity brings inter-group bias. Therefore, the discussions on cultural discussions can be centered on how to help one group rather than focus on how all groups can be assisted to become an asset to the company. It can also divert the attention from cultural diversity to other forms of diversity. For instance, there can be inter-group bias against women, and when women realize this, they may steer the discussion towards issues affecting women in the workplace rather than towards issues affecting members of a certain cultural group.
Ethical Implications
Other than considering the legal implications and demographic diversity issues, HR professionals must also consider the ethical implications of creating a cultural diversity training course. The business environment has come under heavy scrutiny in the recent past as employees, consumers, and the general public has become more focused on fairness and justice. According to Jones, King, Nelson, Geller, and Bowes-Sperry (2013), organizations that embrace diversity initiatives are considered more sincere and committed to make the workplace a fair and just place to work. When developing a cultural diversity training program, it is important to consider the general perception of employees and consumers on issues of justice and fairness. The course should reflect the moral standing of the organization in providing equal opportunities to members of different cultural groups. Another ethical implication that ...