Workplace Fairness and Equality
Select 1 out of the 4 essay questions below and write a critical essay.
Question 1:
Discuss why the study of personality at work is receiving some considerable attention recently and to what extent do you consider theories of personality to be useful to formal organizations?
Question 2:
Elaborate how managers can effectively ‘make a difference’ trying to make a workplace fairer and more equal for all employees.
Question 3:
What challenges are faced by HRM practitioners in seeking to develop a recruitment and selection process which is effective and cost-efficient and fair?
Question 4:
The Chief Executive Officer wants to build a ‘learning organization’ to encourage creative thinking and sustainable competitive advantage. Discuss how knowledge of adult learning theories would help the CEO with her long-term project.
Criteria for Assessment - How you will be marked
Assignment Brief Template Page 1 of 4
Your essay will be marked according to the following criteria:-
Understanding and Reading: The depth of your reading (number, range and quality of sources) and understanding of it. You are expected to read the essential and further readings for the question that you choose. You need to use these readings to support your argument/discussion; you cannot rely on personal opinion or unsupported statements.
Critical Analysis: The level of critical analysis in your writing and the quality of the argument developed. You cannot rely on simple description, but have to apply knowledge and theory from the readings to critically engage with the material.
Presentation and Referencing: Your ability to express yourself clearly in English using appropriate terminology, correct spelling and grammar. The extent to which your essay is correctly referenced using the Harvard system of referencing in-text and with a bibliography.
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Structure: Your ability to develop a clear, logical structure for your essay which addresses the question and guides the reader. Your essay should include a clear introduction, a cogently argued main body, and a conclusion that summarises the argument and answers the overall question.
QUESTION 2: WORKPLACE FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY
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Question 2: Workplace Fairness and Equality
The workplace environment contains significant physical conditions and metrics that impact workplace relationships, efficiency, collaboration, and employee well-being and health. Human resource managers have prioritized creating a positive workplace to attract and retain top talents. A positive work environment is a workplace that values the needs of employees and stakeholders. Trust, safety, collaboration, accountability, and equality, among other values, define this setting. A positive environment improves employee satisfaction and retention. It is a metric used by managers to measure organizational success. Equality is an essential component of a positive work environment. It encompasses fair treatment regardless of gender, origin, sexual orientation, color, race, culture, or age. Equality is also giving all employees equal opportunities. Managers must work to ensure all employees have an equal chance to sharpen their skills, develop their careers and excel. Managers can effectively 'make a difference in trying to make a workplace fairer and more equal for all employees by doing the following:
First, they can promote and manage workplace diversity. Workplace diversity is the foundation of the new organization. For a manager to promote diversity, they must understand, accept, and value differences among individuals with respect to their culture, ethnicity, class, gender, disabilities, age, and experiences (Sharma, 2017, p. 7). Most importantly, they must intentionally hire employees regardless of their social demographics. Equality and fairness begin in the hiring process. When posting a vacancy, they must ensure that the job posting does not exclude certain groups. Instead, they should target everyone based on merit.
A diverse organization has employees from different backgrounds and cultures (Sharma, 2017, p. 8). Each employee is unique and may contribute to business success differently if given a platform. Diversity brings new experiences and ideas, and employees can learn from one another, leading to better problem-solving. The diversity of talents allows workers to have a wide range of skills to help them improve performance, achieve organizational objectives, and develop their careers.
Nowadays, business professionals increasingly regard diversity as crucial for establishing a successful workplace and driving innovation, competitiveness, and productivity. Promoting a diverse and inclusive organizational culture leads to higher employee retention, a strong brand image, and a workplace with many ideas and solutions. However, diversity comes with challenges if managed poorly. A poorly managed workplace diversity can contribute to harassment, miscommunication, conflict, and low productivity (Zainuddin & Isa, 2019, p. 139). Therefore, it is the manager’s responsibility to ensure diversity works appropriately. A well-managed diversity will increase fairness and equality, improving employee satisfaction and retention.
Second, managers can encourage effective communication. Effective communication is a core requirement of equality and fairness in the workplace. It embodies interacting with employees regularly and listening to their opinions and ideas regardless of experience, position, or age. Employees feel safe and valued when their opinions count. Due to the likelihood of workplace discrimination, managers should develop appropriate communication channels where individuals can openly talk and air their grievances without judgment.
In the same context, managers can request employees to provide suggestions about their needs and the company's rules and principles affecting them. Open dialogue and a positive attitude help managers to build trust with their subordinates (Sharma, 2017, p. 10). For example, if the manager sees the need to improve or change policy-specific employees, they can ask the team members if the policy would reduce everyone's work stress. This approach increases employee engagement and guarantees workers that the organization values their ideas and is key to creating and encouraging a safe work environment.
Through effective communication, managers can better understand the needs and goals of each staff member and what motivates them. It also builds a healthy relationship between management and employees as well as establishes a healthy workplace culture. Organizations can easily experience conflict because they accommodate people with different ideas and beliefs. Fostering o...