Gender diversity in the workforce is the equal representation of men and women in organizations. It is one of the most significant components of managing a business in the current world because it provides the opportunity to protect the rights of all people and make businesses more effective. The strategy of introducing acquired diversity and making the managers responsible for implementing the plan are effective methods of conducting business and managing employees in a global society.
The government legally protects gender diversity in the United States. Mainly, the “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964” regards the problems of inequality, obliging all the public and private institutions to follow the principle of equality (Gilfoil, 2017). This part of the legal document introduces the fact that employers have to avoid discrimination based on differences of people, including gender. According to the Act, different specifics of citizens cannot influence the decision-making process of the company administration and recruiters.
At the same time, this regulation covers different components of interaction between companies and employees. For instance, it regulates recruiting, promoting, and evaluating the performance of the workers. Additionally, it concerns the situations when the employers assign work, provide training, and introduce the system of fines and benefits. The limitations of this document imply its regulation of the interactions between the employers and workers, focusing on the process of employment (Gilfoil, 2017). Besides, it fails to present the protection of the employees when they complain of discrimination cases.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an agency established to regulate and control employees’ discrimination. It was introduced in 1964 as the institution that should protect citizens of the United States against the violation of civil rights and analyze the complaints of individuals suffering from discrimination (Victor et al., 2017). The agency investigates cases of biased attitude, helps the alleged victims to resolve the issues with the employers, and assists them in filing suits against the offenders. The commission requires the employees to provide information about their workers, including the data about their belonging to specific groups. It helps the agency to identify the occurrences of discrimination in the workplace.
EEOC plays an essential role in protecting gender diversity in the workforce. First, it analyzes the situation in the country and particular organizations to identify what problems women encounter in the workplace. Further, it creates workgroups to inspect the companies when it suspects the violation of females’ rights. Its responsibilities also include the authority to introduce law enforcement and provide education and appropriate technology necessary for the implementation of the strategies of the commission. These strategies concern eliminating discrimination against women and the spread of awareness of this problem.
A company’s global expansion might improve the situation with gender diversity in the organization. First, laws in different countries and international organizations introduce various norms emphasizing the necessity to provide equal opportunities to employees of all genders. Consequently, an organization’s strategy aiming to expand its business internationally might include the aspects of gender diversity. Second, this aspect would be regarded as essential for the development of the brand.
Accordingly, companies might implement the regulations of gender equality to guarantee its success in global markets. Hunt et al. (2018) demonstrate how the intention of an organization Sodexo to expand internationally influences its tendency to approach gender equality, increasing the “representation of women in management positions” (p. 9). These circumstances made the company more productive, effective, and one of the most successful in its industry.
Effective planning of gender diversity strategies is significant to a global organization. It mainly helps the organization have a more broad understanding of the environment based on multiple and diverse opinions. In addition, the organizational culture benefits from the diversity of employees because a multitude of views generates more sophisticated values and ethical principles. Ethics contributes to the formation of proper regulations in the organizations and their implementation. It defines how employers treat employees and what values and principles follow in the decision-making process.
One of the methods to combine conducting business and a diverse global workforce is to introduce acquired diversity and make the managers responsible for accomplishing diversity goals. Hunt et al. (2018) explain how Allianz, an international organization providing financial services, supports managing a diverse global workforce through the implementation of the principles of acquired diversity in the workforce. In particular, it enables people of different genders and origins to become a part of the company. Moreover, it adheres to the specific rules that make the managers follow the strategy and celebrate the achievements.
Such strategies as presenting the acquired diversity rules and defining the managers’ accountability for adhering to the diversity in a workplace rule are the productive methods of managing business and employees. Although the Civil Rights Act contains the parts that protect gender diversity in the workforce, it focuses only on the process of employment. It does not guarantee the protection of employers disclosing the information about the violations.
EEOC is an example of the agency created to work with discrimination against females at work. In the global expansion project, the questions of gender diversity in the workforce are among the central issues. The process of expanding business globally influences the organization’s ability to implement gender diversity strategies. Mainly, the strategy of launching acquired diversity plans and making the executives accountable for the implementation of diversity are among the most effective approaches to making business global.
References
Hunt, V., Prince, S., Dixon-Fyle, S., & Yee, L. (2018). Delivering through diversity. McKinsey & Company, 231.
Gilfoil, C. S. (2017). More than just sex: Title VII, the expanding meaning of sex discrimination, and the court’s role in correcting injustice. Geo. J. Gender & L., 19, 135.
Victor, C. M., Thacker, L. R., Gary, K. W., Pawluk, D. T., & Copolillo, A. (2017). Workplace discrimination and visual impairment: A comparison of equal employment opportunity commission charges and resolutions under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 111(5), 475-482.