Roberto Lico

Our Christmas Business Tree

Dealing with Diversity in the

Workplace

Roberto de Paula Lico Júnior is a Professional Coach, and Business Consultant with a

knowledge in Management, Overseas Trade and

Negotiation.

A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually

an evergreen conifer such as spruce, pine or

fir, traditionally associated with the

celebration of Christmas.

According to the Encyclopædia

Britannica, "The use of evergreen trees,

wreaths, and garlands to symbolize eternal life

was a custom of the ancient Egyptians,

Chinese, and Hebrews”.

The tree was traditionally decorated

with edibles such as apples, nuts or dates but today, there are a

wide variety or a diversity of traditional

ornaments, such as garland, tinsel,

ornaments, colorful balls and candy canes.

Like a Christmas tree our business

environment is composed of a

diversified group of people with different races, creeds, ages, genders, colors and

educational backgrounds.

Managing diversity involves using some

specific resources and experiences for the

benefit of the organization.

But knowing how to do this requires

understanding some strategies to better deal

with diversity in our business environment.

Recognition:

We must recognize that people have differences, be they physical, generational or cultural, and we

cannot pretend that these barriers have been broken down or are not

carried to the workplace.

Instead, we must accept the differences among our employees,

and encourage them to let their individualities show since their diversity and knowledge could prove useful to our business.

Fairness:

We should realize that by accepting everyone’s differences does not

mean treating everyone exactly the same but that we do demonstrate a fair attitude that respects diversity.

Acting fairly and acting uniformly are different, and only one enables

us to successfully deal with diversity in our workplace.

It is important to treat people fairly and respect the differences that

make them who they are.

Focus on Yourself:

Diversity is an issue that we must manage in the workplace, and it starts with managing our own

attitude and behavior.

We need to be aware of how we respond and react to different

styles, cultures, backgrounds and diverse differences.

Self-awareness is key to managing and developing a fair and equality-based workplace for all employees.

Employee assessments:

When preparing an employee review and assessment, we must

also examine our employees' attitudes, particularly how they

work with others and approach the workplace with the same equality

they expect.

If we notice that an employee only delegates tasks to people of a

certain race, gender, age or relationship, it is our responsibility

to address and correct these biases.

Encourage interaction:

When we identify diversity-related issues in the workplace, we must discuss such issues with all of the involved employees and in a non-

confrontational manner.

We should set up HR courses and workshops that will encourage and help employees to understand how to work with others regardless of

their diversity(ies) and that it’s not optional!

✓Set up “models” for good behavior procedures to clarify any

doubts or confusions of acceptable policy.

Important:

✓Invest in cultural sensitivity training for all staff

to facilitate better communication.

✓Seek periodic feedback from staff and

to evaluate the company diversity behavior.

✓Encourage open communication and teamwork across work

functions.

Important:

✓Plan an annual event to break down formal barriers and improve

staff morale.

Lico Reis Consultoria & LínguasProf. Roberto Lico

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