Question: You have just been hired as the human resources (HR) manager by your company's chief executive officer (CEO). During your interview process, the CEO indicated that in the last 2 decades, the workforce demographics of her company have changed dramatically. Although this had been occurring, both the previous HR manager as well as all of the company's front-line supervisors have remained as they had been for years: primarily white males, now in their 50s and early 60s, from a Judeo-Christian background. The CEO indicated that at a frequent rate, workplace strife had been increasing, and it seemed to be related to the changing demographics of the workforce itself. The CEO asked you to compile a training manual that consists of sections targeted at the training of the existing front-line supervisors. Later on, there will be sensitivity training as well as to help all employees understand the changing workforce and what it might mean for them.

Diversity Training Manual: Overview

The content of the final complete manual will need to cover diversity issues, specifically the following forms of discrimination:

• Religious

• Ethnic

• Gender

• Age

There also must be information regarding the following information:

• Recent trends

• Forecasts about the changing general population

• Legislation covering these type issues

There will need to be subsections that deal with the following information:

• Customs and values of each group

• The need for sensitivity to differing values and customs

• Legislation affecting supervisor regulations

Diversity Training Manual: Part I

Given that the training manual will be dealing with several diversity issues, prepare the table of contents and write the first part of the manual, which should deal with some useful background for the company's supervisors and managers.

The first parts that the CEO wants completed are as follows:

• A preliminary outline of the entire manual (this may change as you work on the project)

• The table of contents

• The following sections regarding the demographics of the U.S. population should be included:

o Current statistics

o Recent trends

o Forecasted trends

• Using the Web sites listed, present information about trends in the U.S. populations regarding the following information:

o Immigrant versus native

o Religion

o Age

o Race

Use the following Web sites:

1. U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050(BY JEFFREY S. PASSEL AND D'VERA COHN)

2. Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey

3. America's Changing Religious Landscape

Diversity Training Manual: Part II

As the new human resources manager, you are now ready to complete the next section of a diversity training manual that is targeted at making your workforce supervisors more aware of current racial diversity issues (e.g., the dramatic increase in the Hispanic percentage of the workforce) and how the supervisors should address them. The goal is to reduce potential tensions in the workplace among employees of different races.

Part II is to be titled, Historical Issues of Different Races in the Workplace and How to Handle Them.

This section should discuss the following:

• Different races now or likely to be in the workforce of the future, based on the U.S. populations racial demographic changes

• Particular issues that create tensions among the different groups

• How supervisors need to address these issues that could potentially cause tension

Diversity Training Manual: Part III

As a continuation of the diversity training manual, you (as the new manager of human resources) should now create portions that specifically address gender issues and are targeted at training and raising the sensitivity of all supervisors regarding potential gender issues. It should include a section on how the supervisor should or should not handle certain gender-based workplace issues. For example, can the supervisor hand out work assignments that he or she feels are better suited to different genders? Can he or she write a job requirement that only one gender can meet, such as a strength requirement?

This section of the manual must, at a minimum, address the following information:

• A few general facts about the U.S. population's gender mix and the gender mix found in notable segments of the workforce should be included. Make sure to include all sources of information.

• The essence and applicability of the landmark Griggs v. Duke Power case dealing with stated job requirements should be addressed. Click here to read the Griggs v. Duke Power case.

• Describe how the supervisor should state minimum job requirements when he or she requests new employees to be hired into the department.

• Explain how the supervisor might communicate to his or her department (of all male employees) when a female is about to become part of the work team.