Based on data collecte d
from more than 65 0
companies over eigh t
years, no other entit y
has more diversit y
management data tha n
DiversityInc– includin g
the federal governmen t.
Our repeat business i s
close to 100 .
up with some different things
that maybe would be able to track
some of our older clients that we
haven’t been able to retain.
Female Employee: Actually, I think
we should just continue to do
what we’ve done last year and the
two years before. It’s been successful, so why not?
Team Manager: That’s a very good
idea, actually.
Female Employee No. 2: We could
also add a few more surveys.
Female Employee: Yeah, that
can work.
Team Manager: When in doubt,
always survey, that’s very good.
Thank you.
turning to the resources there—
and they are clearly in place at this
company to protect him if there
is a discrimination situation—is
to just explore a little bit more.
Maybe that means a little more
time around the water cooler;
maybe it’s appropriate listening to
how people talk about their workplace. It’s just being himself and
talking about a partner, if he has
one, to gauge what role his sexual
orientation actually plays in the
kind of reception that he is getting.
That approach is made easier in
some ways in this context in that
he knows he is at a company that
is very publicly committed to being
a leader in diversity and should
something difficult happen, he will
have some back-up. But he does
need to step up.
Should Fred confront his teammates about the reaction he is
getting, and if so, what should
he say? Who else in the company
should he turn to for advice?
ELIZA BYARD: At this point, he’s
not really sure what’s going on.
He’s new and it’s a new culture
for him. Having a no-tolerance
DR. dt ogilvie: Fred has some work
to do, which is to develop new relationships with each of his teammates, and he does that by talking
to them. He should find common-alities by listening a little bit more
and reaching points where they can
make some contact. He should just
sit back and listen a little bit. When
somebody is new, oftentimes they
don’t fit right and then everybody
“THAT’S THE real value IN THE
affinity group BECAUSE YOU
DON’T WASTE YOUR POLITICAL CHIPS
ON ISSUES THAT ARE NOT ISSUES.”
COLE BROWN, WAL-MART
Benchmarking
policy sends an important message but it’s also a little bit scary
when it comes to actually raising
an issue that may be coming up
in the workplace. Part of the work
that Fred might want to do before
does kind of get discomfort to
some extent until they become
part of the team. But it may not be
just that. It may be related to his
sexual orientation. He has got to
become part of the team.
