Diversity Lessons

1. Even though most businesses in the US provide extensive diversity training to their employees, it’s clear that some have not gotten the diversity message still. The consequences, as in the Imus case, could be the loss of tens of millions of revenue dollars, not to mention the loss of productivity and the cost of high turnover by offended employees.  

2. In many organizations, top leaders and the stars of the organizations do not attend the diversity training. They perhaps think that they already know the message. Often the organization’s leaders and big-name stars are the ones who need the message the most, as it has been proven by the Imus episode.

3. Employees have a role to play and a power to exert in ensuring that their workplace is one of respect and dignity for all. In the Imus episode, MSNBC president said that their own employees raised their voices against what Imus said and the company found itself in a position that required it to live up to its own values and ideals so it decided to fire Imus, which it has every right to do.

4. The organization’s other stake-holders, like vendors, advertisers, customers, and the public at large, also have an important role to play to ensure that the organization they deal with is a good corporate citizen that plays fair and respects people and the values of diversity.

5. Diversity training is still needed in the US and in other countries. Because of diversity and sexual harassment prevention training, the American workplace today is much more respectful and hospitable to employees than a decade or two ago. But we need to continue the great effort to ensure that the remaining few who still cling to an old notion of a destructive and negative work culture learn their lessons, before they are forced to leave the workplace all together.