Equal Time Spring 2009 Page 23 of 25

Equal Time Spring 2009 page 23 of 25

Equal Time

Newsletter of the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW

Number 75 Autumn 2009

From the President 2

Entry to pubs is everyone’s right 3

Diversity in a changing workplace 4

Race discrimination complaints by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are tip of the iceberg 9

Seminars 2009–10 10

Sexual harassment at work 11

Community outreach 17

ADB Posters 18

Conciliations 19

ADB Complaints Finalised 22

In-house training for employers and service providers 23

For more information 24

The Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW 25

From the President

The cost of race discrimination and sexual harassment

This issue of Equal Time focusses on several areas of discrimination.

Race Discrimination

Sadly, in recent months the Board has issued three press releases highlighting incidents of race discrimination in NSW. Disturbingly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are still bearing the brunt of race discrimination, particularly in the areas of accommodation. Over twenty-five percent of complaints to the Board about discrimination in accommodation were by Aboriginal and Torres Stait Islander people.

Complaints of race discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people occur at twice the rate that would be expected compared to the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW.

Race discrimination in employment was also highlighted by research conducted at the Australian National University which revealed that some employers will decide not to interview people if their name does not sound Anglo-Saxon.

These employers are simply depriving themselves of the opportunity to engage talented individuals that do not fit their stereotyped attitudes. They are also leaving themselves open to expensive compensation claims.

Sexual Harassment

Some recent legal cases reviewed in this issue demonstrate the pitfalls of not having clear policies and procedures for dealing with incidents of sexual harassment.

In one case an employer followed correct procedures and was praised by the Industrial Relations Commission, while in another case a company was found liable for half a million dollars in compensation.

Stepan Kerkyasharian AM

ADB media release

Entry to pubs is everyone’s right

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities still bear the brunt of race discrimination” the President of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, Stepan Kerkyasharian, said today.

“Anti-Discrimination Board statistics tell a sorry story of race discrimination, particularly in relation to accommodation and the provision of goods and services”, Mr Kerkyasharian added.

In NSW in 2008–2009, a quarter of the complaints of race discrimination in accommodation, and one in ten of the complaints in relation to the provision of goods and services, came from Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, according to annual statistics compiled by the AntiDiscrimination Board.

“The Anti-Discrimination Board has an active Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Team. The stories they hear of race discrimination against indigenous communities are still very disappointing to me” the President stated. “In particular, I am dismayed to hear stories in relation to pubs and hotels. Pubs are places for everyone in the community to meet, so discriminating at the door is not acceptable”, the President added.

Race discrimination complaints may be made to the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, where they may be investigated and conciliated. Some cases then go to the Equal Opportunity Division of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal, which can order up to $100,000 in compensation.

An unlawful act of race discrimination can also lead to a hotelier losing the hotelier’s licence. Hoteliers can also be held responsible for discrimination by staff or security guards.

Serious racial vilification can lead to a maximum of 6 months in jailor a fine of $11,000.

The Anti-Discrimination Board’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Service can provide advice and assistance in relation to race discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Anti-Discrimination Board enquiry line is 1800 670 812. The website is www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/adb.

27 August 2009

Diversity in a changing workplace

A review of recent research into workplace diversity

Diversity is all around us. We no longer live in homogenous societies. The workplace reflects this, so we need to acknowledge this change and adapt to function with success as workers and communicators.

Organisations need to recognise this changing phenomenon and utilise the best attributes of all employees within their workforce to excel in industry and ‘best practice’.

If we understand the dimensions and dynamics of diversity we can manage better in the workplace.

Diversity in the workplace has been researched for more than two decades. The advantages of diversity are well documented:

· diverse teams can contribute different perspectives to problem solving and decision making;

· unique, creative, innovative and high quality solutions are increased;

· there is greater availablility of specialized skills like language skills;

· intercultural communication increases business advantage in a competitive market.

Potential challenges may include:

· increased miscommunication

· increased group dissatisfaction leading to higher turnover and absenteeism;

· more difficulty learning and working together;

· decreased group interaction and cohesion;

Managers need to be prepared to deal with the changing dynamic in the workplace to create a respectful, collaborative work environment.

Studies on diversity – what have we learned?

Throughout the academic literature diversity in the workplace is defined by the differences in attributes among a group or team. Jackson et al (2003) describe it as the “distribution of personal attributes among interdependent members of a work unit”. Jackson looked at a variety of groups from students, to top management teams (TMT) to whole organizations. Attributes were categorised as ‘readily detectable’ such as sex, age, ethnicity, etc; underlying attributes such as personality, knowledge and values; and attributes that lie between these ‘two extremes of transparency’- education, tenure. Some of these attributes are directly related to work (education and tenure) and others indirectly related to work (sex, age etc).

People in the workplace relate to each other based on these attributes. Being able to influence understanding or increase awareness may result in team behaviour that creates a positive team environment. Stereotyping may be limited and discrimination and harassment reduced.

The practical implications from the research are to alter the focus to improving team effectiveness and strategically approaching diversity management not just reducing ‘inequalities between demographically defined groups’ or ‘inclusion practices’ (Jackson et al 2003). There is a need for targeted training efforts because diversity dynamics are shaped by organizational context.

Pettigrew says training and awareness on ‘stereotypes’ will influence behaviour change (Jackson et al, 2003). This is certainly a real experience for workplace educators at the Anti Discrimination Board of NSW. Organisations need to create positive interactions especially for ‘out group’ members. Rynes and Rosen found rewards and recognition for Managers need to be tied to diversity programs that promote Pettigrew’s identified conditions as well as strategies such as Affirmative Action (Jackson et al, 2003).

When leaders and employees have diversity training, openness to change and self transcendence is cultivated and cultural change occurs to support values of diversity (Sawyer et al 2006, p.515). These initiatives can be strategic and are likely to build tolerance and harmony through diversity in the workplace.

Age diversity in the workplace

While research on cultural diversity is in abundance the area of age diversity has been less examined. Much of the focus has been on the negative experience of older workers and the stereotypes that surround this group.(Shore et al 2009, p.120; Goldberg 2007). In their research Shore et al review the concerns of employers that as older more experienced workers leave the workforce younger applicants are being favoured. They bring different challenges to the new environment. To date, training has focused on the skills older employees lack and mentoring has had a positive effect on developing younger and older protégés (Shore et al 2009).

The Intergenerational workplace

The workplace of the 21st century is characterized by four generations in the workplace. Weston (2001) describes each generation. The “silent” generation or the “traditionalists” are the employees in the workplace over the age of 55. They are characterised as the generation that grew up in hard times. They are tough and are not afraid to work hard (Weston 2001,p.11).

They are closely followed by the Baby Boomers, born between 1945 and 1960 who are expected to dominate the workplace until 2015 (Weston 2001, p.12). They have been a fortunate generation. Growing up at the advent of the information age they experienced the prospect of limitless horizons. They grew up during a social revolution and were doted on by their parents. They are the generation to be first challenged by balancing the demands of work and family. They are driven and productive but want simplicity in their lives as they grow older. They have adapted to the technological changes around them and while productive want more free time (Weston 2001, p.13).

It is the next generations X and Y that now provide new challenges for workplace dynamics. Generation X has experienced the change in familial harmony. They have experienced rising rates of divorce amongst their parents and they have accepted uncertainty (Weston 2001, p.14). They have less organisational commitment than Baby Boomers.

But of all the generations, Generation Y are proving to be the most difficult to ‘live’ with in the workplace. Barnes (2009) suggests we need to be ready for them. They are the generation that will not conform to the workplace and while wanting to trust workplace leaders are cynical about current leadership (Barnes 2009, p.58). They have been protected by their Baby Boomer parents and have known comparatively little hardship or major challenges while growing up. They have grown up with advanced electronic communications and are reliant on these devices for communication. They live in a ‘global village’ and yet their interpersonal communication skills are lacking, confirms Barnes (2001, p.59).

These are the “millenials” who will require innovative management styles that will not constrain their creativity. Their achievement goals include fame; fortune; leadership; trust. (Barnes, 2009,p.59). Their strong parent connections have made them less skilled at problem solving but this may help them accept the support of Baby boomers as mentors in the workplace (Weston, 2001,p.15). They have a strong desire for psychological comfort and fear failure, though they seem ready to take on challenges. Their ability to interact with hyperlink communication has reduced their attention span and they constantly want change and new challenges (Barnes 2009,p.59).This generation are the ‘knowledge workers’ of the future who value diversity (Kalantzis & Cope 2009). They will need to be managed so their potential is enhanced and recruitment and selection processes need to be prepared for them (Barnes 2009, p.59).

What approaches have been taken to bridge generational communication?

So how do the different generations interact in the workplace? What are the common themes in managing aspects of ‘age diversity’? Finkelstein (2005) offers social identity theory (SIT) and stereotypes as a way to examine intergenerational perspectives. There is a tendency to categorise based on “us and them”. Our self concept benefits by the degree to which we belong to the “us” group (Finkelstein, 2005, p.108). Ayoko (2007) agreed with this tendency.

Each generation relates to the world in a completely different way. Do they relate to one another or are there tensions and friction between them? Finkelstein (2005, p.108) says there will be conflict on mixed teams but by understanding the theoretical and practical perspectives of ‘newcomer’ socialization, mentoring and work teams, we can minimize intergenerational perceptions. Open communication is highly recommended.

Other strategies to deal with reducing tension include coaching and mentoring. Weston (2001) and Barnes (2009) suggest coaching and mentoring styles will differ with each generation. Relationships with supervisors have been more formal for the ‘silents’ and baby boomers but for Gen X and Y it is much more informal.

Yu and Miller (2005) looked at work characteristics and the expectations of leadership styles among Gen Y in two different work contexts, the manufacturing sector and the education sector. Generational gaps existed in the manufacturing industry highlighted by different work characteristics and preferred leadership styles unlike the education sector (Yu & Miller 2005, p.35) .

Baby boomers will need purpose and meaning while balancing carer’s responsibilities that are ever present. This generation will indulge in life long learning says Weston (2001) while Gen X will want skills development opportunities and Gen Y career advancement. The learning styles and subsequent tools will differ for each generation. Gen Y will want online podcasts and video interaction not repositories of information (Aker 2009, p.48). Other generations will value the ‘war’ stories of managers to learn from past experiences (Weston 2001).

Weston (2001) explores key steps a manager of a multi-generational team must assess. Where do I fit – which generation do I belong to? What are the expectations of the team about my behaviour? How does their behaviour and yours differ, complement, conflict? (Weston, 2001). Recognizing generational bias is very important and mediating intergenerational conflict will be needed. Different perspectives, expectations and assumptions may result in discrimination and/or harassment in the workplace. Removing pre-conceived ideas will be necessary through training (Weston 2001).

Weston offers other solutions to generational diversity. Utilising the viewpoints of all team members will lead to better problem solving. Each generation brings different competencies to the team (Weston 2001). Matching role models and mentors appropriately. Gen Y may be best mentored by Baby Boomers and Gen X by the ‘Silents’. GenY could benefit from the well ordered, organizational skills and chunking into short term goals that Baby Boomers are more skilled at. Role models and mentors will give each generation a chance to reach their potential and their highest level of competency (Weston 2001, p.20).

Development needs can be addressed through coaching. Buahene & Kovary (2009) go so far as to suggest mentoring roles could be reversed. If a two way respect as reiterated by Barnes (2009) is developed the high energy of Gen Y could be complemented by the experience of the traditionalists and Baby Boomers (Buahene & Kovary 2009, p.14). Informal teaching by Boomers and Traditionalists could be successful and assumptions could be broken down on both sides. Gen Y could be mentors and coaches for aquiring skills with new technologies and all generations could successfully contribute to the business. Resistance is bound to be experienced but maintaining opportunities for exchange will build relationships (Buahene & Kovary 2009, p.14).