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9593D  Communicating with a Diverse Workforce 

Module Purpose

The module is about developing communication strategies to capitalise on the diversity in your workplace. It will help you to encourage better communication and mutual respect between people of different age, gender, socio-economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds and levels of skill.

How to use these Resources

These resources will assist you in finding appropriate online material to help broaden your understanding of the concepts involved and to complete assessment events for the module. They are meant to complement the work done in a classroom with a teacher.

For each learning outcome this page provides some activities to lead you to some key sites, some background reading and some additional sites to explore if you choose.

 Learning Outcomes

When you finish the module you should be able to:

1. Outcome - Evaluate the contribution of diversity to Australian organisations.
2. Outcome - Apply knowledge of the Communication strategies required
                    to capitalise on a diverse workforce to a specified organisation.
3. Outcome - Propose appropriate Communication strategies for dealing
                    effectively with diversity in a specific workplace.
4. Appendix - Relevant Legislation

 Outcome 1

• Outcome - Evaluate the contribution of diversity to Australian organisations.

Activity 1

Let’s begin with a couple of definitions:

Diversity: Any collective mixture characterized by differences and similarities. Differences may be in respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, or other human differences.

Diversity Management: Creating and maintaining an environment that naturally enables all members to contribute to their full potential in pursuit of organizational objectives.

To get an idea of how these terms are used check out this list of diversity related sites.

Read the article Managing Diversity and the Background Reading (below) and make a list of at least 10 factors that could contribute to diversity in a workplace e.g. male/female, under 30/over 30, married/single/divorced, level of education, home-owners/renters etc.

Activity 2

Go to Free Online Surveys* and prepare a short survey that you could distribute in the organisation you work for or in another organisation you know to collect data on the diverse make-up of the staff and/or clients. Consider e-mailing it to classmates or friends to test it out. Use the 10 factors you identified in Activity 1. (* Note results must be viewed within 10 days.)

 Background reading

Australia's Cultural Diversity - contains detailed figures from the 1996 Census on the birthplace, language and religion of Australians.

Disability Rights - discusses the heavy fines meted out to organisations which do not meet their responsibilities to people with disabilities. Has sample action plans for businesses.

Sex Discrimination - outlines the responsibilities of business to avoid discrimination towards women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.

Human Rights of Gay Men and Lesbians - details of a training manual designed for use in anti-homophobia training for service providers. It is relevant to a wide range of organisations whose clients and contacts include people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. It is particularly useful for rural service providers as it includes training modules with a specific rural perspective.

Human Rights of Older Australians - looks at some of the difficulties older people have with using electronic access and other services.

Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders Social Justice - what are the special needs of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders?

The Human Rights of Rural Australians - what are the special needs of employees and customers in rural areas?

 Outcome 2

• Outcome - Apply knowledge of the Communication strategies required to
                  capitalise on a diverse workforce to a specified organisation.

Activity 3

Plan how you would find out whether the policies listed in Background Reading (below) are being implemented in the organisation you work for or in another organisation your know.

Activity 4

Look at this case study on Diversity at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and write down five ways the organisation you work for or another organisation you know could celebrate and promote the diversity of its clients and workforce.

Activity 5

Look at this case study on Capitalising on the Diversity of Staff from the Anti-discrimination Board and write down two ways that the particular skills, knowledge and experience of different sections of the diverse workforce of the organisation you work for or another organisation you know could be harnassed to provide ideas to improve products or services.

Activity 6

Read two of the case studies on celebrating diversity.

 Background reading

Charter of Public Service in a Culturally Diverse Society - the Australian Government's commitment to diversity.

EEO Personnel and Management Policies - does your workplace have all of these policies in practice?

Affirmative Action Policy - an excellent model of an Affirmative Action policy from the University of New England.

Sexual Harassment - Anti-discrimination Board - explains what constitutes sexual harassment and why you need to prevent it.

Plain English Policy - University of Technology Sydney policy which outlines the need for plain English and how it can be implemented.

Non-discriminatory Language Policy - this University of New South Wales paper outlines the need for non-discriminatory language.

 Other useful websites

The Business Benefits of EEO - a New Zealand site which looks at how equal employment opportunity makes good economic sense.

 Outcome 3

• Outcome - Propose appropriate Communication strategies for dealing
                   effectively with diversity in a specific workplace.

Activity 7

The major assessment event for the module asks you to prepare a 1500 word plan for an organisation you know well which:

   • identifies the objectives to be achieved through effective management of
     diversity (one of those objectives might be to comply with relevant legislation -
     see Appendix below)
   • proposes communication strategies to meet objectives, and
   • describes how the plan could be or was implemented.

Get some ideas for your plan by looking through the University of Western Sydney Equal Opportunity site.

Activity 8

List 3 resources (books, videos, kits, DVDs etc) that a HR manager could purchase to train staff in valuing diversity (Hint: Check out www.amazon.com; TAFE library catalogue; Search "diversity resources".)

 Background reading

Diversity Appreciation, Training and Management - some more great ideas for your project.

Inclusive Strategies - specific ideas to help you develop your plan.

Valuing Diversity - still more reasons why valuing diversity pays and some great links.

 Other useful websites

Internet resources for Education for Cultural Diversity - links to great Australian and overseas sites with ideas for promoting diversity in education.

 Appendix - Relevant Legislation

Australian and International legislation against racism and discrimination

Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Federal Govt)

Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW Govt)

Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 (NSW Govt)

Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Federal Govt)

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Federal Govt)

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Federal Govt)

Last updated: 23 August, 2006

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