Affirmative Action Proposal
Introduction
It is my belief that our company is in need of an affirmative action policy. Doing this on our own would show that we are committed to being a fair employer and are concerned with the public's opinion. This would be a good move for us both in the public eye as well as the business front, as a more diverse work environment will lend itself to being more open in general; encouraging people to mix and learn from each other's varying backgrounds. Finally, by diversifying our workforce we will be broadening our horizons in terms of future workers as well. Once again creating a more productive and quite possibly profitable work force.
Policy Tracks
Many people hear affirmative action and tend to think race only. However, in order to create a truly diverse working environment, we will need to make sure we target females as well as individuals with disabilities. When creating this policy we will need to look at a number of various things. Our current staffing status, for example. We will need to find out exactly how diverse are company actually is at this juncture. By this I do not mean specific races in particular but gender and handicapped workers as well. In order to be sure that we are making an effort to include all the various groups, we need to make sure that the company sends out recruiters to job fairs that will reach all areas and potential employees, regardless of status. One way to do this would be to make sure we are represented in any job fair type programs no matter how small, especially if they are in areas with higher minority populations or designed for minorities in particular. We also need to implement training and workshops for our employees on proper behavior towards their co-workers. We need to make it known that we will not tolerate sexual harassment against either gender, and that off-color comments or humor will not be allowed either, whether this relates to sex, race, or handicap. A strict set of reporting guidelines will need to be implemented and rigidly enforced in order to let all employees know we are serious.
Possible Pitfalls and Prevention
Affirmative action, while meant to be helpful, can be seen as a double edged sword. Often complaints are made indicating that it will end up leading to reverse discrimination, and not just helping minorities receive a fair chance. In order to avoid this we need to make it clear that discrimination, in any form, will not be tolerated. The training and workshops will need to be mandatory for all employees, in order to be sure that