Diversity in the Work Place

Fostering a Workplace Climate for Diversity What do we have to do to create and foster a workplace climate where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and respected? This is a central question in the diversity discussions I have held in ARL libraries. The response centers on becoming more aware that each individual's behavior towards others contributes to the climate or atmosphere. The most common reason offered for why more attention is not paid to these issues …

…terms such as ethnic diversity, political correctness, and cultural consciousness. Have we changed our perceptions of the problems of workplace inequality or just the way we describe it? Diversity consciousness cannot be simply mandated into a system, integrated into a corporate culture, or prompted by financial incentives. It is reflective of an attitude that organizations and their staffs must adopt that allows them to change their basic concepts about workers and converts “them” into “us”.