Chapter 10

1. CHAPTER 10
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: LEGAL ISSUES,
MANAGING DIVERSITY, AND CAREER
CHALLENGES
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OBJECTIVES (1)
Discuss the role of training partnerships in developing skills and
contributing to local communities
Discuss the potential legal issues that relate to training
Develop a program for effectively managing diversity
Design a program for preparing for cross-cultural assignments
Discuss the importance of career paths and dual career paths for
employees and companies

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OBJECTIVES (2)
Develop policies to help employees achieve work-life balance
Describe how companies are helping veterans develop skills and get
employment
Explain the value of phased retirement programs for older employees

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THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Many organizations are concerned with addressing broader social
issues
• protecting the environment
• helping reduce poverty and unemployment
• promoting diversity and inclusion
• complying with laws
• helping employees grow and develop

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SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS
Government agencies and industry trade groups that help identify skills
that employers require
Work with community colleges, universities, and other institutions to
provide qualified employees
Typically focus on jobs that require more than a high school diploma
but less than a four-year degree

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SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES ACT
Designed to assist states with building school-to-work systems to
prepare students for high-skill jobs and future education
Encourages partnerships between educational institutions, employers,
and labor unions
Requires that school-to-work systems include work-based learning,
school-based learning, and connecting mechanisms

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WORKFORCE INNOVATION & OPPORTUNITY ACT
Helps job seekers access employment, education, training, and support
services
• matches employers with skilled workers
Streamlines training, education, employment programs into a single
system in each community
Helps those with disabilities, out-of-school youth, and high school
dropouts

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JOINT UNION-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
Designed historically to help displaced employees find jobs
Help employees learn skills relevant for their jobs and valuable to other
employers
Both employers and unions finance these programs and oversee their
operation

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LEGAL TRAPS TO AVOID (1)
Failing to provide required training and providing inadequate training
Incurring injuries to employees during training
Incurring injuries to employees or others outside of training
Incurring breach of confidentiality or defamation

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LEGAL TRAPS TO AVOID (2)
Reproducing and using copyrighted material without permission
Excluding women, minorities, and older employees from training
Not ensuring equal treatment of all employees during training
Requiring attendance at potentially offensive training

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LEGAL TRAPS TO AVOID (3)
Revealing discriminatory information during training
Failing to accommodate those with disabilities
Incorrectly reporting training as an expense, failing to report training
reimbursement as income, and failing to pay employees for training

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MANAGING DIVERSITY
Two primary goals:
• eliminate values, stereotypes, and practices that inhibit
development
• allow employees to contribute to organizational goals regardless of
their background
What contributes to effective diversity training?

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DIVERSITY TRAINING IS ENHANCED WHEN …
the program is part of a larger diversity effort
content is focused on awareness and skills development
the program is of sufficient length for trainees to learn (four hours or
more)
managers are used as trainers
trainees interact face-to-face with the instructor, content, and other
learners using cases and exercises

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UNCONSCIOUS BIAS TRAINING
Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of
people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness
Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity
groups, and these biases stem from one’s tendency to organize social
worlds by categorizing
Training is designed to help individuals become aware of their
unconscious biases, provide tools to adjust automatic patterns of
thinking, and ultimately help eliminate discriminatory behaviors in the
workplace

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QUESTIONS
To what extent do you believe that unconscious bias training is
effective?
What are the advantages of such training compared to
traditional diversity training programs?

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THE GLASS CEILING
A major issue facing companies is placing women and minorities in
upper-level management positions
The glass ceiling refers to a barrier to advancement that adversely
affects women and minorities
HR practices such as diversity training, developmental experiences,
coaching, and mentoring are needed

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MELTING THE GLASS CEILING
Jump to MELTING THE GLASS CEILING Long Description

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CROSS-CULTURAL PREPARATION
To succeed, expatriates need to be:
• competent in their area of expertise
• able to communicate verbally and nonverbally
• flexible, tolerant of ambiguity, and sensitive to cultural differences
• motivated to succeed and learn
• able to enjoy the challenges of a different culture
• supported by their families

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PRE-DEPARTURE PHASE
Expatriates and their families should receive training
Methods may include lectures, e-learning, experiential exercises, and
immersion experiences
The rigor needed depends on:
• cultural novelty
• interaction
• job novelty

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ON-SITE PHASE
There should be continued orientation through formal training and
mentoring
Expatriates may be paired with an employee from the host country
Expatriates should be encouraged to develop social relationships both
inside and outside of work
Consider flexible expatriate assignments

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REPATRIATION PHASE
Expatriates should be encouraged to self-manage the repatriation
process
Expatriates should be brought up to date on national issues, politics,
and news stories
Expatriates should keep up-to-date on current events at their parent
company while abroad

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FOUR STAGES OF CAREERS
Although individuals can progress through the stages linearly, many do
not because of boundaryless careers

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WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Adhere to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
HRM practices that can help work-life balance
• Telecommuting
• Compressed workweek
• Flextime
• Job sharing

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DUAL CAREER PATHS
Management (the traditional path)
• Many companies structure career paths so individuals advance
through the company by moving into management
Individual Contributor
• Designed for individuals who wish to remain in a technical, sales, or
support function (and not move into management)

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EFFECTIVE DUAL CAREER PATHS
Salary, status, and incentives for individual contributors compare
favorably to managers
While individual contributor salaries may be lower, they are given
opportunities to increase total compensation
Individual contributor path is not used to satisfy poor performers
Individual contributors choose their path

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CAREER RECYCLING
Involves changing one’s major work activity after being established in a
specific field
Accompanied by a re-exploration of values, skills, interests, and
potential employment opportunities
Not limited to older employees nearing retirement

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JOB HOPPING
There are pros and cons of job hopping both from the employee and
the employer perspectives
Companies can reduce job hopping by:
• creating conditions for employee engagement
• providing employees with growth opportunities
• offering rewards for good performance

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MILITARY PERSONNEL (1)
Military personnel often face challenges when returning to the civilian
workforce
Challenges stem from:
• lack of experiences in the workplace
• incomplete skill sets and credentials
• difficultly working in less structured situations
• psychological and physical challenges

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MILITARY PERSONNEL (2)
Veterans offer many benefits
• attention to detail, self-discipline, problem solving, decision making
in stressful situations, and teamwork
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act addresses
deployed employees’ rights, such as guaranteeing jobs when they
return after a leave

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JOB LOSS
Layoffs do not result in improved profitability, have mixed effects on
productivity, and have adverse effects on survivors
Alternatives to layoffs:
• working fewer hours
• early retirement plans
• delaying wage increases
• not filling vacancies due to turnover retirements

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HELPING WITH JOB LOSS
Advance warning and an explanation
Psychological, financial, and career counseling
Assessment of skills and interests
Resume writing and interviewing skills training
Job banks with job leads
Electronic delivery of job openings and self-directed career
management guides

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WHO IS “OLD”?
The ADEA provides protection for those 40 and over
Mandatory retirement ages exist in certain occupations (for example, air traffic
controllers = 56, pilots = 65)
Retirees today can receive full social security benefits at 65 (or reduced
benefits at 62)

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A FEW FACTS
Older employees do not have higher absenteeism rates; nor are they
likely to put in less effort
Older employees are as productive as younger employees, and they
have valuable experience
However, they do require more training in technology and prefer
hands-on learning

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MEETING THE NEEDS OF OLDER EMPLOYEES
Provide flexibility in scheduling
Provide continued training and career guidance
Provide health care resources
Recognize that as older employees’ abilities decline, they can rely on
experience and motivation
Ensure younger employees do not hold inappropriate stereotypes

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PRE-RETIREMENT SOCIALIZATION
Efforts typically include:
• psychological aspects of retirement
• housing issues
• maintaining a healthy lifestyle
• healthcare plans
• financial and estate planning
• collection of benefits

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RETIREMENT
Retirement involves leaving a job and making the transition to life
without work
Employees tend to be retiring later today
Changes in social security have led to no mandatory retirement ages
for most jobs, and financial need had led to individuals working longer
Phased retirement is becoming more popular

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EARLY RETIREMENT PROGRAMS
Early retirement programs offer employees financial benefits to leave
the company
To avoid litigation, ensure:
• the program is part of the employee benefit plan
• the company can justify age-related distinctions for eligibility for
early retirement
• employees are allowed to choose voluntarily

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IMPLICATIONS OF THE AGING WORKFORCE
Companies should meet the needs of older employees
Companies should take steps to prepare employees for retirement
Companies should be careful that early retirement programs do not
unfairly discriminate against older employees

39. Appendix of Image Long Descriptions

40. MELTING THE GLASS CEILING Long Description
This slide presents strategies for melting the glass ceiling in different boxes (from left to right, top to bottom):
Make sure senior management supports and is involved in the program
Make a business case for change
Make the change public
Gather data on problems that cause the glass ceiling using task forces, focus groups, and questionnaires
Create awareness of how gender attitudes affect the work environment
Force accountability through reviews of promotion rates and assignments
Promote development for all employees
Support work-life balance and continue to offer employees development opportunities after leaves
Jump back to FUTURE MELTING THE GLASS CEILING