Do you think workplace diversity should be driven by balancing dif

Do you think workplace diversity should be driven by balancing
differences or by hiring and selecting the most qualified person
for the position? Why?
Minimum Requirements: Kindly address the discussion
question(s) by submitting a Reflective Response. Reflective is
defined as characterized by or manifesting careful thought: a
thoughtful essay. occupied with or given to thought;
contemplative; meditative; reflective: in a thoughtful mood,
careful, heedful, or mindful.
BSL 4000, Managing Diversity in Organizations 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
5. Examine workplace diversity data.
5.1 Analyze the demographics of gender in the workplace
regarding position, pay, and
expectations.
5.2 Explain the advantages and disadvantages of flexible
schedules and work responsibilities.
5.3 Explain work-life balance as it relates to achieving greater
results for the organization.
7. Discuss the effects of employer-provided child and elder care

on employee satisfaction and turnover.
7.1 Determine the potential human resources benefits of
offering child and elder care in an
organization.
Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes
Learning Activity
5.1
Unit Lesson
Chapters 9 and 10
Unit V Project
5.2
Unit Lesson
Chapter 10
Unit V Project
5.3
Unit Lesson
Chapters 9 and 10
Unit V Project
7.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 10
Unit V Project
Required Unit Resources
Chapter 9: Sex and Gender, pp. 249-276

Chapter 10: Work and Family, pp. 285-304
Unit Lesson
Sam, the Human Resources Director, has placed an ad in local
social media and on the company website for
two project managers. She has received several applications.
After reviewing many resumes, she has
narrowed the choices to five applicants to interview. She sets up
the individual interviews.
McGuire Consulting provides contracting services in business
consulting, finances, and technology. The firm
was started 60 years ago by the father of the current president
of the company. Several of the family
members work in the firm, and some family issues carry over
into the business.
Pat is a 38-year-old veteran with 20 years of service working as
a signals operator. He completed his Master
of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a Management
of Information Systems concentration. He is
looking to transition to the private sector as a project manager.
He holds a certification from the Project
Management Institute. He has no prior project management
experience in the private sector. He retired as a
noncommissioned officer. He is applying for a project manager
position working on a large office rollout for
UNIT V STUDY GUIDE
Gender and Work-Life Balance

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
the new office of a premier client. Pat would be answering to
the director of technology projects: the brother-
in-law of McGuire’s president.
Savannah has applied for a project manager position as part of a
systems administration project. She has
her MBA in Project Management with a Bachelor of Arts in
Computer Science and Math. She chose to leave
her old employer of 10 years as a project lead, primarily
running a call center for trouble tickets within the
organization. She is returning to the workforce in a paid
position after taking six years off to raise her
children, who are now in preschool and first grade. She is
nervous about being gone all day, five and six
days per week. She would answer to the director of contracted
services—the youngest sister to the president
of McGuire.
The interviews go well. They meet with existing project
managers in similar work and with Sam to insure a
quality and objective interview. The interviews of the five
candidates conclude, and these two are selected.
The on-boarding process begins. They complete their operation
and meet their respective directors in a
cursory fashion. Savannah and Pat begin the 90-day

probationary period. The process starts, and they
settle in.
Pat finds he is working with multiple small teams in all aspects
of the project with unskilled labor. They work
as runners and assist in running cable, setting up the closets and
racks, and placing equipment. The team
further grows to installers and cabling techs. Finally, there are
the system engineers and testers who
configure the network equipment to talk to each other and
access the necessary resources.
Pat finds that some team workers have minimal education and
experience, some have worked in the
technology field for many years, and some have come from
other industries and found a new career in
information technology. Pat is a little uncomfortable as nobody
is former military or reserve. He has a very
different organizational perspective regarding leadership,
management, and implementation. His approach
can sometimes be direct and a little rough, per some of his
teams. A few team members have complained to
the project director regarding Pat’s direct style. His
communication can be very rough around the edges, and
some say he is too uptight, but he is always professional.
Pat is called into the project director’s office to discuss
progress on the project as well as some of the stated
concerns by his teams. The director has instituted very
structured expectation guidelines in order for the
leader and the team to work effectively and efficiently. Pat is
adhering to these guidelines to the letter. The
director reminds him that it is not so much a literal translation
but a figurative guideline. Pat is unclear on this
as he is used to very clear guidelines and structure based on his
prior military history. This is a new

leadership style for him, and he is not familiar with this
approach and working with those who are resistant to
completing the work in a timely and efficient manner.
Savannah has returned to the workforce after several years off
to raise her kids. She finds that the hours are
sometimes very long. She is learning that periodic travel is
required to get the job done, thus she is not
always onsite. A few of the team leads who have been assigned
to her team had been eligible for the job and
did not even get the interview. Savannah was not aware of this
when she was hired. Some of the workers
have expressed deep concerns that she does not know the
company way. She does not understand the
company ethics and processes for how work is to get done. She
is constantly checking with the sitters and
after-school care and teachers while on the job instead of doing
the job. Clearly, Savannah is struggling with
how to do the job and balance personal life in addition to the
project she is assigned.
Savannah is called in to her director's office to discuss progress
as well as some of the complaints that have
been escalated to the director who is monitoring Savannah's
work and progress. Savannah explained that it
has been very difficult returning to work while her kids are in
school and childcare. She is curious if it is
possible to begin to work from home some days, a few days per
week, while being on site other days. This is
an unprecedented protocol for the company. However, the client
who she is working with has a very open
policy about working with new moms in the workforce. The
director, having raised her three children, is open
to this idea as she has also read about the value this can add to
improve productivity if the right person is
given this opportunity.

We understand that blending work with life and social activities
can be very difficult to balance. When we look
at the dynamics and expectations of individuals based on
gender, age, orientation, and skill level, this creates
some unique challenges in the workforce and the organizational
environment (Bell, 2017). How these issues
are addressed creates additional areas for improvement. In the
hiring process, screeners of applicants should
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
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question what the applicant wants to get out of the job. The
applicant can choose to provide a response he or
she believes the representative wants to hear or give an honest
answer. The applicant’s truth and disclosure
or made-up response can be the juncture in the process that
determines the difference between a good hire
and a bad hire. Understanding the needs of the organization, the
position, and the applicant in trying to
determine fit and greatest potential results is critical on all
counts.
The needs of the team involve personality, skills, ability, and
engagement as well as achieving results, and
understanding these needs will have a direct impact on the team
and on team members. The better the

match, the better the potential results. As a team manager or
project manager, it is a matter of developing the
right team and the right scenarios to continually improve.
Understanding what that need is may well be the
deciding factor.
If we allow genetics, orientation, or any other area of diversity
that may cause division rather than unity, the
organization and the team have a much greater obstacle to
overcome (Bell, 2017). Understanding what the
dynamics are and how to draw the best out of each team member
and the collective team is the united,
strategic goal.
There are, generally speaking, three types of workers. Each type
of worker has a different level of
commitment to the organization.
1. The first is the individual who thinks of the organization as
their family. Employees are family
members. How they come and go will impact the organizational
family as a birth, adoption, death, or
divorce would affect any family. This perspective, while very
harmonious in many ways, can also
have devastating results. If loss is experienced, the worker
treats the situation accordingly. As new
people come in, they will be made to feel very welcome, and
individuals will engage and invite them
in. If the family starts to be torn apart at the seams due to
dissension or rebellion from the family
standard, this will create a greater issue that will need to be
dealt with at the micro and macro levels
throughout the organization.
2. The second perspective is the employee who understands he

or she has two families: the work family
and the personal family. Work and personal families will not
intermingle. When the employee is at
work, he or she is with the work family. Employees often spend
more time with their work family than
they do with their personal family due to requirements of the
job, time, and the organization to
perform at a higher level. They hold the values of the personal
family very differently than they do
those of the work family. At work, they hold the values of the
organization; at home, they hold the
values of the family unit. These approaches involve very
different perspectives.
3. The third type is the individual who sees work as a means to
an end. They come in; they do the job
that they are assigned; they do no more and no less. They do
exactly what is expected of them. They
will do enough to not be fired or disciplined. They can then
leave the job and go do what they want to
do. We envision these individuals as those who are simply
working to obtain a paycheck. The
scenario may not be completely true because there could be job
satisfaction in the work that they do,
but work is work—nothing more.
Most individuals will fit into one of these descriptions of the
employee, and they may even fit into more than
one. Consider the challenges of a gender issue, such as a single
mom working. Consider the newly divorced
dad or husband. Consider a widowed individual or one who is
now empty nesting. Along with those, there
may be a brand-new parent. As much as we talk about leaving
our personal lives at home, there is the impact
of personal extenuating circumstances that can impact our

ability to function at our highest levels of
engagement, participation, and productivity (Bell, 2017). How
the organization chooses to address these
concerns can make the difference between a valued long-term
employee and a short-term disgruntled worker.
An intentional goal in the hiring process is to determine a best
fit and what is necessary to have a long-term
commitment from both the organization and the individual. It is
far less expensive to maintain a long-term
employee than to have high turnover in a position or aspect of
the organization.
High turnover in a position or business unit is a business
approach and strategic method in and of itself.
Creating a low-turnover position or business unit also is a
strategic approach. Both will have a strong impact
on the organization and those in the organization. Depending on
personality, perspective, and organizational
goals, either approach can be highly significant in the results. It
is important as an organization to understand
who you are hiring and what you are hiring along with the
individuals (Bell, 2017).
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
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If a fast food business unit is hiring individuals with little or no

job experience, there is likely a high turnover.
Some business units will commit to training an individual to
become an exceptional leader in the field. While
this may not be the long-term ambition of the individual, he or
she will learn skills such as leadership, team-
building, organizational skills, and business practices. These are
valuable skills that are highly transferable.
Some employees, a little less than 10%, will choose to go on
and increase their status within the organization
by becoming an assistant manager, a manager, or an even higher
position. There is value in these
individuals in whom the company has invested. Often, an
individual who has been nurtured in his or her
growth and aspirations concerning work and life balance will
tend to be loyal and have a greater dedication to
the organization.
The organization that chooses to take a more open stance and
make investments in the employees’ work-life
balance, such as personal struggles or challenges that they may
be facing, will make a difference in the lives
of the individuals and those around them. The greater the
understanding and synthesis, the greater the
potential for maximum results. Aligning the needs of the
individual with the abilities of the team to adapt in
different situations is a critical factor.
Pat brings tremendous experience and knowledge from his time
in the military as well as his technical
expertise. He has also achieved academically to open
opportunities for advancement. The team comes from
a well-rounded and diverse situation. He will need to manage
some differently than he does others to yield the
greatest possible results. The more adaptable he can be, the
better. His director pointed out that while Pat
was in the military, he often had a change of station in his duty

assignment. It is a strong possibility that these
were in different organizations, under different leadership, in
different locations. It was this diversity that
brought a dramatic difference to whether Pat got the job or
someone else because he had a very eclectic
background. Now is the time to practice this and put this into
good use. There will be those who, as the
director puts it, are knuckleheads and will do very little—often
only enough to prevent getting fired. There are
others who would dedicate themselves completely to doing the
job night and day as they truly love what they
do and want to see tremendous results in a very quick manner.
One of Pat’s jobs is to balance these things
while being encouraging and motivating. As such, Pat must find
peace and balance in the work that he does
and with the people on his team to continually improve.
Savannah sits down and talks with the director about the
concerns. Savannah has significant knowledge and
experience to do this job. She has extremely high
recommendations from her former bosses. During the six
years that she was raising her children, she often volunteered in
parent organizations as well as in lay
leadership at her community and religious organizations. While
she was not in a paid position, she was
continually enhancing and improving her organizational skills
as well as her project management skills. These
things made her uniquely qualified for the position.
The director, instead of immediately saying no to the
telecommuting, asked what would be the value to the
organization. What would that look like, and how much does it
improve overall results? Savannah was
prepared for these types of questions and had a valid
presentation put together to address the needs. The
director did choose to consider and review the idea and take it

up with the other directors as there were valid
points that might better suit many of the employees, allowing
for greater job satisfaction, thus creating overall
greater results and productivity. The director took the idea
under advisement.
Organizations are continually looking for ways to improve
employee relations. By understanding the needs of
gender, family circumstances, work, and other aspects of
people’s lives beyond the organization, the work
environment can be improved. The resources provide greater
results. Accessibility does not always have to
be face-to-face and on site. Flexible work schedules may be an
opportunity that can solve some issues and
allow for greater dedication on the job when the person is onsite
as well as working remotely.
Savannah presented an idea of being able to work early from
home to get her kids to their designated
locations. The time that she saved by not having to drive into
the office or the worksite allowed her to achieve
far more such as administrative and follow-up phone calls in a
quiet, interruption-free environment a few days
a week. When she was on site, she could dedicate herself to the
employees and the client in order to achieve
that greater understanding, building a stronger relationshi p.
Savannah and Pat are both great examples of what is possible.
One was a little bit older than the other and
had slightly different needs. Both were transitioning into a new
position and doing a new kind of work. This is
often the case when we change jobs, locations, or even
employers. There is a need by the employee to gain
a greater understanding of what is required as well as what is
available. If the employee does not ask, he or

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
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she will not receive what is needed, and the employer will not
consider changing. Most employers will keep
the employees exactly where they want them, how they want
them, when they want them, and then pay them
what they believe they need to pay them just to keep them on
the job. When an open dialogue exists, an
organization can improve standing and relationships to yield
greater results using fewer people and
resources. This takes care, finance, and follow-through
regarding accountability and responsibility of what can
be expected in the form of deliverables.
Sex and gender, in association with work and life balance, are
all very important components in the workplace
today. What the individual, the team, and the organization
choose to do about this could make the difference
between mediocrity and excellence. The organization that is
willing to strive for excellence will often be open
to looking at the opportunities of what is working and
continually improving from there. As you review the
concepts, consider the practices that can be put in place at all
levels to achieve greater results, greater
productivity, and a dynamic that is unsurpassed.
Determine the need of the individual based on circumstance; the

need may involve gender, religion,
orientation, or position. The needs may also be socioeconomic,
financial, or geographic. Skill level, aptitude,
and attitude are factors as well. It is important to review
expectations and abilities at every level or position.
The employee and applicant have a vital role within the
organization; otherwise, the position would not exist.
Too many companies are trimming the fat and keeping only
what is necessary, but these positions may shift
in responsibility. A director of operations position in the early
2000s may look very different in the 2020s. The
resources, equipment, human capital, policies, and practices all
have a valid value that is associated with
them. The better we understand this data that is collected
through different means, the better we can then
adjust the organization accordingly to make the necessary
changes and add value for greater end results.
Reference
Bell, M. P. (2017). Diversity in organizations (3rd ed.).
Cengage Learning.
Suggested Unit Resources
In order to access the following resources, click the links
below.
The following article offers some different tips to create work-
life balance in the organization.
Donovan, M. (2016). When work-life balance policies don't

work. Leadership Excellence Essentials, 33(8), 37.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS
&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/logi
n.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=117502631&site=ehost-
live&scope=site
The following article looks at financial planning and how it may
affect work-life balance and decision-making
for individuals.
The epic fail of work-life balance. (2016). Financial Planning,
46(11), A6.
&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/logi
n.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=119252281&site=ehost-
live&scope=site
&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bt
h&AN=117502631&site=ehost-live&scope=site
&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bt
h&AN=119252281&site=ehost-live&scope=site

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