Chapter Ten

Social Responsibility:
Legal Issues,
Managing Diversity,
& Career Challenges
 Objectives
O Discuss the role of training partnerships in
developing skills and contributing to local
communities
O Discuss the potential legal issues that relate to
training
O Develop a program for effectively managing
diversity
O Design a program for preparing for
cross-cultural assignments

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 Objectives
O Discuss the importance of career paths and dual
career paths for employees and companies
O Develop policies to help employees achieve
work-life balance
O Describe how companies are helping veterans
develop skills and get employment
O Explain the value of phase retirement programs
for older employees

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 Importance of Social Responsibility
O Many organizations are concerned with addressing
broader social issues
o protecting the environment
o supporting cultural activities
o helping reduce poverty and unemployment
o complying with laws
o helping employees grow and develop

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 Sector Partnerships
O Government agencies and industry trade groups help
identify skills that employers require
O Work with community colleges, universities, and other
institutions to provide qualified employees
O 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
O Designed to assist states with building school-to-work
systems to prepare students for high-skill jobs and future
education
O Encourages partnerships between educational
institutions, employers, and labor unions
O Requires that school-to-work systems include
work-based learning, school-based learning, and
connecting mechanisms

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 Workforce Innovation &
Opportunity Act
O Helps job seekers access employment, education,
training, and support services; matches employers with
skilled workers
O Streamlines training, education, employment programs
into a single system in each community
O Helps those with disabilities, out-of-school youth, and
high school dropouts

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 Joint Union-Management
Programs
O Designed historically to help displaced employees find
jobs
O Help employees learn skills relevant for their jobs and
valuable to other employers
O Both employers and unions finance these programs and
oversee their operation

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 Legal Traps to Avoid
Situations that may result in legal action:
O Failing to provide required training and providing
inadequate training
O Incurring injuries to employees during training

O Incurring injuries to employees or others outside of

training
O Incurring breach of confidentiality or defamation

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 Legal Traps to Avoid
O Reproducing and using copyrighted material without
permission

O Excluding women, minorities, and older employees

O Not ensuring equal treatment during training

O Requiring attendance at potentially offensive training

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 Legal Traps to Avoid
O Revealing discriminatory information during training

O Failing to accommodate those with disabilities

O 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
O Learning efforts to change attitudes and develop skills
to work with a diverse workforce
O Two primary goals:
o eliminate values, stereotypes, and practices that
hinder development
o allow employees to contribute to organizational
goals regardless of their background

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 Enhancing Diversity Training
O Greater benefits found when:
o the program is of sufficient length for trainees to learn
(four hours or more)
o managers are used as trainers
o trainees interact face-to-face with the instructor,
content, and other learners using cases and exercises

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 The Glass Ceiling
O A major issue facing companies is placing women and
minorities in upper-level management positions
O The glass ceiling refers to a barrier to advancement that
adversely affects women and minorities
O HR practices such as flexible scheduling, diversity
training, coaching, and mentoring are needed

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

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 Pre-Departure Phase
O Expatriates and their families should receive training
O Methods may include lectures, e-learning, experiential
exercises, and immersion experiences
O The rigor needed depends on:
o cultural novelty
o interaction
o job novelty

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 On-Site Phase
O There should be continued orientation through formal
training and mentoring
O Expatriates may be paired with an employee from the
host country
O Expatriates should be encouraged to develop social
relationships both inside and outside of work

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 Repatriation Phase
O Expatriates should be encouraged to self-manage the
repatriation process

O Expatriates should be brought up to date on national

issues, politics, and news stories
O Expatriates should keep up-to-date on current events at
their parent company while abroad

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 Four Career Stages
O Careers typically involve four stages:
o Exploration
o Establishment
o Maintenance
o Decline
O Although individuals can progress through the stages
linearly, many do not because of boundaryless careers

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 Generational Differences
O Gen Xers place a high emphasis on work-life balance,
opportunities for growth, and relationships
O Millennials and Gen Xers are more used to change and
job insecurity, more likely to leave their jobs, and less
likely to learn new skills
O Baby Boomers are loyal to their organizations

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 Enhancing Work-Life
Balance
O Telecommuting refers to a work arrangement that gives
employees flexibility in work location and hours

O Compressed workweek refers to a schedule that allows

employees to work fewer days with longer hours

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 Enhancing Work-Life
Balance
O Flextime refers to giving employees the option of
choosing when to work during the workday,
workweek, or work year

O Job sharing refers to having two employees divide the

hours, responsibilities, and benefits of a full-time job

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 Dual Career Paths
O Management (the traditional path)
o Many companies structure career paths so
individuals advance through the company by moving
into management

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

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

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 Job Hopping
O Presents a challenge for employers
o loss of talent and productivity
o higher costs related to turnover, recruitment, and
retraining
o difficulty fostering long-term relationships

O However, job hoppers bring new information and may

not require job security

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 Job Hopping

O Companies can reduce job hopping by:

o creating conditions for employee engagement
o providing employees with growth opportunities
o offering rewards for good performance

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 Military Personnel
O Military personnel often face challenges when
returning to the civilian workforce
O Challenges stem from:
o lack of experiences in the workplace
o incomplete skill sets and credentials
o difficultly working in less structured situations
o psychological and physical challenges

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 Military Personnel
O Benefits of veterans:
o attention to detail. self-discipline, problem solving,
decision making in stressful situations, and teamwork
O 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
O Layoffs do not result in improved profitability, have
mixed effects on productivity, and have adverse
effects on survivors
O Alternative to layoffs:
o working fewer hours
o early retirement plans
o delaying wage increases
o not filling vacancies due to turnover retirements

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 Helping with Job Loss
O Advance warning and an explanation
O Psychological, financial, and career counseling
O Assessment of skills and interests
O Resume writing and interviewing skills training
O Job banks with job leads
O Electronic delivery of job openings, self-directed
career management guides, etc.

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 Older Workers
O What is “old”?
o The ADEA provides protection for those 40 and
over
o Mandatory retirement ages exist in certain
occupations (e.g., air traffic controllers = 56, pilots
= 65)
o Retirees today can receive full social security
benefits at 65 (or reduced benefits at 62)

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

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 Meeting the Needs of Older Workers
O Provide flexibility in scheduling
O Provide continued training and career guidance
O Provide health care resources
O Recognize that as older employees’ abilities decline,
they can rely on experience and motivation
O Ensure younger employees do not hold inappropriate
stereotypes

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 Pre-Retirement Socialization
O These efforts typically include:
o psychological aspects of retirement
o housing issues
o maintaining a healthy lifestyle
o healthcare plans
o financial and estate planning
o collection of benefits

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 Retirement
O Retirement involves leaving a job and making the
transition to life without work
O Employees tend to be retiring later today

O Changes in social security have led to no mandatory

retirement ages for most jobs, and financial need had
led to individuals working longer

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 Implications of the Aging Workforce

O Companies should meet the needs of older employees

O Companies should take steps to prepare employees

for retirement
O Companies should be careful that early retirement
programs do not unfairly discriminate against older
employees

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

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