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Chapter 13: The Inclusive Workplace—Level I Inclusion Through Diversity within the Work Organization

Chapter 13: The Inclusive Workplace—Level I Inclusion Through Diversity within the Work Organization

Chapter Overview

The first level of the Inclusive Workplace, diversity within work organizations, relates to the organization’s internal relations with its own employees and reflects the “micro” system level within the organizations that of individuals and groups. While an exclusionary workplace is based on the perception that all workers need to conform to pre-established organizational values and norms (determined by its “mainstream”), the inclusive workplace is based on a pluralistic value frame that relies on mutual respect and equal contributions from different cultural perspectives to the organization’s values and norms.

This chapter examines Level I of the inclusive workplace model: Inclusion Through Diversity Within the Work Organization. Inclusive policies and practices applied to Level I are discussed, as well as the barriers and benefits to implementing such approach. A case illustration of Denny’s Inc. wraps up the examination of Level I.

Inclusive Policies and Practices

A variety of policies and practices constitute inclusion at Level I—from recruitment, through mentorship and training, to cultural audit and linking diversity practices to strategic goals. What distinguishes an inclusive workplace from an organization that merely implements diversity initiatives is the comprehensive approach to diversity that is part of an overall organizational strategy. This approach includes an organization-wide diversity evaluation, or audit, that should lead to goals that are tailored to the organization’s unique culture and will result in implementing appropriate diversity policies and practices. Based on this evaluation, diversity goals are then set forth, with the general purpose of creating a more inclusive work environment and a strategy for achieving organizational outcomes.

An organization can implement a variety of diversity policies and practices to create an inclusive work environment at the management and employee levels. Past research has found that diversity initiatives covered five principal areas and included: (a) Management leadership; (b) Education and training; (c) Performance and accountability; (d) Work-life balance, and (e) Career development and planning.

In addition to actively recruiting members of diverse groups, the most common approach to diversity within work organization is to provide sensitivity training and workshops to employees. Often triggered by lawsuits, diversity trainings vary from one-hour lectures to series of on-going seminars. These trainings can use experiential, emotional, and sometimes confrontational techniques to raise awareness about personal harm caused by “the isms”: racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, and others.

Most diversity efforts in work organizations focus on management, also important to develop the awareness and skills of individual employees’ at all organizational levels. Employees need to learn the skills necessary to becoming effective diversity respondents (those who act with confidence, wisdom, and effectiveness when interacting with those who are different from them) and to develop diversity maturity (a combination of diversity knowledge and a comfort with the dynamics of diversity relationships). Investing in the development of advanced diversity skills is important not only for the organization and teamwork among its employees, but also for individuals who will benefit from improved career trajectories. It is clearly in the best interest of organizations to elevate their employees’ diversity skills while at the same time creating an organizational environment that allows all qualified employees to perform at peak effectiveness.

Barriers and Benefits of Implementing the Inclusive Approach at Level I

Organizations that implement inclusive policies and practices may reap benefits both for individual employees and for the organization as a whole. At the same time, they will need to overcome barriers on several fronts. (See Figure 13.2 The Inclusive Workplace: The Practice Model for Level I)

Barriers. The main barriers have to do with managers’ and employees’ attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, prejudice (biased views) and discrimination (biased behaviors), either overt or covert, are at the core of the barriers for implementing inclusive policies at the workplace. In today’s “politically correct” environment, people may be embarrassed to show their ignorance about other cultures, may not want to invest time and energy in learning about those cultures, or may perceive diversity initiatives as a threat to their job security. The barriers traditionally suffered by women, older adults, and ethnic/racial minorities include lack of support in career planning; marginalized status; failure to give non-traditional employees the breadth of experience required for job advancement; social isolation, particularly in management positions; and unsupportive working environment.

Benefits. By enacting policies that facilitate inclusion of all employees, the employment barriers traditionally suffered by women and minorities can be overcome. Such policies open the doors to job advancement and promotions that have clear monetary benefits to individual employees and their families. They also open up channels of communication and enhance employees’ decision-making power. There is now accumulating evidence that the benefits of inclusive diversity practices center around three areas: (a) the opportunity to drive business growth and productivity by leveraging the many facets of diversity such as marketing more effectively to minority communities or to senior citizens; (b) cost savings due to lower turnover, less absenteeism, and improved productivity and winning the competition for talent by being more attractive to women and members of minority groups; and (c) the positive effect that diversity management has on the company’s image and stock prices.

Case Illustration: Level I–Inclusion Through Diversity Within Work Organizations–Denny's, Inc.

Summary. In the early 1990s, many accounts of denial of service, discrimination, and mistreatment from African Americans who visited Denny’s came forth. This generated immense negative publicity at several of its restaurants across the United States. After paying $54 million to settle a pair of class action lawsuits, Denny’s has undergone a major transformation to change the level of diversity within the company as well as to improve the way employees treat customers. Their efforts have been rewarded with widespread praise and numerous awards, including Fortune Magazine’s choice as the number one place for minorities to work.

Homogenous History. Denny’s started in 1953 as a donut shop and has grown into the largest full-service, family-style restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,000 locations. Denny’s, now an international company, operates in seven countries. A major stain appeared on Denny’s reputation after two class-action lawsuits for discrimination were filed in 1993. The cases accused Denny’s (and Denny’s parent company at the time, Flagstar) of repeated civil rights violations, primarily against African Americans including:

• Requiring African Americans to prepay for meals as well as, in some cases, pay a cover charge before being served.
• “Black out” periods were instituted at some restaurants, during which time the number of African American patrons was limited.
• Denny’s denied complimentary “birthday meals” for African Americans or, in some cases, required burdensome proof of a child’s age. This was the case for the Thompson family who was denied a birthday meal for their daughter on her thirteenth birthday.
• Denny’s sometimes forced the removal of African Americans from its restaurants. Employees would then claim the customer was being hostile.
• The problem was systemic, as evidenced by other practices. Denny’s had only one African American franchisee and had no minority suppliers in the early 1990s. Denny’s board of directors consisted almost exclusively of White men.

Initially Jerry Richardson, the CEO of Denny’s parent company, Flagstar, denied and fought the charges filed in the lawsuits. Faced with growing negative publicity, Richardson signed a pact with the NAACP in 1993 to help solve the company’s problems. He agreed to hire more minorities and increase the number of purchases from minority-owned businesses. Despite these efforts, evidence continued to mount eventually causing Denny’s to settle the lawsuits.

Denny’s losses from the lawsuits ($54 million to settle the class action lawsuits) and widespread negative publicity (many customers refused to patronize the restaurant) were significant.

Additionally, Denny’s had to absorb operational expenses associated with its class-action settlement. Under the consent decree from the settlement, Denny’s was required to perform a variety of activities for seven years, including retaining a civil rights monitor, developing and administering a nondiscrimination training program, providing mandatory training for every employee of Denny’s and Denny’s franchises, testing franchise and company-owned restaurants to ensure compliance with the consent decree, and notifying the public that Denny’s will operate in a nondiscriminatory manner.

The New Face of Denny’s. To change its behavior and image, Denny’s parent company, Flagstar, hired a new CEO, Jim Adamson, in 1995. Adamson had a history of reversing bad company positions and also possessed a unique diversity perspective due to his heritage and childhood. Adamson created a chief diversity officer position and recruited Rachelle Hood-Phillips to serve in that role. Her career involved successfully building and managing diversity at Fortune 500 companies. Adamson also began to denounce discrimination at employee meetings and other events.

Diversity Changes. Together, Hood-Phillips and Adamson implemented many changes to improve Denny’s diversity beyond the consent decree, including: employing methods to effectively measure and track diversity at Denny’s; introducing initiatives to link diversity to a manager’s bonus; and instituting diversity trainings that taught employees how to empathize with customers. Denny’s spent several million dollars each year on compliance and training. The training was so effective that Denny’s was released from the oversight of its civil rights monitor at the end of 1999, a year earlier than mandated by consent decree. However, Denny’s continues to investigate every incident or claim of discrimination.

In addition to all of the training that Denny’s provides, they have also made substantial improvements in the diversity of employees. In the early 1990s, the board was composed primarily of white men; by 2012 40% of the 10 board members were women or minorities. Throughout all levels of the organization, the change in diversity is evident—38% of managers are women or minorities, and 61% of all Denny’s employees are women or minorities.

As of 2015, 3 out of 10 board members are women. Also in 2015, Denny’s started a Women’s Leadership Group creating an internal network of women leaders.

Denny’s has also increased the number of minority franchise owners from 1 in the early 1990s to 120 in 2002 (which represent 46% of all Denny’s restaurants). As of 2015, 64.1% of Denny’s total workforce represents underrepresented groups. Forty-five percent of total restaurants are minority owned, 5% by LGBT owners, and 16% by women. Denny’s has also increased its purchases from minority-owned suppliers from $0 in 1992 to $90 million in 2002, representing 15% of Denny’s annual purchases—4 times the national average. As of 2015, 13.1% of total spending goes to minority and women-owned suppliers.

Denny’s has been active with philanthropic activities, supporting numerous human and civil rights organizations. Lastly, in order to let the public know about all of the changes and recapture some of its lost customer base, Denny’s spent several million dollars on an ad campaign targeting minority customers.

Awards and Impact. The efforts at Denny’s have been noticed by numerous organizations. Denny’s has won awards for being a friendly place for women and minorities to eat and work. The most significant awards that recognize Denny’s achievements are from Fortune magazine and the NAACP.

Continued Legal Trouble. Despite the changes made at Denny’s, legal trouble persists. Denny’s has found itself being the subject of numerous lawsuits since the 1993 class-action cases. The claims were familiar—denial of service, mistreatment, racial slurs, and other discrimination practices. Denny’s has also faced sexual harassment and discrimination charges from at least one employee. In 2011, Denny’s settled with the EEOC for $1.4M for a disability-based lawsuit brought by a former manager and dozens of former employees. Finally, in 2015, a New Mexico based gay-pride group claimed a Deming, New Mexico Denny’s discriminated against them because of their sexual orientation.

Questions for Discussion and Further Analysis

6.                  Could Denny’s have managed their diversity issues better? Why or why not?

7.                  Why do you think Denny’s is facing continued discrimination lawsuits? Do the lawsuits indicate that Denny’s policies and practices are not working? Are there other explanations? If you were a consultant, what would you advise the company to do at this point? 

8.                  Jim Adamson stated that he would fire anyone who discriminated or challenged his new policies. What message did this statement send to the employees? What impact do you think it had on employee morale and customer relations?

9.                  Was Jim Adamson effective in improving Denny’s diversity and public image? Why or why not?

Summary and Conclusion

This chapter presents level I of the inclusive workplace model: inclusion through diversity within the workplace. A variety of policies and practices constitute inclusion at this level—from recruitment, through mentoring and training, to cultural audit and linking diversity practices to strategic goals. The main barriers to implementing inclusive policies at this level are attitudes and behaviors of prejudice and discrimination within the company. These barriers include lack of support in career planning, failure to give nontraditional employees the breadth of experience required for job advancement, and a lonely and unsupportive working environment. The main benefits of inclusive policies at this level include opportunities to drive business growth and productivity; cost savings due to lower turnover, less absenteeism, and improved productivity; and the positive effect diversity management has on the company’s image and stock price.

 Chapter 13 Outline

Chapter 13 Outline

Chapter Outline

I.      Chapter Overview—Level I

a.     The first level of the Inclusive Workplace, diversity within work organizations, relates to the organization’s internal relations with its own employees and reflects the “micro” system level within the organizations: that of individuals and groups.

b.    While an exclusionary workplace is based on the perception that all workers need to conform to pre-established organizational values and norms (determined by its “main stream”), the inclusive work place is based on a pluralistic value frame that relies on mutual respect and equal contributions from different cultural perspectives to the organization’s values and norms.

c.     In this chapter, we present Level I of the Inclusive Workplace model: Inclusion Through Diversity Within the Work Organization. Inclusive policies and practices applied to Level I are discussed.

d.    We also address the barriers and benefits to implementing such an approach. Lastly, we present a case illustration and questions for further discussion.

II.    Inclusive Policies and Practices

a.     A variety of policies and practices constitute inclusion at Level I—from recruitment, through mentorship and training, to cultural audits and linking diversity practices to strategic goals.

b.    What distinguishes an inclusive workplace from an organization that merely implements diversity initiatives is the comprehensive approach to diversity that is part of an overall organizational strategy.

c.     This approach includes an organization-wide diversity evaluation, or audit, that should lead to goals that are tailored to the organization’s unique culture and will result in implementing appropriate diversity policies and practices.

                                               i.     The cultural audit is usually performed by outside consultants who obtain data from surveys and focus groups to identify areas in which employees who are different from the dominant group feel that they are blocked from performing to the best of their ability.

                                             ii.     Based on this assessment, diversity goals are then set forth, with the general purpose of creating a more inclusive work environment and as a strategy for achieving organizational outcomes.

d.    In this section, we discuss a variety of diversity policies and practices that an organization can implement to create an inclusive work environment.

                                               i.     Management leadership—senior management taking leadership in major diversity projects such as using consultants to conduct needs assessment and designing diversity training programs;

                                             ii.     Education and training—conducting seminars and workshops to increase diversity awareness and skill building, and to help employees understand the need for, and meaning of, valuing diversity;

                                            iii.     Performance and accountability—developing diversity action plans to meet the goals of specific business units and of the organization and holding managers accountable by linking diversity performance to compensation;

                                            iv.     Work-life balance—offering flexible work arrangements to accommodate diverse needs and life styles of employees; and,

                                             v.     Career development and planning—establishing career development and planning initiatives for women and members of underrepresented groups to ensure fair promotion and to increase diversity representation in managerial-level jobs.

                                            vi.     In addition to actively recruiting members of diverse groups, the most common approach to diversity within work organizations is to provide sensitivity training and workshops to employees.

1.     Often triggered by lawsuits, diversity trainings vary from one-hour lectures to a series of on-going seminars.

2.     They often use experiential, emotional, and sometimes confrontational techniques to raise awareness about personal harm caused by “the ‘isms’”: racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, and others.

                                          vii.     Other efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within organizations include initiatives aimed at:

1.     Establishing organizational responsibility such as appointing a corporate officer to oversee the company’s diversity efforts and appointing appointing/electing diversity committees comprised of employees from various departments and levels;

2.     Encouraging managers’ responsibility for diversity through such mechanisms as evaluating managers on their diversity performances; and

3.     Empowering employees of diverse backgrounds through networking and mentorship programs.

                                         viii.     It is important to develop the awareness and skills of individual employees at all organizational levels. Individual employees should learn how to

1.      become effective diversity respondents—people who act with confidence, wisdom, and effectiveness when interacting with others who may be significantly different from them.

2.     develop diversity maturity that is a combination of knowledge about diversity and a comfort with the dynamics of diversity relationships.

                                            ix.     Investing in the development of advanced diversity skills is important not only for organizations that will benefit from improved relations and better team work among its employees, but also for individuals who will benefit from improved career trajectories.

                                             x.     It is in the best interest of organizations to elevate their employees’ diversity skills while at the same time creating an organizational environment that allows all qualified employees to perform at peak effectiveness.

III.   Barriers and Benefits of Implementing the Inclusive Approach at Level I.

a.     Barriers

                                               i.     The main barriers have to do with managers’ and employees’ attitudes and behavior.

1.     Prejudice (biased views) and discrimination (biased behaviors), either overt or covert, are at the core of the barriers for implementing inclusive policies at the work place.

2.     In today’s “politically correct” environment, people may be embarrassed to show their ignorance about other cultures, may not want to invest time and energy in learning about those cultures, or may perceive diversity initiatives as a threat to their job security.

                                             ii.     The barriers traditionally suffered by women, older adults, and ethnic/racial minorities include:

1.     lack of support in career planning;

2.     marginalized status;

3.     failure to give nontraditional employees the breadth of experience required for job advancement; and,

4.     social isolation, particularly in management positions, and an unsupportive working environment.

b.    Benefits

                                               i.     By enacting policies that facilitate inclusion of all employees, the employment barriers traditionally suffered by women and traditionally disadvantaged groups can be overcome.

1.     Diversity practices open the doors to job advancement and promotions that have clear monetary benefits to individual employees and their families.

2.     They also open up channels of communication and enhance employees’ decision-making power.

                                             ii.     Research into the benefits of diversity practices has been generated in recent years, focusing on the following:

1.     clearly defining and measuring diversity; and

2.     examining the causal connection between diversity management and organizational outcomes

                                            iii.     Accumulating evidence of the benefits of inclusive diversity practices center around three areas:

1.     the opportunity to drive business growth and productivity by leveraging the many facets of diversity such as marketing more effectively to minority communities or to senior citizens;

2.     cost savings due to lower turnover, less absenteeism, and improved productivity and winning the competition for talent by being more attractive to women and members of minority groups; and

3.     the positive effect that diversity management has on the company’s image and stock prices.

IV.  Case Illustration: Level I—Inclusion Through Diversity Within Work Organizations—Denny’s, Inc.

a.     Overview of the Denny’s case.

                                               i.     In the early 1990s, Denny’s, once famous for its breakfast menu, became famous for its discrimination, generating immense negative publicity for denying service to African Americans at several of its restaurants across the United States.

                                             ii.     In addition to discriminating against its minority customers, Denny’s purchased no supplies from minorities and had few minorities in its management.

                                            iii.     After paying $54 million to settle a pair of class action lawsuits, Denny’s has undergone a major transformation to change the level of diversity within the company as well as improving the way employees treat customers.

                                            iv.     Their efforts have been rewarded with widespread praise and numerous awards, including Fortune Magazine’s choice as the number one place for minorities to work.

                                             v.     Despite all of these changes, Denny’s still faces a negative public image and continual lawsuits for discrimination.

b.    Homogenous History.

                                               i.     Denny’s started in 1953 as a donut shop and has now grown into the largest full-service, family-style restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,000 locations. Denny’s became an international company in 1969 and now operates in seven countries, including the United States.

                                             ii.     A major stain appeared on Denny’s reputation after two class-action lawsuits for discrimination were filed in 1993 (Ridgeway v. Flagstar Corporation and Denny’s, Inc. Civ. No. 93-20202-JW and United States of America v. Flagstar Corporation and Denny’s, Inc. Civ. No. 93-20208-JW).

                                            iii.     The cases accused Denny’s (and Denny’s parent company at the time, Flagstar) of repeated civil rights violations, primarily against African Americans.

1.     They required African Americans to prepay for meals as well as, in some cases, pay a cover charge before being served.

2.     “Black-out” periods were instituted at some restaurants, during which time the number of African American patrons was limited.

3.     Denny’s denied complimentary “birthday meals” for African Americans, or in some cases, required burdensome proof of a child’s age. This was the case for the Thompson family who was denied a birthday meal for their daughter on her 13^thbirthday.

4.     Denny’s sometimes forced the removal of African Americans from its restaurants. Employees would then claim the customer was being hostile.

5.     The problem was systemic, as evidenced by other practices. Denny’s had only one African American franchisee and had no minority suppliers in the early 1990s. Denny’s board of directors consisted almost exclusively of white men.

                                            iv.     Denny’s response to the charges

1.     Initially, Jerry Richardson, the CEO of Denny’s parent company, Flagstar, denied and fought the charges filed in the lawsuits.

2.     Faced with growing negative publicity, Richardson signed a pact with the NAACP in 1993 to help solve the company’s problems.

3.     Despite these efforts, evidence continued to mount, eventually causing Denny’s to settle the lawsuits resulting in tremendous losses:

a.     Denny’s paid $54 million to settle the class action lawsuits.

b.    Many customers refused to patronize Denny’s.

c.     Denny’s had to absorb operational expenses associated with its class-action settlement. Under the consent decree from the settlement, Denny’s was required to perform the following activities for seven years, starting May 24, 1994

                                                                                                     i.     Retain a civil rights monitor, a person experienced with the monitoring and enforcement of civil rights;

                                                                                                   ii.     Develop and administer a non-discrimination training program;

                                                                                                  iii.     Test franchise and company-owned restaurants to ensure compliance with the consent decree; and

                                                                                                  iv.     Notify the public that Denny’s will operate in a nondiscriminatory manner.

c.     The New Face of Denny’s.

                                               i.     To meet the challenge of changing its behavior and image, Denny’s parent company, Flagstar, and their newly hired CEO, Jim Adamson, implemented several organizational changes.

1.     One of Adamson’s first steps was to create a chief diversity officer position. He recruited Rachelle Hood-Phillips, with whom he worked at Burger King, to fill the role. Hood-Phillips had spent her career successfully building and managing diversity at Fortune 500 companies.

2.     Adamson denounced discrimination at employee meetings and other events. He publicly warned that he would fire any employee or franchise owner who discriminated or challenged the diversity changes he implemented.

d.    Diversity Changes.

                                               i.     Together Hood-Phillips and Adamson implemented many changes to improve Denny’s diversity beyond the consent decree.

1.     Hood-Phillips developed methods to effectively measure and track diversity at Denny’s. Her work enabled Adamson to tie diversity to a manager’s bonus.

2.     The implemented diversity training may represent some of the company’s best efforts to correct its diversity issues.

a.     The training teaches employees how to empathize with customers.

b.    More importantly, employees are taught how to reflect their empathy back to the customer and show their concern about a problem.

c.     Every employee must attend a diversity training session within 75 days of employment and a second session within 225 days.

d.    Denny’s spends several million dollars each year on compliance and training.

e.     The training was so effective that Denny’s was released from the oversight of its civil rights monitor at the end of 1999, a year earlier than mandated by consent decree.

f.      Denny’s continues to investigate every incident or claim of discrimination.

3.     Denny’s has also made substantial improvements in the diversity of employees and franchise owners.

a.     Board of Directors

                                                                                                     i.     In the early 1990s, the board was composed primarily of white men; by 2012, 40% of board were women or minorities, and in 2015, 3 of 10 board members are women.

b.    Employees

                                                                                                     i.     In 2015, created a Women’s Leadership Group to create an internal network of women leaders

                                                                                                   ii.     Throughout all levels of the organization, the change in diversity is evident:

1.     38% of management are women or minorities, and

2.     64.1% of all Denny’s employees are minorities.

c.     Franchise owners

                                                                                                     i.     The number of minority franchise owners increased from 1 in the early 1990s to 120 in 2002, representing 46% of all Denny’s restaurants.

                                                                                                   ii.     Because the franchisees, on average, own more than one restaurant, the minority franchisees own a total of 472 restaurants, which represents 46% of all Denny’s restaurants In 2015, 45% are minority owned.

                                                                                                  iii.     In many cases, Denny’s has provided funding to help minority owners get started.

4.     Denny’s has increased its purchases from minority-owned suppliers from $0 in 1992 to $90 million in 2002, representing 15% of Denny’s annual purchases—four times the national average. In 2015, 13.1% of TOTAL spending goes to minority and women-owned suppliers.

5.     In addition to changing its business practices, Denny’s has been active with philanthropic activities, supporting numerous human and civil rights organizations.

6.     To let the public know about all of the changes and recapture some of its lost customer-base, Denny’s spent several million dollars on an ad campaign targeting minority customers.

e.     Awards and Impact.

                                               i.     The efforts at Denny’s have been noticed by numerous organizations. Denny’s has won awards for being a friendly place for women and minorities to eat and work.

                                             ii.     Awards have come from Family Digest magazine, The National Association for Female Executives, Asian Enterprise magazine, Latina Style magazine, and The Center for Responsibility in Business.

                                            iii.     The most significant awards that recognize Denny’s achievements are from Fortune magazine and the NAACP.

                                            iv.     Denny’s efforts have also resulted in increased business.

f.      Continued Legal Trouble.

                                               i.     Denny’s has continued to find themselves the subject of numerous lawsuits since the 1993 class-action cases with familiar claims—denial of service, mistreatment, racial slurs and other discrimination practices.

                                             ii.     Denny’s has also faced sexual harassment and discrimination charges from at least one employee (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2002).

                                            iii.     2011, disability-based lawsuit

                                            iv.     2015, sexual orientation-based lawsuit

g.     Questions for Discussion and Further Analysis

                                               i.     Could Denny’s have managed their diversity issues better? Why or why not?

                                             ii.     Why do you think Denny’s is facing continuing discrimination lawsuits? Do the lawsuits indicate that Denny’s policies and practices are not working? Are there other explanations? If you were a consultant, what would you advise the company to do at this point? 

                                            iii.     Jim Adamson stated that he would fire anyone who discriminated or challenged his new policies. What message did this statement send to the employees? What impact do you think it had on employee morale and customer relations?

                                            iv.     Was Jim Adamson effective in improving Denny’s diversity and public image? Why or why not?

h.    Summary and Conclusion

                                               i.     This chapter presents level I of the inclusive workplace model: inclusion through diversity within the workplace.

                                             ii.     A variety of policies and practices constitute inclusion at level I—from recruitment, through mentoring and training, to cultural audit and linking diversity practices to strategic goals.

                                            iii.     The main barriers to implementing inclusive policies at this level are attitudes and behaviors of prejudice and discrimination within the company. These barriers include lack of support in career planning, failure to give nontraditional employees the breadth of experience required for job advancement, and a lonely and unsupportive working environment.

                                            iv.     The main benefits of inclusive policies at this level include opportunities to drive business growth and productivity; cost savings due to lower turnover, less absenteeism, and improved productivity; and the positive effect diversity management has on the company’s image and stock price.