"Mandatory" Knows No Color

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  1

  Hashim Kammoona

  06/27/07 | Report as spam

  Mandatory knows no color

  Dear Writer:
  The subject title is as should be. The text is brief enough. The massage is clear and effective to wise company?s owners. It?s a bit severe some times to go by the army rules but you know better as I don't own a company yet. Your last sentence is conclusive which is as below:
  ?Your decision may not go over well at first, but in the end it will send the correct message to your employees: that you?re a boss that treats all men and women equal.?
  Thank you and thanks to BNET
  Hashim Kammoona

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  2

  jacint.boucher

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  A Change Management advice...

  I totally disagree with the proposed solution. Your black employees are protesting because of the company's handling of the incident... Not because of your solution... Which makes me believe that your company took probably really too long to react to the issue and try to solve it, and did not involved the black community in the resolution of this issue.
  
  If you really believe that by 'punishing your black employees' for a protest around a prejudice around them will serve your long term goal, please find another job, and not in a leadership position!
  
  My suggestion: swallow your pill, admit to the black community that your company did not handle the incident has good as they should have done; and then... involve the black community on finding an appropriate solutions...

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  3

  kuda0005@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  I concur

  I am currently in an MBA program studying diversity change initiatives. When something like this happens, it is important to involve people within the roganization to get a temperature of the culture of the organization as it pertains to diversity. This could be the start of something great!
  
  Some tips (See John Kotter's Book on Change Management and Taylor Cox's book on Creating the Multicultural Organization)
  -the most senior officer has to head up this project and be supportive of it
  -set realistic goals (don't expect everything will happen overnight)
  -write down your vision for diversity
  -communicate the vision internally often
  -communicate the vision to your customers publicly
  -create a diversity council
  -start continued ongoing training for diversity (remember....it doesn't always have to be a guest speaker...there are organizations that have videos, games, "tests")
  -align business process and procedures around being more diverse
  -taken from H. Martin De'Campo from Diversity Inc......tie the diversity initiative to an ROI. The problem with why diversity initatives don't stick is because they are viewed as "a warm fuzzy" for an organization
  
  Overall, it should be understood that created a change within an organization with respect to diversity will bring about the best and brightest talent the employment pool has to offer. In a time where quality employees is in need, and the market is sparse, creating a diversity vision and making it come to frution benefits your organization in many ways.
  
  Dan Kudanovych
  Oracle Corporation
  kuda0005@umn.edu

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  4

  7x2480542@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  Equality requires consistency

  Since when is terminating an employee for forwarding and inappropriate email "not handling the situation appropriately"? I believe this is the most severe punishment an employer can deliver to any employee.
  
  As for those employees that did not attend the "mandatory" seminar, then they should be punished as well. My experience with many of these "sensitivity" programs is that they tend to address the non-protected employees relationships with those of a "protected" classes while tending to mininize the requirement that those in the protected class be sensitive to the other employees.
  
  Racism is prevelant among all races--it is not strict domain of whites. Only the naive believe it is a "white only" issue.
  
  I believe that the appropriate discipline for those employees who refused to attend the seminar is to (a) dock them for the hourly wages they would have earned for the time missed, or (b) suspend them without pay for 2-4 hours. Also, document the issue and your actions and ensure that it is placed in the employees work file. You won't get anyone's attention unless you hit them in the wallet and as stated in the initial response--you have to remind some people that work is not a democracy and that you are the boss.
  
  That being said, get ready for a call from an attorney. Hold your ground and reinforce the precedent that your directives are not to be ignored. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT back down under the threat of legal action. Many major companies have proven that you can fight these issues successfully.
  
  Those that attended the meeting will have your respect going forward and it will do wonders for morale over the long term.

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  5

  ptgautreaux@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  response

  I certainly agree with enforcing what was originally told to the employees. The employees that refuse to follow through on what is asked of them are certainly not demonstrating true understanding and the real meaning of cultural diversity. On the other hand,I don't feel that the employer did anything to help the employee that was fired, experience true awareness of cultural diversity. Bring everyone back to the flock with better awareness regarding respect for our fellow co-worker!

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  6

  John-O7

  06/30/07 | Report as spam

  Please.

  'Bringing him back to the flock' - pretty revealing of you; you consider your employees sheep?
  
  Someone who, in this day and age, doesn't get that distributing racially tinged emails at work is out of bounds should be fired on the grounds of stupidity alone.

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  7

  ptgautreaux@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  response

  I can see your point, but I must add that when rounding up employees for their input it must involve everyone. This is not a black issue here, it is simply a lesson to be learned regarding respect for one another. What this company needed was to get everyone together and confront disrespect in the workplace. There is always a lesson to be learned in any learning situation as long as the person is open to grasp the knowledge.

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  8

  glenn.jennings@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  Oh, hang on a moment...

  To quote: If you really believe that by 'punishing your black employees' for a protest around a prejudice around them will serve your long term goal, please find another job, and not in a leadership position!
  
  Wow! Really? I thought the question was about managing STAFF who had disobeyed a directive, I didn't understnad that it meant BLACK staff who had disobeyed a directive.
  
  What's that definition of racism again?! Sorry, your agenda is showing.

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  9

  John-O7

  06/30/07 | Report as spam

  Yes, by all means...

  ...let's ensure the racial grievance hustlers get their foot in the door and their hands in the till, because we know that they're there to 'fix the problem'. They won't become a self-perpetuating, self-justifying accretion acting as a permanent drag on employee relations.
  
  Stick to your guns, and discipline (appropriately) ANY employee who missed the meeting. If you give on the rationale put forward, you're effectively surrendering your role as manager; you've let your subordinates judgment trump your own.

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  10

  kim.key@...

  07/05/07 | Report as spam

  Make sure you know what you're aiming at before pointing

  Stick to your guns if you've thought it through to start with. But know where this will lead you. Why did you make a directive???? Was it because you thought the offenders wouldn't attend or the offended? Did you resolve anything with this course or have you further divided your organization? I think you've got some issues that are brewing here and have been allowed to go on too long. If your goal is one of unity. Fix the problem by knowing the real issue and your audience. For those who are itching for an example to be made here. The racial war lives in all our hearts no matter what the side or stance. In the meantime we are ALL suffering for it. Seek first to understand to be better understood.

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  11

  jsargent

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  Some suggestions..

  One addition you forget to mention is the element of "due process". Due process is essential when making such decisions. If you talk to your boycotting employees and hear their reasons for the boycott then you may be able to justify taking a different tack on this.
  
  If you find out that they felt that they have no need to attend these train meetings because of their color then I feel that you should express to them the importance that everyone should have attended this session. You should also point out that racism will not be accepted whoever the party is. You should also point out that you will not accept racism on the basis on nationality regardless of color. Furthurmore, you will not accept sexism. Your training sessions should have included this as a general package and express the goodwill intended. Consider telling them that there will be a second chance since your goal is for employees to repair the relationships between each other and not create more problems.
  
  Finally, don't forget to seek legal advice before taking any more action since your words and actions will be counted if you finally have to tow the line.

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  12

  aniltom@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  "Mandatory" Knows no Color

  I work in the middle east which is a multi cultural environment even at the most minimal level, even the smallest office you walk into has at least 3 to 4 nationalities, and larger companies have upto 50 different nationalities, hence managing work place diversity is a serious issue for not only the HR team but for the line manager and the colleagues themselves. Invariably nationality driven cliques and apparent discrimination issues start.."oh, he denied me this opportunity because the other fellow is from his country and I am not" the stories and rants are endless.. I feel you have handled this issue quite decisively, you have exposed your tough no compromise side to the problem. But you have also exposed a weak side of your issue to the rest of the team(you may have had no idea of that this would be the case) .. which is why certain members of the team elected to demonstrate their protest by not coming in.
  
  As is the norm followed in cases of sexual discrimination, you should ensure that there is a process that is accessible to every employee and with a list of consequences/ penalties.
  
  Given the legal environment there, you would possibly want to consult a lawyer before implementation.. however this situation begs for a deeper thought, is this an isolated incident -the message- the protest or is it a symptom?
  
  Finally I would like to reiterate that I really admire the way you took corrective action.. if at all I am faced with such a situation, I hope will have the courage and the wisdom to handle it as you have!!

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  13

  Atrendia

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  Diversity is not a one-day project

  We are a management consultancy in Denmark where racism is often undetected because of the homogeneity of the country.
  
  I would just like to add that diversity is not a one-day project. If you really want to make a change in the company, you will need objectives and plans to meet those objectives with a deadline - just like every other project, or it will continue to rattle in the bowels of the company. Education is a great start, but conceptualizing is one thing, putting it into practice requires both a policy and a strategic way of maintaining that resolve.
  
  The reason why racism doesn't go away after a seminar or training, is because it is a highly complex issue involving the need for many people to look at themselves and their earlier practices as being unfair, unjust and just plain bad. Very few people are able to make it over to that realization without help - and it is the exceptional person that can do that without a great deal of dialog.
  
  So if you REALLY want to tackle this, you will have to put 3.14 times the resources you have put towards it so far - just like any other project. And, by the way, it is do-able.
  
  Sincerely yours,
  
  Atrendia
  
  Michael Hoffman
  Managing Director,
  
  mh@atrendia.com
  www.atrendia.com
  
  "Practice doesn't make perfect, best practice does."

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  14

  flabinjo@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  Mandatory Knows No Colour

  Without mincing words, those staff who absented themselves from the training event, without a good reason, should be disciplined, otherwise your credibility becomes an issue.
  
  There cannot be one rule for a set of workers and another rule for the others.
  
  Felix Labinjo

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  15

  scapitine@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  Punish and inform reasons to all emplyees

  Bacause Mozambique is a developing country, receives help from many other countries arround the world, therefore, large companies employ a large number of nationalities and races. We face these issues very often so I advise you to punish those who did not attend ' ' and issue and distribute an internal memo detailing reasons why the first was dismissed and those are to be punished. The punishement can vary from a written warning to a one day salary deduction. This will leave a clear message that neither racist remarks, jokes, etc nor any kind of protests are permitted. Actions are to be taken by the management.
  
  Sergio Capitine
  Mozambique

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  16

  ntumba

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  The case made clear

  Your initiatives to have a seminar on diversity training was a good idea. However you should have talked to the affected side and see what their reaction was. This could help you to heal their wounds first. This done the general healing could follow:the diversity training.It is obvious from your article that those who boycotted the seminar were probably the affected side and not content with the steps which you took.I suugest you give them the second chance.

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  17

  janet444

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  It's ESSENTIAL that you talk to the employees protesting!

  A few people mentioned this, but a surprising number didn't, and it is worth repeating:
  
  It's extremely important that you find out why these employees were not happy with the way you responded. It seems that you took definitive action and did not tolerate the racism.
  
  You need to know why they protested, and you need to be sensitive to their views (which you cannot do unless you find out what those views are).
  
  I'm not sure whether or not there should be consequences for them. It's hard to say without knowing more about the incident and why they boycotted in the first place.
  
  I hope this is helpful.
  
  Janet

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  18

  kuda0005@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  My thoughts on diversity

  I am currently in an MBA program studying diversity change initiatives. When something like this happens, it is important to involve people within the roganization to get a temperature of the culture of the organization as it pertains to diversity. This could be the start of something great!
  
  Some tips (See John Kotter's Book on Change Management and Taylor Cox's book on Creating the Multicultural Organization)
  -the most senior officer has to head up this project and be supportive of it
  -set realistic goals (don't expect everything will happen overnight)
  -write down your vision for diversity
  -communicate the vision internally often
  -communicate the vision to your customers publicly
  -create a diversity council
  -start continued ongoing training for diversity (remember....it doesn't always have to be a guest speaker...there are organizations that have videos, games, "tests")
  -align business process and procedures around being more diverse
  -taken from H. Martin De'Campo from Diversity Inc......tie the diversity initiative to an ROI. The problem with why diversity initatives don't stick is because they are viewed as "a warm fuzzy" for an organization
  
  Overall, it should be understood that created a change within an organization with respect to diversity will bring about the best and brightest talent the employment pool has to offer. In a time where quality employees is in need, and the market is sparse, creating a diversity vision and making it come to frution benefits your organization in many ways.
  
  Dan Kudanovych
  Oracle Corporation
  kuda0005@umn.edu

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  19

  drwell

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  What is the precedent for similar infractions?

  So far, so good. Next, consider how you have responded to other infractions comparable to missing a mandatory event. Make certain that your response _now_ is in line with what will be considered the "precedent" set by those previous responses.
  
  It seems reasonable to ?hear out? the protesting employees. Really listen to what is said. Use that information to continue to move forward in creating a workplace that is friendly to all. Then, impose those same consequences you have for comparable infractions. Do no more, nor less than you have in the past.
  
  You may feel a need to revise the consequences for such infractions. Not a problem. Announce that change clearly in a staff meeting and in writing. Then, apply it to all _future_ infractions.

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  20

  Kevj

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  Suggestion to handle attendance failure

  The diversity seminar was mandatory; that is without question. I suggest the people who did not attend be told attendance at the seminar is required in order to return to work and must be completed within one week (schedule one seminar each morning for a week to put the onus on the employees). Meanwhile, any time off will be charged to leave they have accrued. Emphasize the seminar is the place for airing of feeling/questions/commments in a constructive manner.
  
  I volunteered for many years at a local fire department. Diversity training was required for all. If the training was not performed, the person was not allowed to ride apparatus.
  
  Being bi-racial myself, I have seen racism from both blacks and whites. Anyone who is unwilling to come to the table and discuss issues is perpetuating the problem.

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  21

  lisagalley

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  "Mandatory" Yes... as a part of a system of practices

  I would have liked to have known how the boss addressed the complaints of the various 'constituencies' that obviously exist within the workplace. It sounds like one group has a related issue which (in their minds) has not been heard and addressed, so now they've tried to force him to listen to them by boycotting. The boss needs to go out and a) learn about the different groups which make up his workplace, b) understand what type of racial/social experiences they may have been having at work and c) make sure that diversity efforts comprehensively address these issues -- not just a mandatory one day "generic" diversity training. If the boss incorporates the above, then it can makes sense to also send out a message of mandatory diversity training attendance, and take measures against any individuals who do not comply.

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  22

  ITdaized

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  protesting what?

  Your company fired the idiot who sent the email. What more do these trouble makers want? Do they want you to flog and tar and feather him as well?
  
  They were told to show up or else. If you don't punish these employees, then you are opening yourself up for a whole lot of problems.
  
  Sounds like those black employees that think they're too good for a diversity training seminar need to have some punishment of their own and be entered into a humility seminar.

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  23

  brownoe

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  "Mandatory" Knows No Color

  Your absent associates are sending you a message - they may not be doing so as wisely as they might; the message may not be clear, but as a leader, you will want to better understand exactly what that message is.
  
  Talk to your absent associates; actively listen to their concerns - why did they feel it necessary to avoid this training? You will want to understand their overall concerns, how they are feeling impacted by diversity in your organization, as well as any suggestions they may have about how to more effectively address. Only then can you determine how to address their failure to attend the "mandatory" meeting. While action to address their failure to attend will likely be required, the type of action which best pulls them toward supporting improved diversity remains to be determined until you do your homework.
  
  **** Luck

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  24

  anniemanzi@...

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  Just talk to the people protesting?

  I wonder if having a discussion with just the protesters is wise? I would imagine this has become a company wide issue and an open discussion and forum should be held after the protesting workers have aired out their issues and an appropriate action is taken. The actions so far have all been drastic, so maybe one more drastic action will calm the whole company down, as I am sure there is heated discussion and opinions to be had by the rest of the workers that are being discussed at the water coolers, employee rooms, and after hours. If this is not handled company wide at this point, you are going to have continuous problems simmering behind the scenes. Get it out in the open. Have your discussions, get everyone on the same page. Add more diversity training. Include; race, national origin, sex, sexual preferrence, religion, weight, age, and disabilities. Or any other issue that may cause problems and/or make anyone unconfortable. Race issues are not always directed against minorities , they also can be directed against anyone of any race.
  Another drastic possibility MAY to bring the offending party back, and give him/her another chance. This may be a great healing opportunity if the person learns from his/her mistakes,is willing to accept additional diverse training and is willing to take part in the open dialogue with the whole company and the offended parties. It would not be without consequences of course, but this could be an excellent teaching opportunity and could send a strong message in forgiveness, diversity understanding, and bringing the company together.

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  25

  Nick843

  06/28/07 | Report as spam

  More open minded

  I think something may need to be done with the employees that boycotted the seminar, but the supervisor would do well to hear them out before taking any action.
  
  The employee who caused all of this tension has been fired, but I suspect there are many employees that are still there that he sent the offensive email to that agreed with the message in the email and will not change just because of one seminar. Those individuals could be giving the black employees alot of beef because their friend was fired and no action was taken with these individuals. Maybe the supervisor did take too long to respond to the matter and now the affected individuals are really upset and need to be heard out and maybe the boycotters are just plain wrong and need to be disciplined. The problem is that we don't know the WHOLE story and without knowing everything we have to remain open minded.
  
  Talking to these individuals will likely clear up so much undealt with matters that probably go deeper than that one little email.

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  26

  BTDA

  06/29/07 | Report as spam

  One size doesn't fit all

  The road to hell is often paved with good intentions. While I applaud the effort and intention to proactively and directly deal with the incident, I am not sure the strategy and tactics were sound. Certainly, shutting down the company for a day to address the problem can send a powerful message. However, I wonder to what extent the tension resulting from this email is just one symptom of deeper leadership issues.
  
  Punishing the black employees could be an easy call depending upon the content of the diversity training and the company's absenteeism and training policies. Failing to attend a scheduled training event may indeed warrant corrective action.
  
  A couple of caveats -- if taking unscheduled time off is allowed for whatever reason, no "punishment" would be warranted. However, employees could be counseled that this failure to attend required training would be reflected in their annual performance review, and may affect their salary increase/promotion opportunities.
  
  On the other hand, if the company was in an employment at will state, the employees might be suspended or fired. These actions assume the training was properly designed as part of a larger initiative to improve teamwork and productivity without having an adverse effect on the participants.
  
  Instead of focusing on "punishing" the employees, I would put more emphasis on improving the quality of leadership relative to company values and engagement with employees.

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  27

  profstephens

  06/29/07 | Report as spam

  Diversity Training is NOT the solution

  Too often leaders within organizations turn to diversity training as the solution when faced with issues surrounding racially charged incidents in the office. Too often, I have witnessed this strategy met with distrust and heightened emotions from many employees.
  
  The offending email broadcast through the office may or may not be a reflection of organizational culture. By sending everyone to diversity training as a band aid offends those who do not agree with the email and those who are targets thereof.
  
  First aid teaches us to open the airway before stopping the bleeding. The immediate attempt to stop the bleeding (Diversity Training) yields a common natural reaction of shock since the organization is unable to breathe. How might one approach this with proper change management?
  
  A - Open the airway - positive personal proactive conversation with all those who feel victimized by the mass email to ensure them that this type of activity is not representative of the desired company culture. Solicit and actively listen to feedback from this audience and address any concerns about the company culture/leadership not supporting respect in the workplace.If you are unable to immediately address the concerns, take an action item and commit to a follow up date.
  
  B - Stop the bleeding - After the conversation, discipline the offending employee. If there is a policy in place concerning respect for coworkers and/or misuse of company IT assets that states this as a terminable offense, then "fire" the employee. If the email contained language that is illegal for such transmission, then "fire" the employee. Connecting the termination of the offending employee to an existing element of company policy and/or U.S. law shows that the system works. If not, a reactive firing without a system in place is viewed primarily as the company shedding itself of a liability. Most importantly, if such policies are not in place, it shows that company leadership is not invested in developing a workplace culture that supports respect for its employees. If the offending employee did not break any stated company policy nor a U.S. law, then send the offending employee to counseling/training on respect in the workplace and assign the employee to a council formed to establish and monitor respect in the workplace policies and practices. This should become part of the employees performance evaluation as well as a 360 review from those offended employees who are willing to participate. If the offending employee's performance is not satisfactory, then further discipline (including termination) is warranted. From my experience this tactic has led to the majority of offending employees primarily resigning. In some cases, employees have learned and become better corporate citizens. Most importantly, the organizational leadership has demonstrated that respect in workplace is a supported part of the culture.
  
  C - Control Shock - All communications about this incident should revolve around the theme of respect for all in the workplace. Making this a "Black/White" issue is inflammatory and heightens organizational shock. Focus on respect for all within which is the conversation about racial discrimination (minority and majority) as well as gender, sexual orientation, disabilities... The primary focus of communications/training is about what the company stands for not about what employees should not do. Utilize positive and proactive activities and role plays to model behavior. Provide peer and leadership recognition awards to those who are exemplars of the desired company culture.
  
  D - Dress and Bandage The Wound - Planned proactive communication, training, and recognition around the subject of respect for all in the workplace. Rally the organization around respect for everyone as opposed to polarizing people in groups. Ensure that decisions and actions by leadership model and support respect for all in the workplace. This includes hiring and promotion practices, corporate community support, employee mentoring and development.
  
  I have years of experience with this issue as a business owner/manager, adjunct management professor, and black person. Essentially what works is bringing people together under one company culture as opposed to separating them into racial/ethnic/gender groups.
  
  Mark A. Stephens
  prof_stephens@yahoo.com

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  28

  addicted2speed

  06/29/07 | Report as spam

  Ethnicity or Race is not an Exemption...

  With the given details of the situation, I believe the "protesters" need to be disciplined for insubordination, just as anyone else. Simply because someone's ethnicity or race becomes the subject of discriminatory acts does not exempt these persons from issues that concern the entire company, or make them more-sensitive than others in the company. The protesters draw additional attention to their color by their actions and subvert the purpose of the training sessions: to de-emphasize color differences.
  
  As for the stated motivations for the boycott, there are other avenues for expressing dissatisfaction: HR, counseling, speaking with immediate supervisors, speaking with the owner, etc.
  
  Boycotting an event that was clearly set up with good intentions for the betterment of the company makes me think that the boycotters are taking advantage of the situation to take a day off (or whatever they chose to do instead of attending the training).
  
  I'm actually very surprised that a professor and business owner would advocate special treatment for those who are clearly using their race as a reason to excuse themselves from training that was intended to remove "color" issues.
  
  As a President/Owner, you are not just managing a company or a project, you are leading people in a social situation (aka family). Publically visible special treatment for individuals within a group, will always destroy group cohesiveness, regardless of the setting. Try this at home with your children if you don't believe me. Publically love one child more than another. See what happens.
  
  Some special counseling may be necessary for those individuals who are traumatized by the inappropriate e-mails, but that is not a legitimate reason to boycott a mandatory training.
  
  Consider this fictional example:
  My development company establishes that Spanish is a language that Superintendants must learn because the companies that we subcontract-with are continually hiring more non-english speakers.
  
  The company sets up mandatory Spanish classes to improve communications with the subcontractors.
  
  However, some superintendants are opposed to the hiring of non-english speakers (choice of subcontractors is not the superintendant's decision to make).
  
  Would it be right for a superindendant to skip these training sessions?
  Should I give these superintendants special exemptions simply because they don't believe in hiring non-english speakers?

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  29

  GC07

  07/01/07 | Report as spam

  Mandatory means mandatory

  You made it mandatory - as you should have, once going down that road. My suggestion is the offending employees be given one week off without pay, during which they complete the training at their own expense, or they are fired. Though harsh, I suspect they are part of the problem and like a bad tooth - you are better off without them.

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  30

  kim.key@...

  07/05/07 | Report as spam

  Mandatory" Knows No Color

  Although, I agree that if you stated that something is mandatory any dissension should result in disciplinary action, I think that having such a mandatory session without addressing the concerns of the offended in a more private setting is a mistake.
  Having a session where we publicly address inappropriate behavior at work only puts a Band-Aid on a festering wound. For those offended they need a delegate at least that can meet with you (management and provide their perspective on the offense. They want to be heard without having to be on trial in front of the entire organization. Allow them this before you take the next step of healing your organization through training or coaching. A day off only gave them time to stew on the issue and may have even solidified in their minds that you just want the problem to go away quietly instead of actually wanting to change the culture.