Minority Impacts on the Workplace

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics are the largest minority group in the country, a trend that is having a great impact on American workplaces and the ways companies manage their workforces.

(PRWEB) July 11, 2005 -- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics are the largest minority group in the country, a trend that is having a great impact on American workplaces and the ways companies manage their workforces.

A diverse workplace helps companies reach new markets and better understand existing markets," said Ashley Kaplan, head of the G.Neil labor law team. On the other hand, keeping up with a diversifying workforce, and the laws that come with it, can be challenging for many employers."

Immigration to the U.S. is also expected to increase over the coming decades, bringing more employees for which English is their second language, according to 2004 research by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Two big areas of concern for employers are employee communications and preventing workplace discrimination," Kaplan said.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. Federal law also says that if a significant portion" of workers in an organization are not literate in English, then a certain portion of the federal labor law postings in that workplace must be written in a language these employees understand.

What Businesses are Doing Now
As part of their research, SHRM analyzed what actions U.S. companies are currently taking in response to demographic trends.

They found:
•36% are conducting studies to determine projected demographic makeup of their organizations workforce
•28% are offering language courses for their employees and 24% offer courses for managers
•27% are changing health and safety policies to reflect changing language needs of the workforce
•27% are changing employment practices to address the issue of discrimination based on ethnicity

It is important that everyone in a company knows what workplace discrimination is, not just those who are doing the hiring and firing," Kaplan said. Educating employees about diversity can prevent costly lawsuits and improve employee morale."

G.Neil, which has specialized in labor law and human resource solutions for more than 15 years, offers numerous tools to help employers handle the growing workforce diversity. With tools such as bilingual labor law posters and discrimination training programs, businesses can communicate effectively and reduce legal exposure. For more information, visit www.gneil.com or call 1-800-999-9111 today.

Based in Sunrise, Fla., G.Neil develops and markets thousands of tools to manage and motivate people" to more than one million businesses nationwide. The privately held company specializes in products that keep employers out of court, along with HR forms and software, employment and substance testing, workplace safety solutions, and employee motivation products.

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