Lets Be Lefties For The Day Essay

Today I participated in an assignment designed to help the student to â€Å"accept that discrimination exists â€Å" (DeVry College, 2014, week one lecture, p.3). In our society the majority of people are right handed therefore everything is constructed to accommodate that, versus the small minority of people whom happen to be left-handed. Spending the day as a left-handed person was a challenge and lead to a lot of frustration and unaccomplished tasks. I was forced to think about different ways to do things, and also acknowledge how other people may perceive my capabilities and me. Loosing the use of my right hand was debilitating to me. I could not write down anything that was legible, my hand writing resembled that of a child. Trying to eat my lunch was interesting, it comes natural to cut your food with the knife in your right hand, but it’s quite awkward when you use your left hand. Just has an experiment, the whole experience been quite comical to watch myself struggle with the simplest of things. However I did reflect on how other people would see me and how it would affect my performance at work. How would my boss react if she saw me struggling with different tasks? How would she handle it? How would I want it handled? Would I be discriminated against because I was in a minority group? â€Å"Discrimination is the result of longstanding practices and/or behaviors that have a negative impact on members of subordinate groups† (DeVry College, 2014, week one lecture, p.2). We all know that people can adapt and learn different ways. it is crucial to be aware of diversity in a work place. Diversity is in every aspect of our life’s the workplace. America is made up of hundreds of different ethnicities and definitions of self. It is important that managers and professionals relate and understand the cultures, ethnic and gender differences. But Affirmative Action and the Department of Labor have made it more difficult for employers and companies to discriminate against a  person on the grounds of cultural, ethnic and gender differences. The American workplace has no choice but to adapt and embrace diversity. The U.S Department of the Interior mandates that all managers and supervisors have a minimum of 8 hours annually of equal employment opportunity and diversity training. Diversity is a non-stop processes, no two people are exactly the same and each person brings with them different experiences and new ideas (Kirkman &Shapito, 2001). By providing education and training to the managers it helps foster more cultural sensitivity and the avoidance of stereotypes. As a supervisor or manager it is important to encourage people to be themselves, because everyone works better when they feel appreciated and accepted. Productivity is important to every company and performance will improve if people feel supported in their workplace. (Kirkman & Shapito, 2001). References Chamberlain College of Nursing. (2014). SOCS350 Cultural diversity in the professions: Week 1 lecture. Online Publication.f Nursing (2014) Individual discrimination vs Institutional discrimination Lecture Week 1. http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/national-origin.html Kirkman, B., & Shapiro, D. (n.d.). The Impact of Cultural Values on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Self-Managing Work Teams: The Mediating Role of Employee Resistance. Academy of Managment Journal, 3(44), 557-569.