Chapter 4 - Legal Requirements And Managing Diversity

Front 1

Alternate work arrangements

Back 1

Nontraditional work arrangements (e.g., flextime, telecommuting) that provide more flexibility to employees, while Meeting organizational goals.

Front 2

Apprenticeships

Back 2

A form of on-the-job training in which junior employees learn a trade from an experienced person.

Front 3

Awareness training

Back 3

Training employees to develop their understanding of the need to manage and value diversity.

Front 4

Bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR)

Back 4

A justified business reason for discriminating against a member of a protected class.

Front 5

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Back 5

Federal law enacted in 1982, guaranteeing individuals equal rights before the law.

Front 6

Canadian Human Rights Act

Back 6

A federal law prohibiting discrimination.

Front 7

Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC)

Back 7

Supervises the implementation and adjudication of the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Front 8

Communication standards

Back 8

Formal protocols for internal communications within an organization to eliminate sex/gender, racial, age, or other biases in communications.

Front 9

Concentration

Back 9

A condition that exists when a department or employer has a greater proportion of members of a protected class than are found in the employer's labour market.

Front 10

Core dimensions of diversity

Back 10

Age, ethnicity and culture, sex/gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and capabilities.

Front 11

Cultural norms

Back 11

Values and norms that determine behaviours of individuals and groups in different cultures.

Front 12

Diversity audits

Back 12

Audits to uncover underlying dimensions, causes, interdependencies, and progress-to-date on diversity management matters.

Front 13

Diversity committee

Back 13

A committee entrusted to oversee diversity efforts, implement processes, and serve as a communication link.

Front 14

Diversity training programs

Back 14

Training programs aimed at importing new skills to motivate and manage a diverse workforce.

Front 15

Duty to accommodate

Back 15

Requirement that an employer must accommodate the employee to the point of "undue hardship."

Front 16

Employment Equity Act

Back 16

Federal law to remove employment barriers and to promote equality.

Front 17

Employment equity programs

Back 17

Developed by employers to undo past employment discrimination or to ensure equal employment opportunity in the future. Called affirmative action programs in the United States.

Front 18

Glass ceiling

Back 18

Invisible, but real obstructions to career advancement of women and people of visible minorities, resulting in frustration, career dissatisfaction, and increased turnover.

Front 19

Harassment

Back 19

Occurs when a member of an organization treats an employee in a disparate manner because of that person's sex, race, religion, age, or other protective classification.

Front 20

Managing diversity

Back 20

Ability to manage individual employees with different cultural values and lead teams made up of diverse employees.

Front 21

Mentoring programs

Back 21

Programs encouraging members of disadvantaged groups (e.g., women) to work with a senior manager who acts like a friend and guide in achieving career success.

Front 22

Natural justice

Back 22

Minimum standards of fair decision making imposed on persons or bodies acting in a judicial capacity.

Front 23

Old boys' network

Back 23

Set of informal relationships among male managers providing increased career advancement opportunities for men and reinforcing a male culture.

Front 24

Paradigm shift

Back 24

Fundamental change in a paradigm, e.g., shift from paper filing systems to electronic information storage and retrieval.

Front 25

Provincial human rights law

Back 25

All provinces have their own human rights laws with discrimination criteria, regulations, and procedures.

Front 26

Reasonable accommodation

Back 26

Voluntary adjustments to work or workplace that allow employees with special needs to perform their job effectively.

Front 27

Regulations

Back 27

Legally enforceable rules developed by governmental agencies to ensure compliance with laws that the agency administers.

Front 28

Secondary dimensions of diversity

Back 28

Education status, language, and income levels.

Front 29

Sexual harassment

Back 29

Unsolicited or unwelcome sex- or gender-based conduct that has adverse employment consequences for the complainant.

Front 30

Skill-building training

Back 30

Training employees in interpersonal skills to correctly respond to cultural differences at the workplace.

Front 31

Stereotyping

Back 31

The process of using a few observable characteristics to assign someone to a preconceived social category.

Front 32

Support groups

Back 32

Groups of employees who provide emotional support to a new employee who shares a common attribute with the group (e.g., racial or ethnic membership).

Front 33

Systemic discrimination

Back 33

Any company policy, practice, or action that is not openly or intentionally discriminatory, but has an indirect discriminatory impact or effect.

Front 34

Underutilization

Back 34

A condition that exists when a department or employer has a lesser proportion of members of a protected class than are found in the employer's labour market.

Front 35

Workplace diversity

Back 35

Includes important human characteristics that influence employee values, their perceptions of self and others, behaviours, and interpretations of events.