Our workforce is comprised of employees who possess varied work styles, disabilities or who represent different cultures or generations. It is so important for us to understand that we are all different and that workplace diversity should foster mutual respect among each other.
We never want any of our staff to be marginalized due to race, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or any other protected class. Not only is this discrimination unethical and illegal, it also has serious consequences to the employer. It is not one of the company’s core values and there is zero tolerance for any such behavior.
We ask you to acknowledge others’ differences and in doing so you may find similarities, particularly when we have common goals. This instills a sense of teamwork and makes the company a fun place to work.
Diverse teams give us an opportunity to learn about different cultures and backgrounds. Employees learn from co-workers whose work styles may vary or whose attitudes about work varies from their own. We can see this particularly with multigenerational staff and employees with disabilities.
Let’s all stop and think about what we say and do. It’s so important as you never know whose feelings you may hurt without even knowing it. If someone says something to you that you may find offensive, let them know that what they said was inappropriate. If you don’t say anything, they will never learn.
I was recently on a cruise where there were 3000 crew members from 57 countries. Imagine the diversity onboard that ship and yet everyone worked together for a common cause without incident. Everyone’s goal was to give the passengers the best experience they could. Let’s show the world that we can do the same no matter how diverse our staff may be; that we can have fun doing it and we can provide the best possible service to our customers.
Barbara Flynn
