The Diversity Code: Unlock the Secrets to Making Differences Work in the Real World

The most diligent compliance with laws and regulations can't foster true work place diversity. The best organizations have become genuine cross-cultural communities that believe equally in reconciling differences and valuing them. To that end, The Diversity Code promotes understanding by answering many of the toughest questions that professionals and their employers are often afraid to ask, including:



. How do you define diversity-what it is and isn't?

. Am I safe simply following the law?

. Can't we just acknowledge that we are the same and different-then get on with our work?

. How do I handle diversity problems on my staff-or worse, with people who outrank me?

. What do I do if I'm accused of something?

. How do I institute change without ticking people off?



Each chapter begins with a challenging question, which the author answers based on years of experience as a diversity expert and attorney, and concludes with a real-world scenario and a chance for readers to test themselves on their knowledge.

Michelle T. Johnson is creator of the Diversity Diva newspaper column, a former employment attorney, and author of Working While Black. Her diversity workshop clients have included Wal-Mart, H&R Block, and several municipalities.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: So What Is the Diversity Code, Anyway? 1

1 How Do You Define Diversity? 9

2 Can You Tell Me What Diversity Isn’t? 25

3 What Is the Basic Law on Discrimination? 37

4 How Do Diversity Issues Differ from Discrimination? 49

5 Shouldn’t I Just Have to Worry About What the Law Requires Me to Worry About? 61

6 Why Isn’t It Enough to Just Acknowledge the Ways in Which People Are the Same? 71

7 Doesn’t Figuring Out Everybody’s Differences at Work Take Too Much Time Away from Work? 79

8 Do White Guys Even Have to Worry About Diversity Since They Don’t Have Any? 89

9 If I’m a Member of a Minority Group or Have a Best Friend or Spouse Who Is, Then I’m Covered on Diversity, Aren’t I? 101

10 How Do I Figure Out How to Hear the Differences Around Me? 111

11 How Do I Avoid Overstepping, Being Too Personal, or Creeping into Sexual Harassment Territory? 121

12 Doesn’t Understanding a Difference Mean That I’m Accepting Something That I Don’t Necessarily Support? 131

13 How Can I Tell Whether My Company Is Really Diverse or If It’s Just Saying It Is? 143

14 Is There Some Point Where My Company’s Problem with Diversity Starts Being My Problem? 151

15 When I See a Problem with Diversity, How Do I Go About Addressing It? 161

16 Isn’t Instituting Real Change Bound to Tick Someone Off? 171

17 If I’m the One Being Accused of Cultural Insensitivity or Worse, Aren’t I Already Screwed? 183

18 How Do I Really Call Someone Out on Their Mess When They Have More Rank Than I Do? 197

19 As a Department Head or Supervisor, How Do I Really Get People Past Conflicts in the Workplace Once They Have Escalated Badly? 205

20 What Is the Purpose of a Company’s Annual Diversity Report? 213

21 As a Company, When Do We Know When We Have Actually Achieved Diversity? 225

Conclusion 235

Index 237

Table Of Contents

About Michelle T. Johnson