Why Diversity Matters
What is diversity?
What do we mean when we speak of diversity at the University
of California, Berkeley? The Staff Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Compliance Office offers
one definition:
"Diversity refers to human qualities that are different from our own and those of groups to which we belong; but that are manifested in other individuals and groups. Dimensions of diversity include but are not limited to: age, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, military experience, parental status, religious beliefs, work experience, and job classification."
Diversity as a concept focuses on a broader set of qualities than race and gender. In the context of the workplace, valuing diversity means creating a workplace that respects and includes differences, recognizing the unique contributions that individuals with many types of differences can make, and creating a work environment that maximizes the potential of all employees.
Diversity is also about having the long term goal that the campus work force should generally reflect the population of the state it serves in all its dimensions.
The relationship of diversity, equal employment opportunity,
and affirmative action
Although equal employment opportunity, diversity, and affirmative
action are all different, they are interrelated. (See Comparison
of Diversity, EEO and AA Chart.) Each is directed toward achieving
equal opportunity in the workplace. Diversity and affirmative action
each broaden the concept of equal employment opportunity in different
ways. Diversity, equal employment opportunity, and affirmative action
together provide a strong foundation for the University's efforts
to achieve a fair and inclusive workplace.
Equal employment opportunity
Equal employment opportunity is the core concept that unifies
diversity and affirmative action efforts; that everyone should have
equal access to employment opportunities. The University of California
adheres to state and federal equal employment opportunity laws and
University policy, which prohibit discrimination based on a variety
of characteristics. In addition to race and sex, these characteristics
include: color, national origin, religion, physical or mental ability,
medical condition (cancer-related), ancestry, marital status, age,
sexual orientation, status as a covered veteran, and on the basis
of citizenship (see Nondiscrimination
Policy).
Affirmative action
The basics of affirmative action have been discussed in the
preceding sections of this plan. Affirmative action was developed
because of the need to take "affirmative action" to begin
to reverse historic patterns of employment discrimination against
minorities and women.
Federal regulations governing the University's affirmative action activities require the use of race, ethnicity, or sex in limited circumstances, such as when analyzing the work force to identify areas of underutilization of minorities and women, and establishing goals in affirmative action plans on that basis. When goals exist, the University may undertake targeted recruitment efforts to ensure that underutilized minorities and women are represented in the applicant pool.
Diversity
Diversity is broader than affirmative action and is voluntary
(i.e., it is not "strictly necessary" to incorporate diversity
concepts in order to meet federal requirements) However, the Regents
and Chancellor Berdahl are committed to having a diverse University.
Emphasizing diversity moves the University beyond considerations of
only race and gender in its efforts to achieve an inclusive work environment.
While affirmative action and equal employment opportunity focus on employment practices, the concept of diversity extends to the work environment, including individual attitudes and behaviors. Yet diversity is related to affirmative action and equal employment opportunity, as there is a direct relationship between individual attitudes and behaviors, and employment practices. Diversity workshops can help managers learn a variety of options to enhance diversity, and to understand how to consistently apply fair employment practices and procedures.
Actions that promote diversity for staff are those that lead to a work environment that maximizes the potential of all employees while acknowledging their unique contributions and differences.
Why is diversity important?
Educating managers and staff on how to work effectively in
a diverse environment helps the University prevent discrimination
and promote inclusiveness. There is evidence that managing a diverse
work force well can contribute to increased staff retention and productivity.
It can enhance the organization's responsiveness to an increasingly
diverse world of customers, improve relations with the surrounding
community, increase the organization's ability to cope with change,
and expand the creativity of the organization. In addition to contributing
to these business goals, diversity can contribute to goals unique
to the University as a public institution, such as increased accessibility
and accountability to all residents of the state.
Good management of a diverse work force can increase productivity and enhance the University's ability to maneuver in an increasingly complex and diverse environment.
Fairness vs. equal treatment
Many people think that "fairness" means "treating
everyone the same." How well does treating everyone the same
work for a diverse staff? For example, when employees have limited
English language skills or reading proficiency, even though that limit
might not impair their ability to do their jobs, transmitting important
information through complicated memorandums might not be an effective
way of communicating with them. While distributing such memos to all
staff is "treating everyone the same," this approach may
not communicate essential information to everyone who receives them.
It is easy to see how a staff member who missed out on essential information
might feel that the communication process was "unfair."
A process that takes account of the diverse levels of English language and reading proficiency among the staff might require extra time to make certain that everyone understands an important memorandum. Such efforts on the part of supervisors and managers should be supported and rewarded as good management practices for working with a diverse staff.
Diversity and Demographics
How well is UC Berkeley doing with respect to diversity?
In terms of actual numbers, we are limited to those dimensions of
diversity for which statistical information is collected. While diversity
addresses many dimensions of difference other than race, ethnicity,
sex, and age, statistical information on those dimensions is readily
accessible. It is illuminating, for example, to compare UC Berkeley's
work force with the working age population of the state of California
along the dimensions of ethnicity and age.
For many types of jobs, the percentages of minorities and women in the University work force are substantially less than their representation in the working age population. Even though minorities and women are substantially underrepresented in particular "job groups" compared to their representation in the working age population, they are not considered to be underutilized for affirmative action purposes if the percentage they represent at the University meets or exceeds their availability percentage for the particular job group. Since affirmative action identifies underutilization based on the percentages of minorities and women who already have the requisite skills in specific job areas, underutilization figures present a limited analysis of work force demographics.
For example, if we examine the UC Berkeley availability percentages for a senior management position such as Job Group 2 (Senior Managers), the availability of Hispanics is 3.8% (see the Placement Goals Chart). Hispanics make up 5.3% of this job group in the UC Berkeley work force, so there is no campus underutilization. It would be reasonable to do a statewide recruitment for this level job group, so it is useful to compare the Hispanic availability percentages with actual state labor force figures. While the availability of Hispanics for this job group is 3.8%, Hispanics are 21.3% of the California work force, age 25 and older (see Work Force Comparative Analysis chart, below ). The difference between the availability and actual labor force percentages illustrates the difference between underutilization and underrepresentation.