Diversity Training Program

    Develop a Diversity Training Program You are the director of the human resource development department of a city with a population of 105,000. Your city provides its citizens with a full array of services, including police, fire, water, sanitation, roads, parks, and recreation. Your city employs some 750 employees, including 150 police officers. Over the past 20 years, there has been an influx of recent Spanish-speaking immigrants into this city, which used to be predominantly White, with about a 5 percent African American population. Given the increasing diversity in the city’s labor force, the city’s workforce has also become much more diverse than it has historically been. However, in recent years, you have observed and received reports that racial/ethnic cliques have developed in the workplace and led some employees to believe that the workplace is no longer as tight knit as it once was. In addition, members of the Spanish-speaking and African American communities have increasingly pointed out in city council meetings that the police treat them differently than other citizens and do not provide them with the same level of courtesy and respect as members of the White community receive. The values of tolerance, dignity, and fairness were underlying issues in the most recent election for city council. The new council has requested that the chief administrative officer develop a program of diversity training to heighten awareness of the value of differences in the workforce and the community. The CAO calls you into the office and asks you to work on a proposal. Develop a proposal that includes a plan for assessing the need, designing the program, and evaluating it. What opportunities for success and potential problems do you anticipate with the training program?