Workforce diversity issue

Read the article to answer four questions (each question should be answered in 3-6 sentences)

Questions:

1. Why is Alliant so committed to workforce diversity? How will this benefit the company?

2. Alliant Energy does not publicly report the results of its supplier-diversity initiatives. Do you think it should? What measures should be used to determine if its supplier-diversity initiatives are effective?

3. Do you believe the company is forcing the issue of diversity? Is it necessary to make diversity training mandatory for all employees? Explain your answer.

4. Independent surveys suggest that companies cannot easily quantify the effects of diversity. How would you suggest that Alliant measure the costs and benefits of having a diverse workforce?

Answer preview

As much as independent surveys reveal that quantifying the effects of diversity is not easy, Alliant could achieve this by evaluating short-term outcomes like performance improvement. For instance, in teamwork activities, this may involve employees with diverse skills and cultural backgrounds. Hence, the performance measures in each team would help determine the costs and benefits of a diverse workforce (Martin, 2014). Further, the company can evaluate records of reported discriminatory cases after the training forums. Limited or low unfair treatment cases could reveal the costs and benefits of diversity.

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