Final Project: Training Program Design Project Guidelines: You have been hired to consult at a large corporation on these two projects: 1. Desig
1
Heavenly Honey Corporation
Employee Diversity Training Promoting Gender Sensitivity in the Workplace April 27, 2018
Jane Black University of Maryland University College – PSYC 338
ALL-GEN PERSONALIZED DIVERSITY TRAINING PROGRAMS
2
Table of Contents
Introduction of Training Course Design……………………………….3
Participants………………………………………………………….….4-8
Session One……………………………………………………………..9
Session Two…………………………………………………………….10
Session Three……………………………………………………………11
Session Four…………………………………………………………….12
Session Five…………………………………………………………….13
Session Six………………………………………………………………14
Session Seven……………………………………………………………15
Session Eight……………………………………………………………16
Final Training Report……………………………………………….…..17-18
References………………………………………………………………19
3
Introduction – Training Course Design
The following employee training course was designed by an outside party (All-Gen,
Corp.) to provide model practices for sponsoring a nondiscriminatory workplace for employees
who are female, male, gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual. Gender sensitivity indicates respect
for all individual regardless of his or her gender. Gender sensitivity involves achieving a better
awareness of the needs, ambitions, abilities, and professional value of ALL employees without
prejudice of gender. A gender sensitive workplace generates the right atmosphere to achieve
optimal utilization of each human potential in the work environment setting.
The training will involve 12 participants in different levels of management and
administrative positions within the corporation. The participants are various gender, sexual
orientation, and ages. The training course goal is to create an atmosphere where all employees
are treated with dignity and respect. The objective of the course is to create an awareness among
the working professionals about the importance of gender sensitivity in the workplace. Each of
the 12 participants were asked to provide gender sensitivity concerns in advance which they have
come across in their professional career. The training sessions were designed utilizing a training
needs assessment aided in identifying and prioritizing what capacities (knowledge, attitude and
skill) the training should focus on. These concerns and issues were implemented into the
development of the general structure of the training course. The course is divided into eight, two-
hour sessions with each session designed to assist in understanding and recommending measures
on how the organization can take action to become more gender sensitive on the employee
provided aspects of gender diversity.
4
Participants
James Coleman, Chief Executive Officer – 54-year-old married, white male
with three children. Son of Milton Coleman, founder of the Heavenly Honey
Corporation. James was born and raised in Thomasville, Georgia. James
attended Georgia Southern University Business College where he earned his
MBA. James has successfully grown the business from his father’s small home town company to
a major East Coast corporation. James’ gender concern is finding ways to bring men into the
conversation on gender equality and how to take steps toward breaking down those expectations
of both genders. James also wants to make sure his company employees have a firm
understanding of all forms of sexual harassment.
Jennifer Coleman, Chief Financial Officer- 53-year-old married, white
female with three children. Jennifer is married to the CEO of the corporation,
James. Jennifer and James met at GSU during her senior year of college where
she earned a Master of Science in Applied Economics. Jennifer has worked the
corporation since college graduation. She has taken maternity leave three separate times with
each of her children. Jennifer’s concerns are the challenges working women face with balancing
domestic workloads and children responsibilities. Jennifer feels she works as much and as hard
as her husband but does not get the same down time at home as he does.
Derrick Johnson, Vice President of Operations – 62-year-old married black
male with six children. Derrick has been with the corporation for 43 years, where
he started out working in the field alongside the founder Milton as a right-hand
man. Derrick is the one who makes sure company operations flow smoothly and
5
economically. Derrick is responsible for making certain that necessary work is done properly and
on time. He has a full understanding of details of the business from the bottom up. Derrick has
concerns with the fight for gender equality, saying women have become too obsessed with the
fight against sexual harassment and assault and is worried that some men might be wrongly
accused He is worried that the push for gender equality is moving too far, too fast and has
concerns about the possibility that men may face false allegations.
David Guildsman, Marketing Manager – 39-year-old white male. David is a
gay man in a five-year committed relationship. David started working for the
company eight years ago. David started out as assistant marketing manager and
was promoted to manager four years ago. David and his partner Ivan have
decided to adopt a child in the upcoming months. David has concerns with being able to take
adequate paternity leave. He feels more policies are needed to ensure fathers have the support
they need to prioritize their family responsibilities, while also meeting work demands.
Benjamin Munson, Quality Control Manager – 32-year-old white male,
recently engaged. Benjamin worked for a food packing corporation before
coming to the company. Benjamin has a bachelor’s degree in Quality
Management from University of Minnesota. His job is to ensure that
manufacturing production lines run smoothly and generate a consistently suitable output for their
employers. He also supervises the Quality Control functions/activities including quality control
inspection schedules and the collection of quality records. Benjamin has been with the company
for only 9 months. He would like attention brought to the gender role expectations placed on
men to be dominant and powerful, and women to be passive and subservient in the workplace.
6
Jessica Beal, Assistant Quality Control Manager – 40-year-old single,
Hispanic female with no children. Jessica is responsible for handling OSHA
compliance, EPA compliance, monitoring product quality, training of
employees in each of these areas and filing all necessary monthly, quarterly
and yearly reports. Jessica has been with the company for 11 years and was recently passed over
for a promotion to Manager. Jessica would like to discuss the “glass ceiling” effect. The glass
ceiling is the invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from rising to the highest
ranks in a corporation.
Manuel Montalvo, Operations Manager – 38-year-old Hispanic, male.
Manuel is from Puerto Rico and is married with two children. Manuel
obtained his MBA at Stetson University in Florida. Manuel moved the
United States when he was ten years old and lived with his Aunt and Uncle in Florida. Manuel
worked all through high school to put himself through college. Manuel is responsible for the
oversight of the production of goods and services for the business. He deals with multiple
departments, including purchasing, warehousing and manufacturing. His focus is on the
happiness of the clients and customers based on the quality of product they are receiving. Manuel
has a gender sensitivity concern that men in the company do not recognize their male privilege or
see how their passing comments affect their women colleagues. Manuel believes men are not
trained to recognize the signs of sexism.
Clair Sunder, Human Resource Manager – 32-year-old unmarried,
Asian/white female. Clair has a master’s in human resource management from
the University of Alabama. Clair oversees the human resources department and
insures the functions and tasks are being carried out properly by the HR team. Clair is often seen
as the link between the organization’s management and its employees and can provided
7
consultation on strategic planning with top executives to recruiting, interviewing, and hiring new
staff. Clair has concerns that some women have reported higher levels of incivility from other
women than from their male co-workers. Clair believes that women may be mistreating other
women because they are often viewed as competition for advancement opportunities in
companies. Clair worries that women can be part of the “glass ceiling” effect for other women.
Mathew Jenkins, Field Service Manager – 66-year-old white male, married
with three grown children. Mathew oversees employees who travel to work in
sites or in the field. Their main task is to supervise people on a site, ensuring
everyone on the team is performing their responsibilities in the field. Mathew
has concerns about the discrimination against women in the beekeeping jobs which demand
physical strength. He is concerned about discrimination against women seeking such positions.
Buddy Whitman, Lead Field Supervisor – 48-year-old white divorced
male. Buddy joined the company 20 years ago as an apiarist. He now
provides direct supervision of field crew during apiary inspections and
monitors activities. He also assesses project sites to ensure tasks are
completed as directed and provides feedback to workers on their performance. He also trains
junior staff on correct beekeeping techniques. Buddy would like to strengthen the working
relationship between his mostly male and fewer female employees and lead by example. Two
key challenges that face females in this predominately male career is a lack of support from their
colleagues and a lack of equal income.
Naomi Veltz, Assistant Field Supervisor – 32-year-old gay, black, single
female. Naomi has been with the company for 11 years and prides herself on
never missing a day. Naomi is responsible for working with field workers
8
(mainly males) in all aspects of beekeeping work. Naomi performs general beekeeping jobs
requiring manual labor. Naomi’s gender concern is that she must fight twice as hard as her male
counterparts to gain credibility in the beekeeping field. Naomi also mentioned another challenge
which is the “boys’ club” mentality. Women deal with a not fitting in because they are a female.
This can create a tough work dynamic.
Judith McKay, Office Manager – 68-year-old white married female. Judith
has been with the company since the early years. Judith provides both clerical
and administrative support to the office professionals, either as part of a team
or individually. She is involved with the coordination and implementation of
office procedures and frequently has the responsibility for specific projects and tasks. Judith feels
that a gender concern is that it is harder for older women to find jobs than it is for older men.
9
Training Program
Session One Topic: Welcome, Introductions and Brief Review of Gender Equality
The first session of “Promoting Gender Sensitivity in the Workplace Training Program” will
consist of welcoming participants to the training program and having the participants introduce
themselves to the group. The session will discuss how gender identities and gender relations are
critical aspects of culture. The session will touch on the historic changes in conceptions of
gender, and examine femininities, masculinities in their historical context (Wedad Andrada,
2016).. The session will discuss gender inequality as one of the most important challenges in
modern societies, despite the progress and substantial advances that have been made in the past
century. The session will explain the importance of the training program due to the remaining
significant gender gaps in many areas including; the pay gap, social norms and practices,
education, political participation and social institutions (Wedad Andrada, 2016).
Session One Activity: Icebreaker Game, Diversity Bingo
Bingo-type scorecards will be given to each employee and each square should consist of
statements such as "a person who speaks a second language" or "a person who is Catholic." Each
employee must circulate through the workplace seeking to obtain the signature of a person to
whom a statement applies. After a short period of time, the participants will discuss topics such
as which squares were the easiest to fill and what initial perceptions they had about each other
were proven wrong during the game (Fagnani, 2017).
10
Session Two Topic: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
(Addressing James’ concerns with sexual harassment education and how to avoid being
falsely accused)
The session will begin with defining sexual harassment in the workplace. According to
O'Malley, Sellers, & Sherwyn (2017), it is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or
employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or
unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment
of a sexual nature. Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature and can include offensive
comments about a person’s sex (O’Malley, Sellers, & Sherwyn, 2017). For example, it is illegal
to harass a woman by making offensive comments about the female sex in general. The victim or
the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be of the same sex.
Offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious are not illegal, however,
harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work
environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (O’Malley, Sellers, &
Sherwyn, 2017). The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-
worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.
Training Activity: Identifying Sexual Harassment Game – Four Corners.
There will be signs put up in the four corners of the room that say, "Agree," "Disagree,"
"Strongly Agree" and "Strongly Disagree." The trainer will read aloud statements about
harassment, for example, "Women who dress provocatively want to be looked at." The
participants will walk to the corner that best defines thoughts on the statement. The people in
each corner will discuss their choice for a few minutes, then a spokesperson will explain the
group's view. Repeat the process with a new statement (Freeman, 2017).
11
Session Three Topic: Gender Role Bias
(Addressing Jennifer and Benjamin’s concern of gender role expectations at work and
home)
Women’s role as the mother, housekeeper, and supporter has extended into the workplace. The
gender stereotype of men being ambitious and assertive and women as being upportive and
nurturing has shaped what is expected of women in a work environment (Lester, 2008). Often
men are expected to be assertive, confident, and domineering and when lacking such
characteristics are told to develop those skills while women who exhibit the same characteristics
are told to step back and viewed as being too assertive or abrasive. Hidden forms of gender bias
can discourage women to grow beyond constrained clichés because of fear of repercussions
(Lester, 2008). The session will discuss how the company and its employees can take a step in
breaking down gender biases by building a well-rounded team with both men and women in rich
roles that extend beyond the stereotypes. The training will highlight the hidden forms of gender
bias that seeps into performance evaluations, first impressions, maternity bias, and likability
while creating a forum for discussion to diminish its negative effects.
Session Three Activity: Gender Stereotype – Toy Shopping
Have participants shop in the provided toy catalogs for a child who is celebrating her or his 5th
birthday. Half the participants should shop for a girl and half should shop for a boy. Ask the
group to search for toys they thought of themselves (and not just to search for boys or girls toys).
In 5-7 minutes, they should choose a toy to give as a gift to their child. After they have chosen
the toy, each person should individually answer and discuss their purchases. This activity will
give the group a sense of how gender stereotypes are taught early in life and extend into
adulthood (Gender Stereotypes Activity, n.d.).
12
Session Four Topic: The Glass Ceiling
(Addressing Clair and Jessica’s concern of the “glass ceiling” effect)
The session will discuss the term “glass ceiling” which is used to describe the limits placed on
either women or minorities, who are unable to advance in the workplace due to gender and/or
race. Many women claim there are obstacles set in place which keep them from achieving the
success equivalent to men. According to Rahim, Akintunde, Afolabi, & Okikiola, (2018),
common reported obstacles include:
Prejudice: Men are promoted more quickly than women with equivalent qualifications,
even in traditionally female settings such as nursing and education.
Resistance to women’s leadership: People view successful female managers as more
deceitful, pushy, selfish, and abrasive than successful male managers.
Leadership style issues: Many female leaders struggle to reconcile qualities people
prefer in women (compassion for others) with qualities people think leaders need to
succeed (assertion and control).
Family demands: Women are still the ones who interrupt their careers to handle
work/family trade-offs. Overloaded, they lack time to engage in the social networking
essential to advancement.
Session Four Activity: Board Game “A Journey to Gender Equality”
“A Journey to Gender Equality”, a board game to address gender equality. The game is a fun
and strategic board game, involving resources management, strategic thinking and achieves a
good balance between chance, surprise element and strategy. Each player embarks on a journey
to create a society from complete gender inequality to gender equality. Players will experience
the struggle of extreme gender inequality at the first stage of game and gradually feel the benefits
of a gender equal society. (Journey to Gender Equality, 2018).
13
Session Five Topic: Can Men Be Victims of Workplace Discrimination?
(Addressing Derrick’s concern of men becoming victims of reverse discrimination)
Human Resource professionals are familiar with looking out for the warning signs of potential
claims of sex discrimination against women. But what about sex discrimination against men?
This session will discuss examples of how employee and employers’ actions against men can
lead to sex discrimination claims in the workplace (Abel, & Meltzer, 2007).
Common male discrimination complaints:
Asked or expected to handle physically dangerous or difficult tasks
Given less latitude to depart from meetings or other tasks without explanation
Expected to work longer hours or to be more available
Not given the same family-related scheduling flexibility or leave benefits (paternity), or
being disadvantaged or abused for considering or exercising such benefits
Ridiculed, excluded or otherwise disadvantaged by individual colleagues of the opposite
gender.
Workplace environment more supportive of clients of the opposite gender
Treated as potentially dangerous to employees of the opposite gender
Unequal scrutiny of gender-appropriate interest in persons of the opposite gender
Received disapproval rather than support when expressing emotion
Observed a colleague of the opposite gender being hired, retained, supported, or
promoted due to supervisor’s sexual interest
Expected, by supervisors or colleagues, to pursue workplace opportunities to earn money
for the benefit of a nonworking spouse or partner
Session Five Activity: “How Gender Bias Are You?” Pop Quiz
This activity will be performed at the beginning of the session. The quiz can help uncover
everyone’s subconscious beliefs and biases they might not be aware exist. The quiz will be from
Project Implicit, a non-profit organization and international collaboration between researchers
who are interested in implicit social cognition, thoughts and feelings outside of conscious
awareness and control (ProjectImplicit, n.d.). The group will discuss their results before
proceeding to the session’s topic.
14
Session Six Topic: Male Privilege – Real or Imagined?
(Addressing Manuel’s concern of male privilege)
This session will discuss male privilege. Privilege is the advantages that people benefit from
based solely on their social status. It is a status that is conferred by society to certain groups, not
seized by individuals, which is why it can be difficult sometimes to see one’s own privilege.
Male privilege is a set of privileges that are given to men as a class due to their institutional
power in relation to women as a class. While every man experiences privilege differently due to
his own individual position in the social hierarchy, every man, by being read as male by society,
benefits from male privilege (Case, Hensley, & Anderson, 2014).
Session Activity: The Privilege Walk
Throughout the privilege walk, statements are read by the trainer and the participants are asked
to take a step forward or backward based on their responses. This activity forces participants to
confront the ways in which society privileges some individuals over others. It is designed to get
participants to reflect on the different areas in their lives where they have privilege as well as the
areas where they don't. Sample of the questions are:
If your ancestors were forced to come to the USA not by choice, take one step back.
If your primary ethnic identity is "American," take one step forward.
If you were ever called names because of your race, class, ethnicity, gender, or sexual
orientation, take one step back.
If there were people who worked for your family as servants, gardeners, nannies, etc. take
one step forward.
If you were ever ashamed or embarrassed of your clothes, house, car, etc. take one step
back.
If one or both of your parents were "white collar" professionals: doctors, lawyers, etc.
take one step forward.
If you were raised in an area where there was prostitution, drug activity, etc., take one
step back.
15
Session Seven Topic: Non-Traditional Careers
(Addressing Mathew, Buddy and Naomi’s concern of non-traditional occupations)
A non-traditional career is defined as one where more than 75 percent of the workforce is of the
opposite gender or where less than 25 percent of the workforce is of your gender. For women,
many non-traditional careers fall into a few broad categories of jobs: labor-intensive,
scientific/technical, and supervisory. While fewer non-traditional careers are available for men
than for women, these careers tend to involve education, health, and service-related jobs
(McDowell, 2015). The session will address the pros and cons of working in a non-traditional
career and discuss how career choice is significantly influenced by tradition and the way
individuals are socialized. Men and women are often unaware of the variety of alternative
careers that are available to them. This is particularly helpful for individuals responsible for
hiring for a non-traditional position. The session will discuss the benefits of pursuing non-
traditional careers and the positive impact on society. Workers who are among the first of their
gender to succeed in a non-traditional career can open the door for others to follow (McDowell,
2015).
Session Seven Activity: Show and Tell
Show and tell can be a fun, low-pressure way to help people learn about each other. The
participants were asked in the previous session to bring in a non-traditional article placed in the
provided bag which reflected something about themselves (favorite recipe, an interesting article,
a family photo). At the start of the session, the bags with the items are put on a table where the
trainer reveals the item and the group must guess who the item belongs to. The individual with
the most correct guesses wins. This will allow others to see a non-traditional side to each person
in the group.
16
Session Eight – Women and Age Discrimination – The Double Whammy
(Addressing Judith’s concern of Age and Gender discrimination)
Women experience age discrimination in hiring and the inequity intensifies with age. The older
the woman, the less likely she is to hear back from potential employers compared to men.
Women experience discrimination and are seen as "older" at a younger age (Santora & Seaton,
2008). The session will address two possible theories for why older women may suffer from age
discrimination more than older men: one is that age discrimination laws do not deal effectively
with the situation of older women who face both age and gender bias; the other possibility
touches on society’s focus on the physical appearance of women, a scrutiny that does not seem to
similarly impact men (Santora & Seaton, 2008). This final session will also recap the previous
material and have allotted Q&A time.
Session Eight Activity: Office Trivia – Older vs. Younger
The activity will be divided into two groups, 6 of the oldest, and 6 of the youngest members.
Each team will be asked 20-25 trivia questions about their workplace. Ex. "What color are the
kitchen tiles?" "How many people are in the sales department?" "How many windows are there
in the entire office?" "What brand are the computer monitors?" "What month of the year is most
common for birthdays among our employees?" This is a quick team building activity that tests
how observant each team is, and how age might be an advantage in certain situations.
17
Final Training Report
After implementing the training program at Heavenly Honey, our consulting firm, All-Gen, feels
that the participants now have a greater understanding of gender sensitivity in the workplace. We
feel the participants will now be better capable to open up communications between the sexes
and bring a stronger mutual understanding and respect of each other’s roles. Our
Who We Are
We are a professional custom writing website. If you have searched a question and bumped into our website just know you are in the right place to get help in your coursework.
Do you handle any type of coursework?
Yes. We have posted over our previous orders to display our experience. Since we have done this question before, we can also do it for you. To make sure we do it perfectly, please fill our Order Form. Filling the order form correctly will assist our team in referencing, specifications and future communication.
Is it hard to Place an Order?
1. Click on the “Place order tab at the top menu or “Order Now” icon at the bottom and a new page will appear with an order form to be filled.
2. Fill in your paper’s requirements in the "PAPER INFORMATION" section and click “PRICE CALCULATION” at the bottom to calculate your order price.
3. Fill in your paper’s academic level, deadline and the required number of pages from the drop-down menus.
4. Click “FINAL STEP” to enter your registration details and get an account with us for record keeping and then, click on “PROCEED TO CHECKOUT” at the bottom of the page.
5. From there, the payment sections will show, follow the guided payment process and your order will be available for our writing team to work on it.
