Diversity in the Workplace

A main objective of the company is to create an environment that is not only culturally diverse, that environment is also friendly. The environment is one where all employees and guests of the cruise line are comfortable with the diversity, and everyone can enjoy the differences. (osu.edu 13Nov05)

A first step in this action plan is a survey to determine where the diversity in the company comes from and whether or not the company is meeting the needs of such a diverse group of employees as expected. In order to keep the survey up-to-date, it will be given to new hires. A similar survey will be given to cruise guests the last night of their stay. The information from the survey can then be entered into a database, enabling reports to be run on a scheduled, continued basis. The results of this survey will help the company to continually improve its service both to employees and customers. (thurrock.gov.uk 13Nov05)

Step two involves one of the most important factors to any successful business, and that is employee input. The company will set up “idea” boxes, encouraging employees to offer opinions and ideas for improving both employee and customer relations, while recognizing that diversity is a strength that adds to the success of the company, coming from the education and experiences of the employees. (fdic.gov 13Nov05)

Training is of utmost importance. If the company does not tell the employees what its expectations are, those expectations will be failed. Therefore, each month a cultural training session will be held. These sessions will focus on the way of life of each culture represented on the ship. The employees with that month’s cultural background will be encouraged to participate and answer the questions of their fellow employees. This will allow the employees to feel pride in their own cultural heritage, while encouraging respect from other employees.

To further encourage respect among cultures, while not making diversity a hassling or boring subject, the company