Diversity in the Workplace
Research will show that age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation are just a few of the diverse issues this county faces in today's workforce. Workforce diversity has evolved from sound public policy to a strategic business model. In order to maintain a healthy organization and maintain a high-performing workforce, management must address the vital issues as they relate to diversity and individual behavior.
Age
Within the next few years, the first wave of baby-boomers will be reaching the retirement age. Thirty percent of the Federal workforce will be eligible to retire in five years and an additional twenty percent will most likely volunteer for early retirement. However, that is not to say that fifty percent of the workforce will leave at once. But it does mean that federal agencies must start planning for the workforce of the future. (Department of the Office of Personnel Management, 2005, p. 2) Nationwide, "people 50 years and older account for 85 percent of the projected workforce growth between 1990 and 2005." (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2003, Ch. 4)New Federal employees will most likely not reach the retirement age while working for the federal government. The federal government is working replacing its workforce with contract employees.
"According to research by the Department for Work and Pensions (2001), one in four older people believe that they have suffered discrimination when applying for a job. Nearly half the organizations surveyed employed no staff aged 60 or over; Line Managers, ...