Modern organizational management can be conceptualized as a multi-faceted set of practices and tools. It includes a wide variety of aspects of an organization’s life, ranging from the production processes and value mix to organizational culture values. This culture is notoriously difficult to analyze and quantify, as it involves the combination of rituals, customs, and symbols characteristic to an organization. In turn, the culture shapes and determines the internal organizational climate, directly affecting the working atmosphere and, to a lesser degree, conditions for the employees involved. As organizations tend to somewhat replicate the existing social patterns, discriminatory influences frequently compromise organizational climate for the marginalized staff members. This paper attempts to examine the best potential ways of improving organizational climate for the disadvantaged employees on a factor-by-factor basis. The factors included are gender, family status, LGBTQ status, and belonging to a religious minority group.
Gender equity at the workplace has been a major issue in feminist movement since throughout the 20th century and beyond. Its relevancy stems from the structurally facilitated gender inequality in academia that later transpires into working environment, with female employees often being seen as less interested in professional development. Despite the recent societal shift towards progressivism and inclusion, passive acceptance of general changes is insufficient for any major improvements in organizational context (Berberoglu, 2017). To facilitate gender equity though the organizational climate, a company could regularly hold workshops and seminars that openly and positively discuss gender equity. It could additionally introduce policies and events that would promote and encourage gender equity, incorporating it into the overall values of an organization, particularly among male employees (Parthi & Gupta, 2016). Furthermore, a secure and confidential consultation service can be introduced within an organization, that would allow employees to report sexual harassment, which in current situations disproportionally affects female employees. Greater and deliberate exposure of the female employees to local feminist initiatives might also benefit the gender equity at the workplace.
The work-and-family life balance is traditionally difficult to uphold in an effective manner, but the issue is the most relevant for employees with younger children. Childcare organization and a certain degree of volatility in agreements and attendances turn younger children into a role of a disadvantage within modern organizational context. However, the improvement of organizational climate for younger parents among employees is inseparable from certain changes introduced to the perception companies tend to have of children. It is essential that a parent employee understands the company values their contribution to its prosperity. This can be achieved by optimization and modernization of the compensation plan, that ensures parent employees are provided with relevant benefits (Shanker et al., 2017). Such benefits, depending on the resources and managerial style of an organization, might include annual tickets for a family holiday for employees who have worked in the company for over 2 years. Additionally, the company could also ensure its official events are run on an alcohol-free basis and in general are maintained family business.
LGBTQ employees would generally benefit from similar support systems as women employees do, including educational workshops and access to consultation service. Generally, if a company employs a large percentage of the LGBTQ adults, it should consider hiring a corporate mental health consultant. Current statistics indicate the LGBTQ adults are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and perpetrators burnout then their straight peers (Pichler, Rugs & Trau, 2017). Additionally, such systems are helpful in reporting any bigotry or targeted harassment to the HR department, which is then authorized to take the appropriate action.
Religiously marginalized groups of employees frequently experience ostracization and lack of being accounted for in the traditional organizational climate. Officially, the dominant religion in the country of interest does not act as the part of corporate welfare and overall practice, Nevertheless, such concepts as important religious and national holidays, as well as acceptance of certain practices and clothing items are connected to the religious beliefs of an employee. The ways of improving organizational climate for the religiously marginalized staff members include the introduction of Muslim and Jewish major religious holidays into the corporate holiday structure. Perhaps more importantly, the company should also demonstrate appropriate attention and action to any potential case of harassment on the basis of religion reported on its premises.
In conclusion, organizational climate can be changed by altering the operating policies and guidelines on acceptable and preferable behavior in the firm. The perception of marginalized employees that the dominant staff majority develops is a factor that must be both considered and, if needed, directly challenged. Complacency is unacceptable in the face of any instances of harassment, major and minor, and direct repercussions must follow the accused party. Even from the practical standpoint, the firm’s reaction to an active instance of marginalization is the most obvious way of expressing a position and making a statement. An organizational climate, as already outlined, forms by reflecting the behavioral values that already exist in the firm. Hence, despite the substantial importance placed onto policies, educational initiatives and reporting mechanisms, the key to organizational climate improvement lies in a firm’s readiness to persecute and fire bigotry.
References
Berberoglu, A. (2018). Impact of organizational climate on organizational commitment and perceived organizational performance: empirical evidence from public hospitals. BMC health services research, 18(1), 1-9. Web.
Parthi, K., & Gupta, R. (2016). A study of psychological capital, job satisfaction and organizational climate in telecom sector: A gender perspective. Diviner, a research journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 13(1), 18-27. Web.
Pichler, S., Ruggs, E., & Trau, R. (2017). Worker outcomes of LGBT-supportive policies: a cross-level model. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 36(1), pp. 17-32, Web.
Shanker, R., Bhanugopan, R., Van der Heijden, B. I., & Farrell, M. (2017). Organizational climate for innovation and organizational performance: The mediating effect of innovative work behavior. Journal of vocational behavior, 100, 67-77. Web.