SOCS 350N Week 8 Discussion: Appreciating Our Differences

SOCS 350N Week 8 Discussion: Appreciating Our Differences Auditing A Website For Cultural Diversity Websites convey the culture of a department through content, design, & structure & are the official face ...

SOCS 350N Week 8 Discussion: Appreciating Our Differences Auditing A Website For Cultural Diversity Websites convey the culture of a department through content, design, & structure & are the official face a department presents to the world (Burack & Franks, 2006). A website can also provide a glimpse into how diverse an organization is. With more accessible information on the Internet, consumers are now able to research just how diverse these companies claim to be. Broward Health is a nationally recognized system in South Florida that has been providing quality care for more than 75 years. According to the companies website, they serve a multicultural & multilingual patient population & are committed to delivering culturally competent care (browardhealth.org). I will audit this companies website to determine whether Broward Health is serious about its commitment to diversity. I will research the websites commitment to diversity through the design, contents & graphics displayed on the companies website. I will also discuss the perception that prospective employees, customers or suppliers might have after analyzing the website. How Accessible is the Diversity-Related Information The best way for companies to communicate diversity on their corporate websites is to be transparent, dedicate a single webpage to diversity, & provide realistic pictures (Nordquist, E. P., 2014). After reviewing Broward General Health’s website, the diversity related material was quickly accessible. Just typing the word diversity on the search page, led to information regarding how diverse the company is. The page stated that, “As a world class community healthcare organization, a key employer, & supporter of a strong business climate in Broward County, home to people of various cultures & diverse backgrounds, we are committed to embracing the needs of our diverse & culturally vibrant community” (browardhealth.org). The organization does provide a direct link to the company’s diversity information. It can be found in the “Who we are” tab. Scroll down to “More about Broward Health” & there is where the direct link is located. The link was quickly & easily accessible. The search yielded information regarding the organizations views on diversity. This section contains information on the company’s commitment to diversity, its diversity programs & the services they provide. Primary Dimensions There is a link to their career page for those that are interested in joining their diverse organization. They have a workforce diversity program that has been recognized as a leader in this arena & were presented with the Freedom to Compete Award for its efforts in Workforce Diversity (browardhealth.org). This award is presented by the U.S. Equal employment Opportunity in which supports the primary dimensions of diversity. The primary dimensions consist of age, gender, & race, which are things that an individual cannot usually modify (DeVry, 2017). Secondary Dimensions Diversity is not only limited the workplace, but also to the patients they serve. They offer services to patients from various cultures & diverse backgrounds. An International Program was developed to provide comprehensive, quality healthcare services to patients from around the world (browardhealth.org). International patients include some of those listed in the secondary dimensions of diversity. The secondary dimensions consist of geographic location, military & work experience, family status, income, religion, first language & education (DeVry, 2017). Evaluation of the Usefulness of the Diversity-Related Information The diversity related information provided on this organizations webpage, is valuable to potential employees, customers & potential partners & suppliers Potential Employees Broward Health has a Workforce Diversity Department dedicated to workforce diversity & delivering culturally competent care (browardhealth.org). This is important because, according to the Houston Chronicle, “With more ethnically & racially diverse people entering the labor market, companies will have to develop more comprehensive strategies to overcome racial & ethnic barriers as well as stereotypes” (Dauber, S., 2015). Potential Customers For potential customers, Broward Health has a Diversity Program, which offers a variety of services to their diverse community. Their dedicated leadership supports & assures that progress & outcomes at all levels are the foundation of their commitment to being the best at diversity (browardhealth.org). Having a diversity program may be beneficial in attracting potential customers. “The more customers pay attention to the information on a corporate website, the more likely they are to perceive the company as socially responsible” (Nordquist, E.P., 2014). Potential Partners/Suppliers Broward Health offers a Supplier Diversity Program in which provides accessibility to all diverse vendors seeking procurement opportunities. They are partnered with local supplier diversity councils such as the Southern Florida Minority Supplier Development Council & the Women's Business Development Council of Florida (browardhealth.org). This is important because, a business that is known for its policies regarding diversity can benefit by attracting customers who want to buy from an ethical, socially responsible business & can also attract shareholder interest (O’neill, R., 2016). Organizations Commitment to Values & Mission On their website, Broward Health states that their mission is to provide quality healthcare to the people they serve & support the needs of all physicians & employees (browardhealth.org). Broward Health’s website presents a commitment to their values & mission. This is evident in the images & statements the organization displays throughout their website. Maintaining transparency & presenting an accurate corporate image, supported by the company’s mission, values, rules, & procedures, proves of the corporation’s commitment to diversity (Nordquist, E.P., 2014). The website provides information on diversity that is easily accessible, current & representative of a diverse group. Appropriateness of the Photographs & Graphic Material Websites should provide lots of pictures, realistic ones & should give viewers a perspective of what an ordinary day looks like in the organization (Nordquist, E. P., 2014). Throughout the Broward Health website, the images portrayed are that of a diverse workplace. The link between the verbal content & the images is related to the diversity material provided by the organization. The images depict people of different ages, races, & gender providing evidence of Broward Health’s’ commitment to diversity & a multicultural workplace. After a thorough search of the website, I did find a few photographs that were reused, but it was very small in comparison to how many pictures were displayed on the website. Perceptions As a potential employee, I would feel encouraged to apply for a position at Broward Health. The pictures displayed on their career page shows their commitment to diverse group of employees. They also state that they are committed to ensuring that all employees respect the differences among us (browardhealth.org). A well designed website may encourage a potential c&idate to apply, whereas a poorly designed one certainly won’t attract c&idates, & may turn a c&idate away (Burack & Franks, 2016). As a potential customer/patient, I would feel compelled to come to Broward Health, especially after watching the videos available on their website regarding some of the many diverse patients they have helped care for. Broward Health also offers many community events for seniors, young women & fitness classes for people of all ages & gender. Proving once again, this organizations commitment to diversity. Potential partners can get the perception that this organization is a respectable & well- recognized company with a solid commitment to diversity. Which is evident in their Supplier Diversity Program & their underst&ing that supplier diversity increases competition by widening the vendor pool & makes for good business practices (browardhelath.org). Internal Management Issues Internal management issues may affect the prominence of diversity within an organization. After a thorough audit of Broward Health’s website, I was not able to identity any issues of administration issues. The audit showed the company’s commitment to diversity by providing programs, a diverse workforce & integrated diversity initiatives. To benefit from diversity, organizations & corporate leaders need to support policies & programs that help to make all employees feel included & valued (Harvey & Allard, p.324, 2015). Diversity Awards Organizations are becoming more & more diverse. In order to recognize those in the corporate community who have done so much to further diversity are awarded with diversity awards. These awards recognize the efforts of organizations nationwide that have reinforced their commitment to diversity. Diversity awards are based on an organization’s performance. According to Harvey & Allard, the criteria for selecting diversity awards differs from how much money an organization spent on minority vendors & community outreach events, the number of their workforce members registered in employee affiliation or resource groups, whether or not the organization has a diversity council, etc (Harvey & Allard, p.353, 2015). There are many benefits to the organization for having a diversity award. These gains include an increase in shareholder return, productivity, revenue & growth. Although there is no proof of capital gain, organizations are increasingly convinced that diversity efforts do indeed affect the bottom line (Harvey & Allard, p. 364, 2015). Broward Health has been awarded SunServe's "LGBTQ Business Friendly" Certification. SunServe, a non-profit social services agency serving the LGBTQ community in South Florida, sponsors this award. The company offers education & training for organizations committed to providing culturally relevant service to the gay community of South Florida (sunserve.org). Proving, once again, Broward Health’s commitment to providing a diverse organization. National awards are viewed as badges of quality & bestow credibility & high visibility, proving that the most important resource for companies over the next 20 years will be the diversity among its employees (Harvey & Allard, p. 364, 2015). Conclusion Corporate websites are an extension of corporate culture & not only be used as a public relations tool in presenting a company positively, but also give a realistic depiction of the company itself & what occurs off-line (Nordquist, E.P., 2014). An audit of Broward Health’s website provided a great deal of information regarding the company’s belief about diversity. The diversity-related material was quickly & easily accessible. There is a direct link from the homepage. The images displayed throughout the website are indicative of a diverse organization & are linked to the verbal content around them. The information provided in the website is relevant & current. The mission & vision statements are related to their beliefs about diversity. The website also provided transparency about their organization. Improving & incorporating transparency in corporate websites allow current employees, future employees, investors, media, & customers to have a truthful view of the company, rather than making assumptions (Nordquist, E.P., 2014). The organization listed all of their awards in which included one directly related to diversity on their webpage. This organization website is inviting to all prospective employees, customers, & potential vendors to join their diverse organization. The website displayed an organization that values having a diverse workplace that is beneficial to everyone involved, including clients & customers. Having a diverse team can provided access to a multitude of perspectives & can provide opportunities to share knowledge & creativity which may be beneficial to the performance & productivity of the organization. References Become Sunserve Certified. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from http://www.sunserve.org/ Broward Health | Hospitals, Urgent Care Centers, Outpatient Clinics, & Community Health Centers in Broward County. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2017, from http://www.browardhealth.org/ Burack, C., & Franks, S. E. (2006, June). Evaluating STEM department websites for diversity. In WEPAN 2006 Conference Proceedings. Harvey, C. P. & Allard, M. J. (2015). Underst&ing & Managing Diversity (6th ed.). Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson The Houston Chronicle, Dr. &rea S. Dauber (2015), How Will the Issue of Cultural Diversity Increase in Importance & Affect the Workplace? Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/issue-cultural-diversity-increase-importance-affect-workplace- 22959.html Nordquist, E. P. (2014). Diversity & Inclusion: An Analysis of the Best Companies to Work for & Fortune 100 Companies' Websites. O'Neill, R. (2016). The Importance of a Diverse & Culturally Competent Workforce Busidate, 24(3), 9.