The benefit of cultural diversity in an organization has talent and wisdom from
many different groups of people. This knowledge and perspective help
organizations tap into talent that they may never have thought to look for in other
groups. Having a DEI program can help organizations attract new prospects as well
as encourage current employees to get ahead (Talent Intelligence, n.d.). From the
information of The Gateway Healthcare System Case Study, each facility has
diversity, equity, and inclusion issues to solve to build one cohesive culture of
tolerance and understanding. St. Catherine's has an ethnically diverse staff and
patient base but can do more to encourage persons with disabilities to apply. St.
Luke's has diversity in terms of age and that is about it. Even with the age
differences, there is little effective communication between the ages. Hickman has
very little diversity and have no plans to address it. a The cultural diversity
education plan will be developed as follows:
• An assessment of the diversity needs of each facility.
• Educate all staff on the mission of the combined healthcare system and the
need for diverse work culture.
• Train the managers on diversity, equity, and inclusion so they can attract
and interview new and more diverse talent. They will also train their
subordinates and new hires. They can also help in creating /updating the
employee handbook.
• New hires will receive training over two days, each several hours to
address different DEI concepts. Those concepts will include education
about different cultures, religions, genders, disabilities, and how to
respectfully share workspace and conduct yourselves in group settings.
They will be given the employee manual.
• Mentors will be paired with new hires, so knowledge and ideas can be
shared across diversity lines (Talent Intelligence, n.d.).
• Educate all staff on the importance of abiding by state and government
standards when it comes to DEI, and the accommodations that need to be
made.
• Repeat training annually, as updates and best practices change.
The progress of the DEI program can be evaluated through annual assessments of
department managers, and employees. By assessing employees, you will know if
your program is working or if more needs to be done (Grebner, 2017),
References
Grebner, L. A (2017). Management of Health Information: Functions and Applications. Cengage Learning.
Talent Intelligence (n.d.). The Top 7 Elements Your Diversity Program Should Include. Retrieved 8/4/2022
from https://www.talentintelligence.com/the-top-7-elements-your-diversity-program-should-include/
