Tolerance, Acceptance, and Welcome -- A Situation for Thought
Please read the situation given below carefully, then tell which statement (a, b, or c) best represents
a position of tolerance, one of acceptance, and one of welcoming.
1.
Where I was raised, I was taught that females have the prerogative to initiate a handshake
with a male. Now I live someplace where I occasionally interact in the workplace with Somali
men, who are taught not to touch females who are not members of their families or to whom
they are not married. As a woman, and knowing this:
a.
I will observe the Somali cultural and religious tradition and not offer my hand, but I
am not happy about it and probably won't do a very good job of hiding my displeasure.
b.
I have no problem with the Somali cultural and religious tradition; I can be satisfied
with knowing I won't be engaging in the kind of greeting I am accustomed to.
c.
I don't mind at all that Somali men may not wish to shake my hand, and I am perfectly
comfortable with waiting to see whether a particular individual takes the initiative to
offer his hand to me in introduction, or not. Either way, I know I can make him feel
welcome in my workplace.
Tolerance, Acceptance, and Welcome -- A Situation for Thought
Please read the situation given below carefully, then tell which statement (a, b, or c) best represents
a position of tolerance, one of acceptance, and one of welcoming.
2.
Our work unit has a relatively new co-worker who is losing her sight due to retinal disease.
She uses a guide dog to navigate. I understand that I am not supposed to speak to the guide
dog or interact with the dog in any way. In my work with this person:
a.
Dog? What dog?! Just kidding! I know not to disturb a working service animal and can
interact with my co-worker comfortably any where in the work setting or when we take
lunch together, attend meetings, chat at the water cooler, and so on. I look forward to
building our working relationship together.
b.
I have no problem with observing the protocol about the guide dog, and expect that my
low-vision co-worker will let me know when she needs something of me related to the
job and the workplace, and I will happily accommodate.
c.
I will observe the protocol about the guide dog and keep my interactions with this coworker to a minimum so as not to do something wrong.
Tolerance, Acceptance, and Welcome -- A Situation for Thought
Please read the situation given below carefully, then tell which statement (a, b, or c) best represents
a position of tolerance, one of acceptance, and one of welcoming.
3.
In the context of a recent workplace discussion, one of my co-workers came out to me as bisexual. I had always assumed this person to be heterosexual, as his son regularly comes up in
casual conversation, and he sometimes speaks of his ex-wife. Knowing this:
a.
I will likely not change my behavior, but will try to remember that his different sexual
orientation may give him a unique perspective on occasion.
b.
I will certainly be respectful of the shared information, even though I wasn't asked to
keep it confidential, and will make every effort to be more inclusive in my attitudes and
actions to avoid unintentionally excluding this person from work unit activities and our
informal interactions. I want to be sure he knows he is a valued member of our team
and that my opinion on that topic remains the same!
c.
I will be more circumspect in my own mention of my family and spouse, and try to avoid
having the topic come up again so as not to make anyone uncomfortable.
Tolerance, Acceptance, and Welcome -- A Situation for Thought
Please read the situation given below carefully, then tell which statement (a, b, or c) best represents
a position of tolerance, one of acceptance, and one of welcoming.
4.
I recently overheard a co-worker tell another employee that he had just turned sixty. I was
very surprised, as this person has always looked and seemed much younger to me. As a person
in my forties, and knowing this:
a.
I will likely not treat him any differently, though I may give his opinion some extra
consideration now that I know he has even more experience here than I thought.
b.
I will certainly view this person differently, and may make less demands of him than I
did when I thought he was in his late forties.
c.
I will likely not treat him any differently -- I mean, why should I? He's still the same
person! He has as much to offer as he ever did, and if he has any limitations, I expect
that he will let us know! I have great respect for the years of experience and service
that older Boomers have accumulated, and I intend to conduct myself in such a way as
to convey that!
Tolerance, Acceptance, and Welcome -- A Situation for Thought
Please read the situation given below carefully, then tell which statement (a, b, or c) best represents
a position of tolerance, one of acceptance, and one of welcoming.
5.
Our work unit has a new employee, with a newly-earned graduate degree in a field directly
related to the work of the unit. She is younger than the others in the unit by fifteen to
twenty years. Knowing this:
a.
I will probably treat her a lot like one of my kids, and wait to see how she grows into
the job.
b.
I will expect her to bring fresh energy and ideas to our work, and that she will let me
know when I can assist her in some way.
c.
I want to be sure she feels included in our work, our decision-making, and the day-today operations of the unit. I want her to know that I am a resource that she can count
on, as well as that I look forward to her contributions to our work! I will seek out ways
to make this happen.
Tolerance, Acceptance, and Welcome -- A Situation for Thought
Please read the situation given below carefully, then tell which statement (a, b, or c) best represents
a position of tolerance, one of acceptance, and one of welcoming.
6.
At work, I interact frequently with people whose first language is not English. Many have a
noticeable accent, which means I sometimes have to work to understand clearly what they are
saying. Sometimes, non-native English-speakers also misunderstand or mis-use words and
phrases such that it calls attention to the fact that English is not their first language.
Knowing this:
a.
I accept that we again live in a multi-lingual environment, and I want to be sure that I
meet others halfway who are not native English-speakers, so that our communication is
adequate and complete.
b.
I find it bracing that we live and work in a multi-lingual environment, and I look forward
to learning from those for whom English is a second or third language. The way I see
it, their efforts to become proficient in English lend me an opportunity to see my own
culture and language in new ways.
c.
I acknowledge that there will be these barriers to communication that we must all work
harder to surmount.
Tolerance, Acceptance, and Welcome -- A Situation for Thought
Please read the situation given below carefully, then tell which statement (a, b, or c) best represents
a position of tolerance, one of acceptance, and one of welcoming.
7.
When I was growing up, my community consisted mostly of families who identified, at least
nominally, with my religious faith. In my workplace today, I know there are co-workers who
are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu, along with observers of American Indian
traditions or other non-doctrinal spiritual traditions. Consequently:
a.
I go about my daily work and don't ever talk about religion or religious and spiritual
beliefs. I really don't want to offend anyone.
b.
I keep myself alert to religious differences that may affect how our agency conducts
business -- whether it be in the timing of meetings or in the way we provide services to
our clients. For example, I make extra effort to give consideration to the possibility
of religious differences when making decisions that affect the work climate as well as
when making decisions that impact delivery of services. I have also set myself the task
of learning more about the practices and underlying beliefs of each group, so that I can
act with an educated awareness to affirm the value of each tradition in my interactions
with co-workers and clients alike.
c.
I value the richness that comes from having a religiously diverse workforce, and expect
that this diversity will assist us in serving our clientele more effectively.
Tolerance, Acceptance, and Welcome -- A Situation for Thought
Please read the situation given below carefully, then tell which statement (a, b, or c) best represents
a position of tolerance, one of acceptance, and one of welcoming.
8.
Our agency employs a significant number of people of color. Over the years, I have heard that
some of our employees of color feel as if their white co-workers are not as friendly towards
them as they are towards other white employees. As a white employee, when I consider this:
a.
I conclude there may be more that I can do personally to make this a more welcoming
environment for employees of color, so I will make sure to greet everyone I know with
more enthusiasm.
b.
I conclude that there may be some truth to that feeling and certainly don't want
people of any sort to feel unwelcome in the workplace, but I really don't see that
there's much I can do to change that. I know I treat everyone pretty much the same
way.
c.
I try to put myself in the place of a person who is surrounded by a sea of faces that
look different from me. I conclude that I can indeed do something personally to make
the environment more welcoming to employees of color as well as to all the people I
come in contact with during the day, and I vow to smile at and greet others, making eye
contact and saying hello, as I encounter others in the workplace, whether I know them
personally or not.
Questions for Discussion:
1.
What were the clues you used to help you in determining the position of each statement? In
other words, what behaviors, attitudes, feelings,or other clues made you conclude that a
position was either tolerant, accepting, or welcoming?
2.
When we look at the business case rationale for diversity in the workforce, which of these
positions -- tolerance, acceptance, welcome -- do you think would best promote the desired
outcomes for an organization with a diverse workforce?
3.
Review the Continuum of Acceptance again. Is it possible for an individual to be at one place
on this continuum and for the organization to be at another? What would the implications of
those differences be?