To improve the relationships between staff members and make their performance more effective, one should ensure that their cultural needs are fully met. These include relationships with other staff members, a company’s policy for hiring new staff, and other components of a multicultural workplace (“Questions frequently asked by Department of Education employees,” n.d.). In the NYC Department of Education, the notion of cultural competence is taken to the next level, with the active sharing of experiences and the significance of addressing culture-related needs being one of the critical aspects of its HRM policies.
However, while the policies of the NYC Department of Education meet the latest standards for inclusiveness, the current situation with the balance of male and female teachers, as well as Caucasian educators and teachers of color, could be improved. Specifically, of 145,000 people that the NYC Department of Education includes, only 23.4% are male, with only 9.3% of them being of different ethnic or racial background (“What is the gender breakdown of NYC teachers?,” 2017). Therefore, the NYC Department of Education could use better strategies for implementing the idea of inclusivity.
The hiring process is based on the application system that allows people with appropriate education levels to enter the NYC Department of Education workplace. Much to the NYC Department of Education’s credit, the process of hiring new staff members is devoid of any potential biases and allows the organization to make choices based solely on applicants’ proficiency. However, given that the current rate of employees of color is still lower than expected, changes may be needed to make the environment even more inclusive.
Given the current mission statement, diversity is highly valued in the organization. However, to encourage a rise in inclusivity, opportunities for career development and the acquisition of new competencies should be offered to employees. Since the organizational culture promotes cultural exchange actively, it is necessary to introduce equal opportunities for every applicant. Coworkers are likely to react positively to the expansion of diversity in the workplace since they are very friendly too and supportive of their peers belonging to other cultures. The introduction of the cross-cultural dialogue contributes to the increase in cultural sensitivity and cultural competence at the NYC Department of Education.
One should mention that the organization is run by a team that can be described as quite diverse. Headed by Richard A. Carranza, the organization welcomes the idea of career opportunities for every employee disregarding their ethnic or cultural background (“DOE leadership and offices,” 2019). Thus, the organization incorporates not only Euro-American but also other cultures and philosophies. The described approach makes the experience of working at the NYC Department of Education very pleasant and invites multiple opportunities for every participant involved. The policies and styles of working accepted at the NYC Department of Education can be described as encouraging knowledge acquisition in employees.
Due to the promotion of the cross-cultural dialogue in the context of the NYC Department of Education, the HRM policies specified workplace can be credited as highly culturally competent. New employees of any ethnic or social background feel welcome at the NYC Department of Education due to the active focus on cultural diversity, with people of color having vast opportunities for being promoted to leading roles in the organization. Nevertheless, the process of building cultural competence should not stop at the achieved goals and strive to maintain gender- and cultural balance within its team.
References
DOE leadership and offices. (2019).
Questions frequently asked by Department of Education employees. (n.d.).