Ensuring that cultural diversity principles remain relevant in the workplace is vital for ensuring that all staff members are treated fairly and enjoy equal opportunities. In the healthcare context, the promotion of cultural diversity may be fraught with challenges due to the presence of workload pressure and the resulting lack of focus on diversity-related concerns (Marcelin et al., 2019). Nevertheless, active enforcement of diversity principles is central not only to the proper functioning of a healthcare team but also the management of diverse populations’ needs. By exposing staff member to a multicultural context and introducing appropriate control tools, healthcare organizations will ensure that cultural diversity standards are fully met.
Need for and Purpose of Equal Opportunity Laws
Equal opportunity regulations represent a crucial part of the legal framework for the current healthcare system. Specifically, regulations such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 ensure that all staff members are provided with the same extent and amount of benefits and opportunities, which prevents discrimination in the workplace (Marcelin et al., 2019). Additionally, legal standards aimed at protecting specific vulnerable categories should be outlined as instrumental to ensuring alignment with core ethical principles and concepts of equality and justice. For instance, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act safeguards the rights of pregnant women in the workplace (Marcelin et al., 2019). Therefore, current regulations must be made aware to staff members so that they could have a clear idea of their rights and opportunities.
Nature of Statutory and Contractual Rights in Employee/Employer Relations
In the economic context, both employees and their employers are entitled to a set of rights that must be complied with as instrumental frameworks for maintaining justice in the organizational context. Specifically, the nature of statutory rights in the workplace is parliamentary since they are granted by the Parliament and imply that staff members cannot be discriminated against on the grounds of protected characteristics (Marcelin et al., 2019). In turn, contractual rights are defined by the agreement signed by the parties involved.
Impact of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) on Healthcare Organizations
The NLRA has a direct effect on the relationships between employees and employers within the healthcare industry. Specifically, the NLRA protects basic rights of staff members in the private sector, therefore, providing guaranteed protection against all forms of discrimination (Marcelin et al., 2019). Therefore, the NLRA has a profound impact on healthcare organizations, minimizing the risks of staff members being discriminated against.
Unconscious Bias as a Cultural Diversity Consideration
Furthermore, the organization will need to take the concept of unconscious bias into account when making relevant decisions. In the healthcare context, unconscious bias may imply a preconceived perception of a specific ethnic group and the resulting failure to address health-related needs of the group in question adequately (Marcelin et al., 2019). Therefore, it is strongly recommended that nursing and healthcare experts should adhere to the established standards of practice and about making personal choices in the workplace.
Implementing Relevant Changes in the Workplace
In order to implement the proposed change in the target organizational context, an appropriate change management model will have to be utilized. Or the purpose of cementing change in the target healthcare environment, one must integrate the principles of Kotter’s 8-Stem Model of Change (Marcelin et al., 2019). The proposed framework suggests that the senses of urgency must be created, followed by the development of a team, building a vision of a culturally competent, patient-oriented service, communicating the vision in question, empowering action, creating short-term wins, building on change, and ensuring that the specified change is maintained (Marcelin et al., 2019). The specified approach will help cement the new standards of care in the nursing setting.
Conclusion
The introduction of elements of a multicultural context into the healthcare setting will allow staff members to acquire the relevant skills and develop the abilities needed to recognize and tend to the needs of diverse patients. As a result, a rapid change in staff members’ attitudes and behaviors will be observed. The specified alterations are expected to increase the extent of understanding of diverse groups’ needs, which, in turn, will enhance the overall quality of care.
Reference
Marcelin, J. R., Siraj, D. S., Victor, R., Kotadia, S., & Maldonado, Y. A. (2019). The impact of unconscious bias in healthcare: how to recognize and mitigate it. The Journal of infectious diseases, 220(Supplement_2), S62-S73. Web.