Diversity Training: True or False?

Yesterday’s Advisor provided a quick diversity training exercise on the potential for legal trouble from certain comments managers might make. Today we’ll go over a true-false quiz that could help you in your diversity training.

Before having trainees take the following true-false quiz, inform participants that although there are no specific laws or regulations that require workplace diversity, diversity is—at least in part—about equal opportunity, and provisions of the following federal fair employment laws should be kept in mind:

• Age Discrimination in Employment Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Equal Pay Act, Rehabilitation Act
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

True-False Quiz on Diversity

Decide whether to break up into groups or to have trainees individually determine the best answer to each statement. Then, regroup and compare answers with those in the next section.

1. Diversity encompasses not only commonly recognized differences, such as race, sex, and religion, but also less obvious, individual differences, such as social style, political beliefs, and mode of dress. True or False
2. The goal of diversity is to erase individual differences from our minds, workplace, or society. True or False
3. In harassment cases, it’s the intent that counts. If the manager was just joking, everyone should calm down and forget it. True or False
4. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals aged 40 and over. True or False
5. A hostile work environment cannot be created by such things as jokes or suggestive comments. True or False
6. Only a supervisor or coworker can commit harassment against an employee. The laws don’t cover outsiders. True or False
7. Denial of employment to an applicant is a tangible employment action, but a demotion is not. True or False
8. Occasional teasing that is not severe or pervasive generally is not considered harassment. True or False
9. In order for an act to be illegal harassment, it must happen again and again. A single incident isn’t enough to make a case out of. True or False

Answers to Diversity Quiz

1. True. Diversity can encompass a variety of individual differences.
2. False. Diversity is not total assimilation. Its goal is to enhance individual differences so that respect and dignity in the workplace are achieved.
3. False. Intent doesn’t matter. What counts is what the recipient feels about the action.
4. True. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 generally prohibits employers with 20 or more employees from discrimination in employment on the basis of age. Individuals aged 40 and over are protected by the ADEA.
5. False. Such factors often contribute to hostile work environment.
6. False. A client or customer of an employer can also commit harassment against the employer’s employees.
7. False. Tangible employment actions include: denial of employment or promotion, a reassignment with significantly different responsibilities, and a demotion.
8. True. Occasional teasing generally will not result in a finding of unlawful harassment. But that doesn’t mean you should condone it.
9. False. With more egregious acts, particularly involving a physical assault, one incident can be enough to win a lawsuit.

 
Diversity training may not be one of the most exciting topics to attract the attention of your employees, but it is critical to the success of your organization.