Home Depot’s Bumpy Road to Equality Essay

Internet/Case Study Assignment1. If foot Depot was correct in that it was not discriminating, but simply fill positions consistent with those who applied for them (and very few women were applying for customer service positions), minded(p) your reading of this chapter, was the firm guilty of discrimination? If so, under what theory?Yes, habitation Depot was accountable of discrimination towards women due to their standards of hiring by reinforcing gender stereotyping make them to be guilty of disparate treatment. The disparate treatment in this type was due to women being treated differently in comparison to their virile co-workers in regards to promotions, pay, and hiring. Female appli ratts who felt discriminated were mainly those who applied for credit lines at bottom blank space Depots West Coast Division. They felt they were being overlooked during hiring and bypassed in fraternity with promotions, salary, and furrow assignments opportunities in spite of appearance the workplace. Home Depot, however, felt they did nothing wrong and declared the unfairness of what they were being accused of was due to most female job applicants having experience as cashiers, so they were placed in similar positions, such(prenominal) as, cashier positions, clerical duties, customer service, and so forth.In addition, their explanation for the higher(prenominal) turnaround in portionage of male employees within the home repair, plumbing, carpentry departments, etc were due to male applicants expressing interest in those type of skilled employment.2. How does this fountain illustrate the application of new engineering to resolution issues that wear neer been tied to technology? Can you think of other ways technology might be used to address variety/EEO/ optimistic deed issues? Home Depot was able to tie technology by solving issues by introducing a Job Preference Program, which provides in-store computer kiosks that allow employees to chip shot job oppor tunities within their workplace and the skill requirements for each position. This system dish ups employees resurrect their skills. In addition, Home Depot offers a web-based learning broadcast which allows employees to summation their product knowledge and eligibility for newpositions. The Job Preference Program has serveed the connection eliminate discrimination and other barriers within the recruitment process.Since its roll-out in 1999, the program has reduced employee turnover and in a single year, female and minorities have attained management positions increased by 28 to 30 percent from earlier periods. This system has also shown to be a huge victory among managers as they feel they are now able to prescreen adequately pendant applicants. Technology can also be used to address diversity/EEO/affirmative action issues by having a systematic process in place which can wait on with gathering, analyzing and documenting information about particular jobs, and personnel inf ormation including but not limiting to disciplinary actions as surface as promotional considerations. For example, a systematic analysis can coiffe each workers job description entailing their salary base range, this way employees tangle witht feel underpaid but satisfactorily compensated amongst their peers performing their said(prenominal) duties.By having such technology in place a confederacy can avoid fines, penalties and costly litigation of unhappy employees feeling discriminated and pursing legal actions. In addition, technology can address some diversity by providing employees with online trains which will enable them to apply to new positions within the workplace and trend their preparation and job skills causing maximum strategic development. Furthermore, with the ease of technology, employers can have the capacity to monitor working conditions to ensure each job is being performed successfully and satisfactory. Technology can also help with affirmative actions, b y doing so, companies can develop tutorial guides which can help employees with a variety solutions to problems within their working environment.Tutorial guides can help improve workforce diversity, by assisting and addressing how one can handle issues among the workplace, for example, guiding employees how to affectively respond to relationships between coworkers of other ethnicity, race, religion, etc.., and how to cope with personality conflicts among others criterias within the workforce. Technology can also help with developing a systemic job analysis tool which can be resourceful to help with useful information for HRM practices. A systemic job analysis will provide useful plans for coordination, for example, determining job qualifications for recruitment purposes, developing training programs, developing writ of execution appraisals rating forms, determining pay ratefactors, and performance standards for productivity improvement to name a few. All in all, technology can only get better with time by utilizing these tools within the workforce by complying with compliances and avoid lawsuits and penalties in the future.