Friday Links – April 24, 2009

The Value of Those Who “Stand Out”
Creative Class
“Workplace teams with “socially distinct” newcomers perform at a higher level than those comprised of people who have been working together for a while, or of people of similar backgrounds. This comes from research by Katie Liljenquist, reported by Sarah Boesveld in the Globe and Mail a couple weeks ago (a similar report on her research is here if you can’t access the Globe).”

Diversity Programs Important During Recession
Diversity Insight
“King and her coresearchers found that when white women and men were told that the economy was going to tank and were then asked to evaluate four equally qualified job candidates, the majority selected the white male candidate. When they were told that the economy would improve, however, they tended to favor the female Hispanic candidate.”

Firefighter Gets $1.1 Million for Discrimination
Diversity Insight
“The Second Appellate Division of the California Court of Appeal recently upheld a jury verdict exceeding $1.1 million against the Pasadena Fire Department for subjecting a firefighter to a fitness-for-duty examination and retiring him, failing to provide a reasonable accommodation for his perceived disability, and failing to engage in an interactive process.”

Good Resume But No Interviews? It Could Be Your Name
The Pongo Blog
“But sometimes name discrimination isn’t about race or ethnicity or xenophobia at all. It’s just laziness or fear of embarrassment. If the name on your resume looks hard to pronounce and/or isn’t gender-specific, it’s quite plausible that a hiring manager might (consciously or not) reject it for that reason, alone.”

Diversity as Business Strategy: Company Faced Racial Tensions Head-On
Workforce Management
“Leon Tupper and his business partner knew they would face challenges bringing a diverse workforce to Gilreath Manufacturing Inc. in Howell, Michigan, after purchasing the plastic-injection molding company out of bankruptcy.”