Cross cultural aspects of diversity and well being in the workplace: an international perspective

Worldwide, both overt and covert discrimination against minorities in the workplace are pervasive. The social work profession has long been concerned with social justice as it pertains to diversity and the inequitable treatment of disadvantaged groups. The premise of this study is that individuals from diverse backgrounds experience greater exclusion, more job stress, less social support, and a sense of unfair treatment, all of which lead to reduced job satisfaction and, ultimately, a significantly poorer sense of well-being in comparison to those in the mainstream. The study utilizes data from two high-tech companies, in California and Israel, sharing similar organizational cultures, thus providing the opportunity to explore intergroup organizational relations in both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Results from a series of multiple regressions indicate that the overall model is applicable across the two cultures. Utilizing the concept of inclusion, the model developed here creates a useful link between diversity and well-being that has important implications for the social work profession, particularly in the areas of organizational intervention, to improve employee well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)