GovernmentExecutive.com

Did you know that older federal workers are more interested in money than younger workers? That women workers should engage in more "earthy" humor to get along better in the workplace? Or when Mexican-American workers do something praiseworthy they want managers to recognize the teams on which they work, not their individual accomplishments?

All Agriculture Department employees will soon know these "facts" as they complete this year's required civil rights training by reading Handling Diversity in the Workplace: Communication is the Key, a 106-page book by M. Kay duPont, an Atlanta-based business etiquette and diversity specialist. The book, provided to USDA by Novations Training Solutions of Urbandale, Iowa, has been posted on the civil rights section of the department's intranet. Employees have begun to get notices saying that they are expected to read Handling Diversity and another 90-page book on sexual harassment. The employees must notify their supervisors when they have completed reading the materials.

USDA's problems with racial and sexual discrimination are legendary, dating back to the years when the agency's county offices in the South were officially segregated and the Forest Service was an all-male bastion. USDA has had annual civil rights training courses for several years, but this year's diversity training effort runs the risk of intensifying the very stereotypes that it is supposed to counter.

In Handling Diversity, duPont declares that the days of the American melting pot are over, writing that "E pluribus unum ('from many, one') is no longer a valid motto for the country." The book stresses that "We are all minorities - everyone in America, including Native Americans, came from somewhere else. ... Whites must stop thinking of themselves as the superior race or the 'right' color or even the 'majority.' Blacks must realize that the people they work with today are not the same people who enslaved their ancestors generations ago. Hispanics must forgive whites for the intolerable acts perpetrated at the Alamo. Native Americans must not blame their present co-workers for the way their ancestors were treated by European settlers. None of us should be criticized, ostracized or demoralized for history."

In its appeal for a new appreciation of diversity, however, the book makes sweeping generalizations about age, gender and racial heritage. In a section on "age as a factor in diversity," for example, duPont writes, "Older people are more likely to be motivated by appeals to intuition, feelings and the complex nature of reality rather than appeals to intellect, reason and power. They are used to working in hierarchical organizations and are willing to work hard to make money. Younger people don't work for money; they work for rewards. They have a different idea of what's important and a different work ethic. Today's young people want to be a part of a business team, not a hierarchical bureaucracy. They don't want to be told what to do; they want to be empowered."

In a section on gender, the book quotes from Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by couples' therapist John Gray, and urges women to "get to the point quicker; avoid rambling and using filler phrases, use more 'earthy' humor - humor that is related to topics other than children and themselves" and "learn about (or at least read about) sports and bring up the topic first in conversation." Women should "compliment men on their achievements, not on them as individuals," the author suggests. Men, she advises, should "listen more closely (or at least exhibit listening behavior), paraphrase and clarify (without parroting) what the woman is saying, talk about feelings - if not yours, then at least hers" and "compliment women on themselves, not just on their achievements."

The gender section continues, "Men will never be like women, and women will never be like men. We have different ways of communicating, listening, moving, thinking and even sleeping. And, just between you and me, isn't that the way we prefer it?"

DuPont does not address directly address the issue of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but in a section on misunderstanding movements she says, "Just because a woman sits with her leg crossed over her other leg (man-style) doesn't mean she is masculine; maybe she's just comfortable. A man who has a limper handshake than others should not be labeled as feminine; perhaps he has arthritis."

DuPont also seems to have decided that titles are an issue of diversity. She writes that the terms boss, professional, superior and subordinate can be offensive. "Employees are not subordinate to anybody - nor are those who supervise them superior. Departments may have a manager, but in today's world the concept of a boss is outdated."

The book also contains other suggestions on how to handle difficult situations:

• If a man opens a door for a woman or holds her coat and she takes offense, the man should say "Sorry, that's just my heritage showing," and not repeat the act.

• If a white employee or manager wants to compliment an Asian-American woman on a dress, he or she should send a note rather than tell the woman in person, so that she does not have to accept praise in front of others.

• If a Hispanic employee does an outstanding job, the manager should praise the employee's "entire team" because "a person who was raised with Hispanic values will probably defer all individual praise to the department or the team" and be "uncomfortable" with individual praise.

The latter part of the book contains a "guide for the three most prevalent cultures you will be working with in America:" native-born Americans, Mexican-Americans and Japanese-Americans. The chart says that native-born Americans shake hands "firmly," do not automatically exchange business cards on meeting, and make decisions quickly and independently. Mexican-Americans, the chart says, "always" shake hands "with a moderate grip," love to bargain and play with offers" in negotiations, and solve problems "by taking the leader's vision." Japanese-Americans, the chart says, shake hands "gently," prefer to exchange cards at the beginning of meetings, and negotiate "in a collective group."

The chart does not acknowledge that most Japanese-Americans are also native-born or mention other more recently arrived Asian immigrants, who are more likely to have retained cultural habits from their countries of origin.

A spokeswoman for Novations Training Solutions said that the company would remove the sentence suggesting that women engage in "earthy" humor and provide the USDA with a new copy of Handling Diversity to put on its intranet. The spokeswoman also said that if USDA employees register other complaints about language in the program with the Office of Civil Rights, Novations would discuss with duPont changing or deleting those sections as well.

The Novations spokeswoman said that other federal agencies also had used Handling Diversity, but declined to say which ones. DuPont's Web site says she has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Internal Revenue Service and several state and local government organizations, as well as many corporations.

Some USDA employees already are questioning the value of duPont's book. One said he had not yet received instructions to certify to his supervisor that he had read the book, but found a copy of the text on the department's intranet. After he gave it a first read on April 1, he asked, "This isn't an April Fool's Day joke, is it?"

COMMENTS

• Interesting that the department would make its entire workforce read such a backward diversity book. But then again -- I'm not surprised given my experiences at USDA. I am very glad to have transferred to a different department. There is life outside of USDA. GovExec.com reader Posted April 9, 2004 4:52 PM
• Has anyone noticed that the document is no longer available on the Web? I'm curious to know why..... Henry Posted April 8, 2004 10:17 AM
• I got a headache. Somebody can sure write some crap. While some of these may have merit (very little) it is just one more rung in the ladder of taking America down to the status of a Non-Country. Three things have destroyed this country and all were meant with good intentions: 1. Liberals 2. PC 3. Multiculture. Common Sense died a horrible death because we let it, giving in to the people pushing the three agendas above. To the "new" people who push multiculture, if your country was so great go back to it, or be an American. Not an Afro, Irish, Hispanic, German American, just a plain ole American. Frank T Drexler Posted April 7, 2004 11:55 AM