OUR CELEBRATION OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY HAS BEEN A REGULAR ORGANIZATIONAL EVENT SINCE IT WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 2002.
On Tuesday, April 14th, Orion Associates, Meridian Services, and Zenith Services hosted its annual Celebration of Cultural Diversity. For the first time, we were able to hold the event in our new conference / training rooms at the Metropolitan Office in Golden Valley.
Our Celebration of Cultural Diversity has been a regular organizational event since it was first established in 2002. This tradition continues to be a wonderful opportunity for our employees, our consumers and their families to sample foods from a number of different ethnic groups, to learn more about each other and the cultures from which we all come, and to have a great time together as we celebrate our diversity!
One of the fun activities that takes place at this event, which is also a great way for people to get to know each other, is a “Cultural Diversity “’Get to Know You’ Game.” The game is a cultural “treasure hunt” in which participants find fifteen individuals at the event who have interesting cultural backgrounds and histories, including finding someone who was “born in a country other than the United States,” “someone who can speak three or more languages,” and “someone who had a unique profession in another country.” Once a participant has found fifteen people who complete the list of inquiries, that participant wins a prize. There were approximately a half dozen winners at the event this time.
See the attached “Cultural Diversity ‘Get to Know You’ Game” (Adobe PDF file – 193kb)
Our organization continues to recognize the value of a diverse workforce. We strive to achieve a diverse workforce, not only in an effort to comply with applicable laws and to achieve Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action goals, but to create an organization that is greater as a result of the richness of contributions that a diverse workforce can bring. Our organization fosters an environment in which all employees contribute to the goals of the organization, but are also able to experience personal growth.
To accomplish this goal, we are dedicated to:
- Communicating effectively with employees from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.
- Coaching and developing employees of different ages, educational backgrounds, ethnicity, physical ability, and race.
- Providing performance feedback that is based on objective outcomes rather than values and stereotypes that work against women, minorities, and disabled persons by prejudging these persons’ abilities and talents.
- Creating a work environment that makes it comfortable for employees of all backgrounds to be creative and innovative.