Posts

5 advantages of embracing diversity in the workplace

Image
Very few countries have managed to undertake the programme of immigration that Australia has had since the end of the Second World War period without experiencing significant social fragmentation or division. Here’s a quick picture of what Australian society looks like: 28% of our population was born overseas; another 20% have a parent who was born overseas; about 20% of our population speaks a language other than English at home.  Basically, we can say that almost half the population is either first generation or second generation Australian and this diversity isn’t likely to diminish in any way. The two biggest migration source countries are now India and China.  While there are a few challenges for organisations in having a diverse workforce, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Economists from Stanford university and the University of Chicago recently found that 20% of productivity growth can be attributed to a reduction in racial discrimination. Other researches have also sho

Harmony Day Activity: Burning Man Festival

Image
BURNING MAN FESTIVAL The Burning Man Festival  is a  counterculture festival  held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert around the end of summer.  It is a week long annual event that brings in more than 50,000 people to create a temporary 1.5 square mile settlement  dedicated to community, art, self expression and self reliance. Participants show off different works of art, create temporary city, make friends and hangout together. At the end of the festival they depart the black rock city without leaving a trace whatsoever. The idea was initially conceived by  Larry Harvey   (Pictured left) in   1986 to honor the summer solstice,by burning an eight-foot, wooden human figure on Baker Beach   in San Francisco in front of a small crowd of about 20. T his globally popular event has thus taken it’s name from burning of a large wooden sculpture as part of the event. Every year Burning Man festival starts on last Monday of August and ends on first Monday of September. The burning man festival en