Panelists from Buzzfeed, Southern California Edison (SCE) and American Honda Motor offered insight on what kind of role diversity has in the workplace at ASI’s Slice of Advice series Wednesday.
“The word diversity gets batted around and used in different contexts in a lot of different ways,” said Laura Neal, college career specialist for the arts. “We just do this career preparation, trying to get more specific, more clear about what being prepared to work in a multicultural workplace (looks like).”
The discussion was titled “Understanding Diversity in the Workplace” and took place in the Titan Student Union (TSU).
Neal, who leads the Slice of Advice event series, said she works with ASI, student leadership and students in the Alumni Engagement department to figure out topics that should be discussed at each event.
The panel, comprised of Emma Simmons of SCE, CSUF alumna Morgann Franson of Buzzfeed and James Wong of American Honda Motor, discussed what it means to have diversity in a work environment and the benefits of having a diverse group of people in an organization.
CSUF assistant director of employer relations Stephanie Reyes led the conversation between the panelists, giving students the opportunity students to ask questions throughout.
The panelists shared their own experiences about how diversity shapes their work environment and the overall culture of their workplace.
Diversity was defined as a composition of employees who vary in different religious, political, gender, ethnic, education, sexual orientation and geographical backgrounds.
Simmons said SCE recognizes diversity and hosts diversity groups that employees can join to create a community and learn about people of other ethnicities. She said she serves on the board of directors of the Native-American and African-American group at SCE.
Franson said she works with her Buzzfeed colleagues to form “brainstorm groups” where together, they can figure out how to create videos that represent America’s diversity.
Wong spoke of his experience outside of California and said it is important to be aware of your surroundings and embrace diversity.
“We are a build of culture and ethnicities around the world,” Wong said.
The panelists also discussed how they found their current career path, how the “real world” is different from what is learned in a classroom and how they maintain a balance between work and life responsibilities.
The education that students receive at the university level is only a small part of what students will learn, Simmons said. The workforce is about how you work with other people, how you “go after what you want” and perform your job duties.
Franson said that getting experience through internships is beneficial. She recognized that many students don’t like working in groups but reassured them that it can help with skills on how to work with different types of people.
Wong said relationships and reputation are very important. He said future employees should always have a good reputation wherever they go.
All of the panelists agreed that maintaining a balance between work and a personal life is important.
Simmons talked about how her work life changed after she got married. She was able to spend more time at work as a single woman but now has to take her family into consideration.
Wong admitted his work-life balance was not what it should be. He said his wife and his boss make him take vacations because he is such a dedicated employee.
The panelists concluded with a question-and-answer session with students.
Kyle Do, a third-year undeclared major, felt the event helped him understand diversity and not jump to conclusions about other people.
“I feel like diversity and cultural awareness is becoming a bigger topic in the workplace. I wanted to learn more insight about how professionals face the questions and how they resolve it themselves,” Do said.
The next ASI Slice of Advice event will feature a creative career panel held April 5 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the TSU Alvarado AB.
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