Employee perception of diversity in Morocco: empirical insights

Abstract

Purpose – The present paper aims to shed light on workers ' perception of diversity and their demographical characteristics as well as characteristics of their organizations. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive statistics and multiple regression technique were used to, respectively, describe the sample and test the research hypothesis. Findings – The current study findings reveal that three variables influence employee perception about diversity within Moroccan organizations, namely, education, industry and nationality. The more employees are educated, the more positively they perceive diversity. The same logic applies to nationality and industry. Diversity is better perceived by foreign workers in Morocco and is most prevalent in the services industry. Research limitations/implications – The sample size (N = 87) is too small compared to the number of variables included in the research. Practical implications – Enhancing employees’ diversity climate perceptions may have financial and non-financial implications for organizations. Moreover, diversity perception is linked to worker attitudes in the workplace. Social implications – Policymakers in Morocco ought to design and enforce human resource policies that encourage organizations to recruit employees with diverse backgrounds. To do so, it is recommended that a commission or task force be created to fulfill the role of a “watchdog” in diversity-related spheres such as developing plans and models for employers, setting diversity-related goals and objectives and putting in place adequate and effective mechanisms and tools to assess the implementation of diversity initiatives by Moroccan organizations. Originality/value – The current research is the first survey-based study on the topic in the Moroccan context. Further, the fact the respondents are from various organizations, industries and sectors allows for the elimination of the normative influence of a single organizational culture.

Work–life balance: how can we help women IT professionals in Morocco?

“…However, both studies focus on public sector only. As pointed out by Hassi et al (2015), the rate of Moroccans working in the private sector is equal to 68.4 per cent, while the rest are divided between the public and semi-public sectors. The important participation rate in the private sector encourages researchers to look into WLB within this sector and make adequate recommendations for improving it.…”

“…Many men still do not adhere to the idea of helping their spouses in household responsibilities. In fact, Moroccan culture ties women, more than men, to family and social obligations (Hassi et al, 2015). This cultural belief prevents women from balancing between their lives at the workplace and at home.…”

“…A new Labor Code, which came into effect in 2004, is congruent with all international conventions ratified by the country in the field of labor relations. It establishes a legal framework and promotes dialogue among social partners for issues related to categories of employees who are "socially fragile" such as women (Hassi et al, 2015). With that said, improvements to the Labor Code should be proposed regarding the maternity leave duration.…”

How do nurses perceive their cultural diversity? An exploratory case study

“…According to Hassi et al (2015) diversity reflects the synergetic existence of differences in age, ethnicity, background, sex and disability. Moreover, Vuuren et al (2012) define cultural diversity as "the differences in ethnicity, background, historical origins, religion, socioeconomic status, personality, disposition, nature and many more".…”

Should responsible management education become a priority? A qualitative study of academics in Egyptian public business schools

“…This has been previously iterated by Mousa (2018) who proved that prejudice is the main feature distinguishing different Egyptian organizational settings and that the existence of workplace discrimination is one of the main motives behind Egyptian employees' negative behaviour towards their colleagues, managers and workplaces. Additionally, Hassi, Foutouh, and Ramid (2015) elaborate that Middle-Eastern countries have not yet designed an employment and/or social equity act programme through which workplace equality and numerical representation of minorities can be realized. It is important to highlight that cultural diversity was decreed as a fourth axis of sustainability and RME in 2001 (UNESCO, 2001).…”