A Survey of Managers' Attitudes and Response to Workforce Diversity in the Telecommunications Sector in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The survey of the study was carried out with the aim of establishing managers' attitudes towards diverse workforce. It was also to find out managers response to workforce diversity in the telecommunication sector in Nairobi, Kenya. In order to achieve the above, a questionnaire with both structured and semi structure questions was administered to the respondents. A sample of 50 respondents were selected from Telecommunication firms in the country namely, Safaricom, Kencell and Telkom Kenya Llimited. For the purpose of this study, the major Telecommunication training institute, Kenya College of Communication Technology was included. The data was collected from the respondents and analyzed using mean scores, frequencies, percentages and was represented in tables. A five point likert scale was used to measure and identify the extent of managers' attitudes towards different diversity issue in the workforce. A three point scale ranging from a large extent to a less extent was also used to measure organisations management of diverse workforce. From the findings of the study, the following conclusions were made: • Most of the managers do not have negative attitudes towards diverse groups especially the disabled and those suffering from HIV/AIDS • Most of the managers understand the benefits of a diverse workforce • No major efforts have been made by the organizations under study to manage diversity