As a case in point, Liz described the solution that was worked out for a Muslim employee who requested time for sunrise prayers during Ramadan. The store was able to provide a conference room for privacy and allowed the employee to schedule breaks during the appropriate prayer times and to adjust the lunch period to sunrise. From the human resources perspective, treating employees equally, does not necessarily mean treating everyone the same. We try to look for a win-win solution. Childcare and family issues are approached in a similar manner.
Strong emphasis is placed on a continuous diversity education process.
Celebrations in the stores, as with Kwanzaa or women's history month, offer an opportunity to connect employees and customers and to communicate respect for diversity. Greater awareness and understanding builds better working relations among employees as well as better relations with customers. We try not to call diversity a program, according to Liz, because programs come and go. Instead, we look at it as a way of life, a part of everything we do. We know if we get a group of employees together who have different backgrounds, we get better solutions, more creative ideas.