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Diversity in the workplace is more than a phrase. It is a necessity for organisations to be successful in a modern world. Organisations can forge teams that are greater and more creative. But if they do not value employees based on their background, culture, age, and experience differences, employees will not be valued for who they are and encouraged to add their contributions in their best way.
Diversity is valued not only when it represents a means of inclusion and equal opportunity, but because it has the potential to drive business productivity. Organisations that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion can leverage diversity of thought, better quality decisions, and employee satisfaction, while diverse organisations also identify more closely with the communities in which they operate, thereby enhancing reputation and market share.
Some challenges with diversity in workplace management are included but not limited to language, cultural misunderstandings, preferences, assumptions, and diversity and unconscious bias. By using appropriate methods to overcome these obstacles, diversity can be leveraged as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.
Workplace Diversity includes hiring different types of people from all backgrounds, cultures, ages, genders, faiths, ethnicities, abilities, and disabilities. It includes making equal opportunities for everyone and forming a fair and inclusive environment in which employees are respected and valued.
The essence of workplace diversity is to leverage different perspectives, which could further develop an organisation’s resilience. When diverse employees come to the workplace, they offer new, different ideas, skills, and perspectives, and this diversity provides more opportunities for innovative solutions and promotes collaboration.
Diversity is also related to equity and equality. When there is diversity in the workplace, people can move forward based on merit, not stereotypes. People will feel included and develop allegiance and intrinsic motivation.
Diversity also matters from a different lens, and to think about successful organisations. Diverse organisations tend to be successful due to their flexibility with changes, attracting customers, and realising global opportunities. Being diverse makes an organisation prepared for success in the future.
Diversity can take many forms in a workplace setting, and each type offers particular advantages to an organization. Recognizing these types also builds an inclusive culture where people feel valued and respected, even when they leave. Here are the main types of workplace diversity
Employees with distinct cultural and ethnic backgrounds are associated with working together with unique traditions, beliefs, and styles of doing specific work-related tasks. This enables creativity and collaboration. It also helps organisations connect better with diverse customers and global markets.
A workplace that collaborates and supports one another will appreciate fairness and equity for all. Gender diversity also provides more possibilities to navigate stereotypes, change, and cooperate. It ensures equal opportunities and brings balanced perspectives to decision-making.
The generational divide includes age diversity. While suggesting bringing new ideas and value to the workplace, it's a valuable experience. Younger employees are lovely with new ideas and energy, and older employees with expertise and knowledge acquired by their life journeys.
The most productive organisation will embrace an inclusive, diverse employee population. For the most productive organisational environment, the educational background of its employees must vary. When employees come from different educational backgrounds, they will have different points of view based on their education, which fosters new ideas and solutions to problems and a workforce that has limitless skills.
Religion can be a sensitive topic sometimes, but giving employees the freedom to practice their faith brings a level of tolerance and respect and fosters a collaborative environment. It helps teams with their relationships and high-performance dynamics. Employees feel appreciated for who they are, and they contribute positively and create an enjoyable experience for the organisation and their co-workers.
When an organisation makes hiring decisions with employees with disabilities, it creates an equal opportunities environment that allows for fulfilling a social responsibility; where you can combine the two allows for more capacity for empathy and creative thinking.
Diversity in the workplace will take time and effort to achieve. For organisations to achieve diversity in the workplace, an environment and culture must be developed that values individuals and includes everyone in the company. Here are some legitimate ways to improve the diversity in the workplace.
Ensure hiring practices for candidates of all genders, cultures, and backgrounds are equitable and inclusive. A transparent hiring process decreases bias and ensures you discover the range of talent that is available in reality rather than just stereotypes.
Provide diversity training sessions for employees and managers on the importance of diversity at least once a year. Diversity training will increase awareness, reduce discrimination, and promote respect for differing values and perspectives in the workplace.
Provide equal forward opportunities for employees and opportunities for growth (e.g., promotion, portfolio roles, professional development opportunities). Treat employees equally in terms of professional development. Embedding equal opportunities is in itself fair and shows that all people can be treated equally.
There is nothing wrong with wanting employees with shared backgrounds or shared support networks to associate with one another. The groups will bring belonging and ideas, and both are important for employee development (of course, led by the employer).
Provide constructive support from leadership levels to lead the organisational diversity initiative. When management is in the trenches, employees respect the organisational goal and will likely become more engaged in their workplace interactions.
Workplace diversity offers the unique opportunity to unite people of all types, all backgrounds, all abilities, and all experiences. This makes the workplace more inclusive, and it adds extreme value to the organisation. The following are the major benefits of diversity in the workplace:
Diverse teams bring multiple perspectives from which to draw ideas. A team enriched with individuals from different backgrounds and experiences can come together on multiple levels, providing solutions or innovating in a way a homogeneous team may never have thought to push the organisation forward as it grows into new areas.
A diverse workplace creates an environment where discussion flourishes and encourages employees to look at varying viewpoints. This looking and discussing will not only lead to better decision-making, but also better approaches and better outcomes by considering the problem in multiple ways. Having a fully signed-off variety of perspectives reduces the risk of making mistakes, while it lets the organisation or business make better decisions.
When diversity is accepted as business and sought after, employees feel they are valued and have contributions that are valued and respected, which makes each employee feel they have a place, have direction, and that they have been treated right, which has a large bearing on morality and is highly correlated to preconceived levels of engagement engaged employees are more likely to be committed to the organization, thus leading to more likelihood to exceed performance expectations and therefore fall fractally in turnover with effort put forth as presented.
Diversity allows for accessibility of a broader skill set/time/cultural experience. When you are hiring across the board (in essence), this means you are hitting the largest talent pool an organisation can rely upon and is allowed to pull from, instead of limiting opportunities to one group.
Companies that value and provide diversity are also seen as progressive and fair. This leads to a good reputation with customers, clients, and job seekers. Companies with a clear image are also attractive for top talent to obtain and retain.
Diversity in the workplace can come with a variety of benefits, but it also can present some challenges. If not managed properly, challenges of diversity can lead to misunderstandings, conflict, and declining productivity. Common challenges one may face include:
Employees from diverse backgrounds may encounter language barriers or might have cultural differences. Communication issues, if not resolved, can lead to misunderstandings or miscommunications between team members. When challenged with communication issues, employees will struggle to work as a team and accomplish important tasks if misunderstandings are not resolved.
Some employees may want to resist an organisation’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Just like you may be faced with an employee who is unwilling to accept change in terms of a diversity and inclusion initiative, many individuals hold onto the past and are unwilling to make the necessary changes that are being asked of them. Resistance to change can lead to conflicts and reduce the effectiveness of change initiatives.
Conflicts and sometimes feelings of exclusion can arise from understanding that cultural norms can differ. Employees may unintentionally offend each other due to a lack of knowledge and sensitivity to the organisation's differences, and possibly without realising that they may create discomfort and resistance to cooperation and collaboration among the employees.
Sometimes, employees from other diverse groups may feel that they are not provided with the same opportunities for development or promotion. This breeds frustration and other morale issues and can create mistrust in management practices.
Conflicts stemming from differences in ideas and perspectives can lead to disagreements about work products or processes when they are not managed well. If conflict is not managed well, then employees may experience poor team cohesion and team productivity.
The best way to accommodate the challenges of workplace diversity is to increase the awareness of the dimensions of diversity and to create an opportunity for employees to have open conversations about diversity in the workplace. When employees and groups can talk openly about the thinking that influences their experience of workplace diversity, there can be lessened misassumptions and increased relationships. Organisations need to build equitable processes that allow all employees to find a home in the organisation, regardless of their experiences.
There are different ways to see diversity in the workplace, as everyone brings different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. These examples show how organisations can include people from diverse groups, helping to align and create a fair and inclusive workplace.
Creating equal opportunities for men and women in all roles and all levels of leadership will ensure fairness in hiring, promotion, and representation for women and men in workplaces. This will also ensure balanced points of view, create better decisions and improve overall performance .
Employing people at various stages of their maturity and career track, from new graduates to seasoned professionals. Leveraging the energy and anywhere from 1-5 years of experience youthful employees bring together with the knowledge that experienced employees bring, and that both help strengthen the team, its performance, and collaboration across generations of knowledge.
Hiring staff from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds. This can help provide different perspectives on problems, develop new ideas, and connect with global markets by employing people who can immerse themselves in that culture.
Providing opportunities to people with physical or mental disabilities. This creates an equitable opportunity for everyone, while also allowing organisations to foster a more inclusive workplace that fosters an opportunity for ability, versus disability.
Employing and supporting staff of all sexual orientations and gender identities ensures they feel valued, safe, respected, and included in your workplace. Happy and respected employees are more confident and productive, which leads to staff productivity and better contributions at work.
Promoting Diversity and inclusion in the workplace is about everyone being able to work in an environment where employees feel respected, valued, and supported, regardless of their background. Employers need to establish equitable policies and practices, create open lines of communication, and build an inclusive workplace culture so that every employee can feel, belong, and be respected.
Here are ways to achieve that through specific types of activities and practice.
Develop policies that promote equal opportunity and recognise each employee for their contributions, regardless of their gender, age, cultural, and social background. Clearly written policies indicate a commitment to inclusion and provide indications to employees about expected behaviours and outlines for ultimate behaviours.
An employer should provide all employees with training opportunities on cultural awareness, sensitivity, and bias training. Training provides employees opportunities to learn and understand how differences exist, to provide opportunities to prevent stereotypical organisation, and to educate on how to work together and include fully, with mutual respect and understanding.
Create pathways for employees to formulate their ideas and solutions as they communicate with you. Due to ignorance, there is less chance of misunderstandings, employees feel that their voice is valued and respected in the decision-making process when your communication is transparent.
Provide support networks and groups, or resource groups that employees can utilise to build relationships with other employees who share identities or interests. These groups can provide support, foster belongingness, and construct engagement in the workplace.
Create fair selection practices that take into account skills and qualifications. Offer incidental applicants' opportunities for selection and career growth and accomplish that through a message of transparency.
