Diversity in the workplace

Diversity in the workplace

People and their differences make up the foundation of an organization’s ability to develop broad perspectives and to approach business problems in new and creative ways (Barbra walker, valuing differences). Diversity includes features and experiences that differentiate each individual. At the workplace, it is the recognition of existing differences among individuals in terms of culture, sex, race, ethnicity, disability, and religion. Diversity should be appreciated, understood, and consented at the workplace to create an organizational culture that values all.

Factors to Consider When Adopting a Diverse Workforce

Company type. It considers in terms of the size of the company and the daily operation of the business. A dynamic workforce is convenient for big, especially in the public sector organizations with significant numbers of clientele.

Organizational culture- the company’s practices, values people, place, and history reflect their acceptance for a diverse group of people. (Priscila dike 2013 impact of div o workforce). The workforce adopted will significantly depend on the company norms and beliefs about a diverse workforce.

Company location. Companies that have businesses in multiple locations have to employ a dynamic workforce. For companies operates within a small area, they have the choice of hiring or not employing a diverse workforce.

Types of diversity in the workplace

Gender- different genders exist in the workplace. Assignments of roles in the workplace ought to be fair to avoid discrimination based on gender.

Racial- these are the differences in color, and people belong to categories such as being black, white Asians, and other races.

Generation gaps. At the workplace, it is evident that generation gaps exist, and their free interaction is vital to facilitate teamwork.

Physical and mental disabilities. Every individual is gifted differently, and the abilities differ. Organizations have to factors this in especially in their selection and recruitment process and avoid discrimination of persons with disabilities.

Differences in language and culture. Cultural beliefs differ from one community to another. As a result, the organization has to respect the opinions and views of others.it ensure co-existence within the workforce. Language differences may exist, and a company that has diverse individuals can benefit from interaction with clients that understand a particular language. It breaks the language barriers in the course of the organization’s operations.

Religion-religious differences exist, and the various religions include Christianity, Muslims Atheists, and Athens. These must be respected for professional interactions to exist.

Education. Individuals have personal capabilities, and education levels vary depending on varies

Personality- every individual has a unique personality that we can ide with. It is the character one portrays to the fellow colleagues.

Income- differences arise in income abilities of individuals and their living standards vary. This has been known to create social groups as per the different standards.

Ethnicity-it is the originality of a person in relation to their cultural or ties.

Importance of managing diversity

Improves the corporate culture. An all-inclusive workforce empowers employees creating a competitive and dynamic work environment. This creates a culture fit for all persons.

Responsiveness to the demographic changes and societal differences

Reduces cases of litigation and provides better ways to resolve conflicts. The management of differences in diversity creates understanding that helping in solving conflicts.

Creates an environment based on fairness and equality. Diversity management puts all as equals creating an atmosphere of fairness.

Improves the recruitment process – the acquisition of scarce labor and skill is possible when an organization values the differences between various groups of people.

Management of diversity helps to uncover the causes of potential diversity problems. The problems, such as absenteeism and employee turnover, can be evaluated.

Better the relationship with clients. A greater understanding of the diverse customer base. It enhances organizational flexibility. The betterment in handling complex problems and tasks assigned through enhances teamwork

The gain of competitive advantage due to commitment to corporate culture and the quality of service delivery is improved.

At the individual level, it creates a commitment to the organization, active job involvement, and better employee job satisfaction.

Through teamwork, employees make better decisions, creativity is broad due to the different perspectives, and complex tasks are better handled in a group set up.

The organization will benefit from increased productivity, higher return on equity, and better performance in the market.

Challenges in managing group diversity

The dilemma in deciding on individual versus group fairness. In case of a conflict between an individual and a group, it may be difficult to pass judgment on who is right or wrong.

Resistance to change- employees who are used to certain work cultures and environments may find it hard to accommodate a new lifestyle. The acceptance is of a diverse workforce may be difficult as it will change the norm of doing things. Leaders of the organization are, therefore, tasked with sensitizing the workforce on the importance of a diverse working environment.

Resentment- changes can be good for an organization for growth. The resentment toward a new culture and people can affect the output of the employees.

Group cohesiveness- managing a group with diverse needs can be difficult. The requirements vary depending on the different beliefs of the individuals, and because of this, creating group cohesiveness can be very difficult.

Interpersonal conflicts. The goals of individuals and that of the company may conflict with that of the firm. It will create interpersonal conflicts

Competition for opportunities- in a highly diverse environment, competition is high as every individual may want recognition. Because of this, managing the competitive staff is hard as reward and motivation are not easy to give without it seeming to be biased.

Ways of managing diversity

Creation of an all-inclusive organizational culture.  The organization culture pertains to the norms and values that an organization follows in daily operations.

Communication of the required commitment to all employees- the rules regarding existence in a diverse environment should be well communicated to ensure they understand the roles they are supposed to play for co-existence.

They involve employees in the development of the program. When deciding in the adequate workforce consideration, the employee’s input is crucial to ensure they choose a plan that suits their working environment.

Avoid stereotyping. The managers should encourage a culture that discourages stereotyping — training on, stereotyping, and the effect it has on performance.

Value differences. An organization that recognizes differences in diversity and putting a value on it can manage the diversity well.

Providing training to all. The best way to enable employees to appreciate diversity is by providing training to all. It empowers everyone as they learn to appreciate the differences and respect that the dynamics of different setups.

Respect for affirmative action- importance should be placed in adhering to the set guidelines on diversity.

Equality at the workplace implies fairness and allowing every individual to contribute to the organization’s overall development and fulfill their potential.

Managing diversity and equal opportunity

Diversity management is crucial in today’s competitive global marketplace. Organizations have to embrace how diverse groups of people, act, think, and innovative techniques. The organization should treat the dynamic group in the workforce equally and equitably share resources and tasks. Diversity management can be achieved by;

Multiculturalism- this is a system that appreciates and respects the contribution made from diverse cultural groups in an organization. It has beliefs and behaviors which are set to recognize and value the contributions made from the different cultures.

Engage the top management by ensuring their commitment to diversity management. This will ensure resources are allocated for diversity management.

Increase diversity skills identification. The talents and skills that one possesses are individually unique. The acquisition of diverse skills helps capture the uniqueness of the workforce.

Organizational assessment.  The organization has to put in place an assessment measures to identify issues in a diverse workforce. This will ensure job satisfaction and eliminate cases of discrimination based on diversity.

Policies that attract employees. A dynamic workforce is attractive competitive people as they can recognize the value the organization puts on the. As such, the best talents are attracted and form a diverse workforce.

Understanding the differences in work and family needs. The welfare of the employees is vital to ensure productivity.

Sensitivity training. Different groups are affected differently by factors in the environment they operate in. The sensitivity of a matter can be viewed differently depending on one’s beliefs, and this should be respected. Because of this, employees are trained on how to sensitive issues pertaining to others. An example is a discussion about disability. It is a sensitive subject, and employees ought to know how to handle matters regarding this in the workplace.

BENEFITS

Diversity is of great interest to the company associates and employees. Although associates operate independently, their respect for individual differences goes a great way of improving the productivity of employees in the workplace.(kelli green mayra lopez  diversity in the workplace). The associates should be allowed to give constructive feedback to ensure learning and success in the implantation of diversity in the organization.

Increased productivity. The welfare of employees affects their output in the organization. A firm that offers proper compensation even to diverse groups is guaranteed a higher production due to employees’ commitments to their jobs. A firm that appreciates diversity can fetch creative talent, and this is an asset to the company’s productivity.

Customer service improvement due to a range of backgrounds

Society acceptance as they relate more to companies that reflect the diversity

Valuing diversity enables the staff to grow their potential and through recognition

Workforce are encouraged to work in their areas of specialization and maximize on their strengths

Increased creativity is through the exchange of a variety of ideas and teamwork.

Effective communication- exposure to different groups helps build a strong customer service base. As a result, customers from different groups can be attended to comfortably.

Diverse experience- due to the different backgrounds, employees bring to the table unique and varied views and perceptions. By putting together the diverse knowledge and skills from different experiences, the company can adapt to an ever-changing cultural fit in society. It strengthens the company’s ability to respond to varied market needs. When the diverse workforce is managed well, they will be able to deliver more and improve the organization’s productivity. Customers can be paired with persons who share the same background making the customer feel at home. An example is hiring employees who are bilingual to facilitate communications with clients who are not natives of the nation.

Learning and growth. By interacting with a diverse workforce, employees are able to gain knowledge and experiences about different groups of people. It creates a better understanding of the global environment and grows one’s perspective in relation to different matters. By interacting with diverse colleagues, the barriers of xenophobia and ethnocentrism can be broken (Prislla 2014). The employees can co-exist without judgments as they understand and acceptance through first-hand interactions.

CHALLENGES

Communication issues. Culture clash can occur in the workplace affecting the cohesive existence of employees. If the employees cannot relate well, and they work as a team, their productivity will be affected.  For managers, spending time with employees can help reduce such problems built by communications barriers, but as it is said, the first impression is always key.

The high cost of diversity management. For diversity to be well received and enforced in an organization, training has to be conducted. This includes training managers and employees to create awareness on the importance of a diverse workforce. Depending on the diversity management program chosen, the costs may vary, and others may include traveling and participation costs. This is an additional expense to the operations of a business, and some companies may not be willing to incur such costs.

Myriad accommodation- diversity comes with a lot of exceptional compromises. In a diverse workforce, management has to find ways to accommodate the different constraints that come with the workforce. An example is in regards to religion; a Muslim can state that they cannot work on Fridays as it is their day of worship. The company has to decide if it will accommodate such constraints and how it will affect the organization’s productivity.

Incorporation issues. In organizations, social groups are bound to be formed, and management has little or no control over this. As a result, any negativity formed towards the ascertain group maybe affect teamwork. As a result, the company will experience lower productivity and effectiveness of employees’ performance.

Discrimination –for a poorly managed workforce, diverse individuals may face discrimination. This may be In terms of tasks allocated by managers or from fellow employees. When a worker faces discrimination, he is likely to perform poorly, which affects productivity. As a result of this, a company faces the risk of litigation in regard to the equitable treatment of employees.

Human resource functions application and diversity.

Recruitment and selection. This is the human resource function that determines the kind of workforce an organization has. To avoid bias and encourage diversity, most organizations today have adopted a recruitment and selection protocol that can achieve this. The strategies include putting up job posts that attract diverse students. The language structure of the posting makes a huge difference as candidates relate to the kind of language used.

During recruitment, policies that are appealing to diverse candidates are to be set. An example of a policy that attracts diverse candidates is flexibility. Diverse candidates want an environment with different capabilities to exploit potential, and therefore, this is attractive to them. The flexibility can be in terms of life/ work balance, flexible working hours, and this promotes job satisfaction reducing cases of turnover.

Another upcoming trend used to identify and select diverse candidates is personality assessment. The tests evaluate the candidate’s abilities in terms of their personality traits, the soft skills they can offer the firm and reasoning capabilities. It is a fair way to choose candidates as those that show the most potential and fit the company’s objective are the ones selected.

Sourcing candidates through referrals is a recruitment technique that a firm can utilize to get diverse candidates. The networks created by people are an association with people exhibiting similar traits. This is risky because the standards may set in each organization may vary, but it is a good source for obtaining diverse clients.

Technological advancement has made recruitment and selection easy. The use of automated systems that screen through resumes and pick the fit candidates increases the chances of picking diverse candidates. The candidates are shortlisted objectively and with consistency, and this reduces bias and discrimination matters that arise through manual screening.

Training and development. It is a human resource function that ensures employees develop their skills for current and future needs. Training on diversity is meant to educate employees on issues related to diversity and create cohesiveness in teams. The training can either be an awareness-based training or skills-based training. The awareness-based training is for the sensitization of employees on matters relating to diversity. The training enables employees to identify prejudices and assumptions they have on others.

Skills-based training is meant to help employees handle the diversity of the workplace. The training helps the employees gain skills in the interpretation of cultural differences, communication with a diverse group of people, and the ability to embrace change.

Performance management. It is a human resource function that evaluates the performance of employees.

To ensure diversity in performance management, goals set have to be clear, and the performance is based on facts, not opinions. The focus should be on what people actually contribute without biases and prejudice. For diversity in performance evaluation, multiple feedback channels should be used. It eliminates the risk of bias, and more diverse responses are obtained. As a result, a more balanced view of an employee’s performance can be obtained.

Creating awareness to the team that the performance system is based on a policy that supports diversity and inclusion. The policy is correlated with the company’s vision and should, therefore, be enforced for the greater good of the organization.

Reward management. This is a human resource function that puts strategies in place to ensure compensation to employees is fair, equitable, and consistent with the value they bring to the organization. Rewards to employees can be financial or non-financial. A sound reward system ensures employee retention, maximized productivity, the achievement of organizational goals, and job satisfaction to the employees. Financial rewards are in a monetary form that enhances the wellbeing of employees. Non-financial rewards are not monetary and are designed to add value to the job done. They fulfill the psychological needs of employees, and they include recognition, affiliation, and appreciation.

In conclusion diversity plays a big role in business culture and growth.

References

Jyoti, J., & Kour, S. (2017). Factors affecting cultural intelligence and its impact on job

Performance: Role of cross-cultural adjustment, experience and perceived social support.

Personnel Review, 46(4), 767-791.

Young, C. A., Haffejee, B., & Corsun, D. L. (2017). The relationship between ethnocentrism and

cultural intelligence. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 58, 31-41.