Workforce Diversity

Workforce diversity is the bringing together of a variety of people to one workplace. ... Those
key characteristics that make workforce diversity include: race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age,
ability and sexual orientation.

What Is Workforce Diversity and why does it Matter to Your Business?

Workforce diversity is the bringing together of a variety of people to one workplace. This
workplace would be comprised of people with a wide range of experiences, backgrounds and
characteristics. Those key characteristics that make workforce diversity include: race, ethnicity,
gender, religion, age, ability and sexual orientation. Why is this important to your business?
Companies that embrace workforce diversity are growing and can become more competitive, but
with that workforce diversity also brings its own issues and challenges. It may be time for your
business to get on board!

So why is workforce diversity important to your business? Increasing workforce diversity has a
number of benefits including: creativity, innovation, positive reputation and more! Having
different perspectives at your business can increase your creativity and allow people to positively
collaborate with one another. This collaboration could bring additional innovation and the ability
for your business to stay ahead in these changing times! And of course, celebrating diversity
within a business can encourage a positive public reputation and create more devote brand fans.
So why not consider workforce diversity?

With the many positives come some disadvantages including: communication barriers, resistance
to change and negative attitudes. It may be difficult to bring together employees of different
cultures and communication styles. Meetings and discussions could be sidelined while dealing
with what should be a simple issue- communication. Your business may come across employees
that are resistant to change or harbor negative feelings towards diversity.

How can your company overcome these disadvantages to make workforce diversity a well-
received practice? Here are a few ideas:

Communication plan/training

Since one of the biggest concerns with workforce diversity is communication, why not create an
internal communication plan or training for your employees? Getting everyone on the same page
early-on could relive unneeded stress on-the-job.

Mentorship program

Although it may not be the easiest program to implement, mentorship opportunities can provide
a great return on investment for your business. Taking the time to set up this on-going program
could be a great training resource for years to come.

Open door policy

Have you ever thought of instating an open-door policy at your business? Employees are
welcome and encouraged to bring concerns to higher management for discussion. This could
help employees feel “heard” at your company and make them feel like part of the team.

Update policies to accommodate different cultural perspectives

Ideally, your business should update all its policies to welcome a variety of cultures and
perspectives. It may be difficult to update lengthy policies at first, but making this investment in
your overall business could put you at the forefront of the workforce diversity discussion.

Embracing or ignoring workforce diversity isn’t an easy choice. Whether or not you decide to
utilize the ideas above- encourage everyone at your company to keep an open mind. Whatever
your business decides to do- workforce diversity is a topic that cannot be ignored in today’s ever-
changing world.
Concept of Workforce Diversity Management:

Workforce diversity management could be defined as follows:

Managing workforce diversity implies creating an organizational climate in which a

heterogeneous workforce performs to its best potential; without the organization favoring
/disfavoring any particular segment of workforce with a view to facilitating the best attainment
of organizational goals.

Features of Workforce Diversity Management:

(i) Workforce diversity management requires creation of an organizational climate, in which

people from different cultural, social backgrounds and being diverse in many other respects (e.g.
age, gender, education etc.) can co-exist and work, with full co-operation of one another.

(ii) Workforce diversity management aims at making people work to the best of their potential

(iii)Workforce diversity management rules out any discrimination among people, in any respect,
whatsoever.

(iv)Work-force diversity management is expected to work towards the best attainment of

organizational goals.

Dimension of Workforce Diversity:

Some people dimensions of workforce diversity are described below:

(i) Age:

People belonging to different age groups cause diversity in workforce. Young people may be
enriched with health, merit, capacity for hard-work etc.; while elderly people may possess more
maturity than their junior counterparts and are full of experiences of life.

(ii) Gender:

Male workers are usually aggressive, bold and materialistic; while female workers possess
sympathy for others and are more concerned with quality of life. What is important to observe is
that people of both sex have material differences in outlook, nature, habits etc.; as differences
between males and females are the design of God who created mankind.

(iii) Education:

In an organization people may range from less educated to highly educated. Educated people
have a broad outlook and are open-minded. They are endowed with logic and rationality and
usually dislike discrimination among individuals on petty grounds of caste, color, religion etc.
(iv) Culture:

Culture is a complex of race, religion, language, social traditions and values etc. People from
different cultural backgrounds may have ethnic orientations i.e. a sense of favoritism towards
their nation, race or tribe, which they belong to.

(v) Psychology:

(Psychology is the kind of mind that one has that makes one think or behaves in a particular
way). In a organization, there are people with different psychology. Some may be optimistic or
pessimistic; some may be bold or timid or so on. Psychology may be a gift of Nature or a
manifestation of family background or social affiliations.

Significance of Workforce Diversity Management:

Workforce diversity management is significant for the following reasons:

(i) Ability to Deal with Diverse Market:

Culturally diverse workforce can better appreciate the needs, feedings, and attitudes of culturally
diverse consumers. Thus workforce diversity increases the competence of a corporation to deal
with a market; that consists of diverse consumer groups in respect of age, sex, culture etc.

(ii) Better Decision-Making:

People from heterogeneous backgrounds may aid management in better decision-making, by

offering suggestions from a wide range of perspectives and orientations. In fact, heterogeneous
groups of people may be more creative and innovative; when they pool their knowledge and
experiences and agree on a common solution to a tricky problem; which might aid management
in making excellent decisions for the organization.

(i) Better Human Relations:

Workforce diversity management aims at developing and nurturing a common organizational

culture and climate; which enable people from diverse culture and backgrounds to co-exist
peacefully. Such a common organizational culture and climate leads to better human relations in
the enterprise and produces all-round organizational and managerial efficiency.

(ii) Preventing Unnecessary Labor Turnover:

When in an organization there is good workforce diversity management; women and other dis-
satisfied people are prevented from leaving the organization. In case otherwise, when there is
large labor turnover because of poor workforce diversity management; investment made in
manpower may go waste, with other bad consequences for the organization. In fact, employees
leave the organization when they do not feel comfortable and duly cared for by management.
(iii) Building of Goodwill of the Enterprise:

Companies with excellent workforce diversity management build goodwill in the society. As
such, talented people of society with diverse backgrounds and culture get attracted towards it for
seeking suitable employment. Such companies never have a problem of the scarcity of skilled,
educated and talented human capital.

Techniques of Workforce Diversity Management:

Some techniques for successful workforce diversity management are suggested below:

(i) Creating Awareness of Diversity:

Management must create awareness in the organization that differences among people as to age,
sex, education, culture etc. exist in workforce; so that people may try to understand one another
in a more rational and friendly manner.

(ii) Creating Conditions for Common Organizational Culture:

Organization must develop cross-cultural training programs creating conditions for development
of a common organizational culture and climate. Such common culture will create an
environment in which a diversified work force can co-exist comfortably, peacefully and happily.

(iii) Programs of Special Care for Diversified Workforce:

Management must design programs of special care, like the following:

1.Care for elderly people

2.Special work schedules to provide convenience to female workers etc.

(iv) Career Development Programs:

There must be programs for identifying each individual’s strengths, weaknesses and potential for
career development; so that the organization can capitalize on the peculiar features of a
diversified workforce. In fact, people should be valued for their difference and variety.

(v) Avoiding Discriminations:

A very significant technique for excellent workforce diversity management is to avoid any sort
of discrimination among people on the basis of age, culture and specially sex. In the most
developed country the U.SA, the Glass Ceiling Commission states that between 95 and 97
percent of senior managers in the country’s biggest corporations are men.

(The term ‘glass ceiling’ describes the process by which women are barred from promotion by
means of an invisible barrier).

(vi) Prevention of Sexual Harassment:

With the entry of a large number of women in organizations, the phenomenon of sexual
harassment is usually witnessed; which management must prevent by all means and at all costs.
Sexual harassment includes a range of actions, like – unwelcome touching, joking, teasing,
innuendoes (indirectly bad and rude remarks), slurs, and the display of sexually explicit
materials.

According to Jenny Watson, Deputy Chairman of the UK’s Equal Opportunities Commission
(EOC), sexual harassment is no laughing matter for hundreds of thousands of British workers,
who experience it.

(vii) Committees of Diverse Members:

Committees of diverse members must be formed for evaluating and addressing complaints of
people, regarding their sad experience of working in the organization.