Workplace Diversity - Advantages, Challenges, Solutions and Trends

Workplace diversity not only refers to the way people perceive themselves, however, the way they perceive others. Their interactions are affected by those perceptions.

For a number of employees to work effectively in an organization, human resource professionals have to deal with issues like communication, adaptability, and change. In the coming years, workplace diversity will significantly increase.

Successful organizations are aware of the need for immediate action and are willing to spend resources to manage diversity in the workplace now.

Advantages of Workplace Diversity

An organization must possess the ability to embrace workplace diversity and realize the advantages to succeed. When organizations develop and implement workplace diversity plans, multiple advantages are reported including:

Increased adaptability

Organizations, that employ a diverse workforce, supply a huge number of solutions to issues in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources. Each employee comes from a diverse background and brings individual talents and experiences. Hence, they suggest numerous flexible ideas for fluctuating markets and customer demands.

Wider service range

Different skills and experiences (for example languages, cultural understanding) allow an organization to give service to customers on a global basis.

Number of viewpoints

A diverse workforce that communicates varying viewpoints provides bigger ideas and experiences. The company can draw from that pool to meet business and customers' needs more effectively.

More effective performance

Organizations with diversity in the workplace inspire their employees to work to their highest capability. Company-wide strategies can then be performed; resulting in higher profit, productivity, and return on investment.

Challenges of Workplace Diversity

Workplace diversity has its own challenges with a number of benefits. Some challenges include:
Communication - For the success of the organization, it is vital to overcoming the perception, cultural, and language barriers. Ineffective communication results in confusion, low morale, and a lack of teamwork.

Resistance to change - Some employees refuse to accept the reality that there are changes in the social and cultural makeup of their workplace. The “everyone must do the old way” mentality silences new and creative ideas and stops progress.

Implementation of workplace diversity policies - The diversity advocates must build and implement a customized strategy to maximize the effects of workplace diversity for their particular company.

Successful Management of Workplace Diversity - Diversity training alone is not enough for your company’s diversity management plan. A strategy must be made and implemented to make a diverse culture that permeates each department and function of the company.

Suggested steps that have been proven successful in world-class companies are:

Assessment of workplace diversity - Top organizations make assessing and evaluating their diversity procedure a vital part of their management system.

Development of workplace diversity plan - Choosing a survey provider is a key decision that gives comprehensive reporting. That survey will be the beginning structure of the workplace diversity plan. A company must decide what changes have to be made with a timeline to attain that change.

Implementation of workplace diversity plan - Management cooperation and participation are needed to make a culture conducive to the success of your company’s plan.

Suggested workplace diversity solutions include:

Foster an open attitude in your company. - Encourage your employees to express ideas, viewpoints, and opinions. Give a sense of equal value at all.

Diversity in leadership positions - This practice gives visibility to various employees in the workplace. Use diversity training as a tool to shape your company's diversity policy.

As the economy is becoming more global, our workforce is becoming more diverse. The company's success and competitiveness depend on the ability to handle workplace diversity effectively. Starting today, evaluate your company’s diversity policies and plan for the future.

Social Diversity Trends and Examples

1. Increase in minority workforce.

Today's workforce is comprised of a very diverse population of people from different backgrounds of the world, which makes dynamic multiracial and multicultural companies. These people come with different skills, abilities, and experiences.

2. An increase in stereotyping and preferences.

This can be difficult to avoid when different cultures come together in a workplace. For instance, many executives are against hiring female engineers. These executives are from the old school and think that the female engineers will not be as dependable because of possible maternity breaks.

3. Another trend organization is embracing is sensitivity or diversity training.

This sort of training instructs all employees regarding social differences so that they can comprehend and value each other. The reason for sensitivity training is to instruct employees on how to appropriately act and communicate in a professional workplace.

The employees will improve their communication skills and learn appropriate terminology, proper etiquette, anti-bullying management styles, and ways to eliminate sexual harassment inside an organization.

4. Vast increase of females in the workplace.

In recent years, women's participation in the workplace has grown significantly to represent almost half of the workforce.

5. Companies are hiring people with disabilities and accepting different capabilities.

While still underused, companies are rapidly starting to understand that disabled workers are a fundamental part of the workplace. New technologies and accommodations have allowed companies to recruit and use disabled workers in their workforce.

Ways To Increase Workplace Diversity

Promoting workplace diversity has bottom-line advantages. Approach the hiring process comprehensively — retaining employees can be harder than enrolment. This is particularly true for organizations in less diverse regions where relocated minority workers may feel separated.

Take an active role in helping them adjust to the work culture as well as in their new groups.
First, identify the company's needs. The workforce should resemble the communities that the company operates in. Develop a hiring strategy to expand workplace diversity.

To get connected with the candidates, talk to local companies with community connections, such as churches, cultural institutions, and colleges. Enlist help from nonprofits that provide searchable channels for minority job seekers.

Expand search to other cities, states, or countries. The Internet makes it easy to cast a broad net. Approach workers for referrals. The relationship can help new workers adjust to the move. Provide rewards for successful referrals.

Establish meritorious hiring practice that is race, gender, age, and minority neutral. Create a committee to actualize the strategy and think of new ideas on ways to attract more diversity to the organization. Amend the organization's purpose statement to reflect this change.

Make the job more convincing to job seekers by emphasizing details that will pull diverse candidates. Be socially sensitive while depicting what makes the organization a good workplace. Give diversity training in the workplace.

All workers should comprehend that hiring decisions depend on finding the best candidate. Making the enrolling process simple can help ease the minds of skeptical workers. Managers must understand the advantages of a diverse workplace and support the practice to implement personnel policies.

Provide new employees a reason to stay. Put time and effort into retaining new hires. Familiarise them with the job and organization culture. Initials weeks can be a difficult time for any worker. It’s vital to show they have a future in the organization.

Employees must be reassured their uniqueness is an asset. Learn from mistakes. If minority employees are leaving the organization, be willing to make changes and curb future losses.