- Introduction:
The dictionary definition of a Work Force Diversity could be the differences and similarities within the employees in terms of age, cultural and traditional backgrounds, race, gender, religion and physical capabilities and deficiencies.
In today’s dynamic world, workplace diversity is taken an issue of people, which is more into the diversity in the form of similarities and differences that people bring into the workforce of an organization. Workforce diversity in all situations comprises of those dimensions that manipulate the employee identities and perspectives which exist in the form of occupation, learning, parental status and geographic position (Ilr.cornell.edu, 2014).
Diversity can also defined as the holistic approach in which everyone is included. So, it promotes non-discrimination by creating a workforce in which individuals are compelled to work with people they are familiar with as well as people who may be different on many levels. In this environment, the process of diverse learning is promoted. Here, a person learns from another person, the aspects of work and personality that he is not familiar or acquainted with, all ensured by dignity and respect.
- Advantages of Work Force Diversity:
A diverse range of ideas always brings better results. In the same way, even a diverse work range brings overall improved results for the organization (Hrcouncil.ca, 2014). This diversity have advantages such as sustaining the challenges related to recruitment and shortage of skills, improvement in employee satisfaction and maintenance, nurturing of innovative and problem solving capabilities of individuals, widened community participation, better client services and full-fledged promotion of organizational values
Improvement in employee satisfaction and maintenance:
There is no doubt about the increased productivity of efficiently engaged and satisfied employees. The retention of these employees is also high. High retention means saving of resources that would otherwise be used up in additional processes like recruitments, hiring, training and firing new staffs. The organizations that support and maintain diversity in their workforce may be good hirers of such talents but they many necessarily be able to retain the talents as such.
There needs to be a management team that is accustomed to explicit skills and practices that are essential in giving guidance to a diverse team. This guidance helps employees understand the workplace culture and values and the overall employee role within the whole system, as a result of which efficiency is increased.
Full-fledged promotion of organizational values
If the organizational financial and other goals cannot be met as per standards, it denotes that there exists an implicit need to support, construct and foster diversity in the organizations.
The creation of a workforce that represents the values from different perspectives helps to flourish the organizational values into all the different streams of diversity that we develop into the institution. This strengthens the external communication aspects of the business. It also ensures that organizational values are well promoted among diverse groups and there is diversity not just in employees but also in the customer group.
- Challenges of Work Force Diversity:
The advantages of work force diversity are clear but the acquisition of this process is quite a cumbersome one. The challenges of work force diversity exists indifferent folds. These challenges can be communication barriers, change management problems, inclusion of diversity into the organizational policies, diversity management in the workplace, chances of conflict, cultural differences, harassment problems, disability and lifestyle issues, and issues of workplace respect
Change Management Problems:
The problem with a high level of diversity is that there will always be some employees who will not be able to accept that the dynamics of their working environment is changing. The tendency to go with traditional work cultures, in which a definite way of doing things and a definite work environment is preferred, sometimes becomes a matter of concern for organizations Small (Business - Chron.com, 2014). This wall that employees sometimes build around themselves hinders even the necessary changes that are to be integrated into the organization culture.
Chances of Conflict
Discrimination in the form of prejudice, racism and many more many exist in a diverse workforce where there are individuals diverging from all walks of life. The distinction is quite necessary in this case as these issues can easily lead to manipulations which result in conflicts ranging from small to massive (Small Business - Chron.com, 2014). Along with a diverse workplace, thus the consequences of having one should also be assessed timely to refrain from any possible conflicts.
- Strategies to Be Implemented By The Organization:
A set of activities used in a holistic manner can help the organization deal with the possible problems of work force diversity. The implementation strategies that can produce the desired result can be trainings and seminars organized to acquaint the existing employees about the benefits and needs of having a diverse workplace environment. Ensuring the active participation of all employees in the formulation and execution of human resource related and other resources initiatives in the workplace will be helpful. In the same way, a positive attitude that is equally open to different aspects of workplace is a must in order to ensure that no problems related to workforce diversity arise. The expression of ideas and opinions from all the employees is a must to make them feel that each one of them is a valuable asset to the organization. The subordinates generally make their perceptions and decisions depending on how the top level is managed and diversified. Thus, it would be good for the organization to maintain diversity even at leadership positions, so that employees can learn accordingly (Multiculturaladvantage.com, 2014). Diversity trainings could be another tool to shape the diversity situation and the diversity policies existing in the organization. A survey would also be of special help to the organization so that comprehensive reporting can be later extracted out of it. The results received thereof can be used to construct and employ successful diversity in the policies developed at workplace. The periodic evaluation of diversity in the policies and plans for the organizational future is an important step to ensure that the organization is in the right track regarding its recruitment, hiring and retention policies.
Conclusion:
The world is growing more and more diverse and dynamic at the same time. There is no point in keeping diversity as an option because the growing population makes it kind of a compulsory phenomenon in all global organizations. It is thus important in the part of management to accept diversity as a part of their organizational culture and build policies in that direction where the benefits of such diversity can be explored at optimal level and the challenges can be avoided to the maximum extent possible. This way, the equation of overall organizational welfare can be ensured.
References
Hrcouncil.ca,. (2014). Why a diverse workplace matters | Diversity at Work | HR Toolkit | hrcouncil.ca. Retrieved 14 November 2014, from http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/diversity-workforce-matters.cfm
Ilr.cornell.edu,. (2014). Workplace Diversity. Retrieved 14 November 2014, from http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/research/subjectguides/workplacediversity.html
Multiculturaladvantage.com,. (2014). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions. Retrieved 14 November 2014, from http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com/recruit/diversity/diversity-in-the-workplace-benefits-challenges-solutions.asp
Small Business - Chron.com,. (2014). Top 10 Diversity Issues at Work. Retrieved 14 November 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/top-10-diversity-issues-work-24939.html
Small Business - Chron.com,. (2014). Major Issues to Consider for Workplace Diversity. Retrieved 14 November 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/major-issues-consider-workplace-diversity-3033.html
