PRESSING DIVERSITY ISSUES IN THE 21ST CENTURY
There are numerous diversity issues in today’s work place. These include age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and among others. This follows the fact that the work place is very diverse in terms of employees’ composition. Diversity not only encompasses how people perceive themselves, but also how they perceive others. Therefore, the success of every firm relies on the ability and skills, to effectively, manage the diversity issues in the working environment.
When employees of different races, societies and backgrounds, work together, stereotype and prejudice may occur. Consequently, this may create negative attitudes in the workplace, thus subject other employees to some form of discrimination. This may eventually lead to intense working environment for the employer if there is no resolution mechanism pursued to rectify the situation. Some role, especially high profile jobs have been perceived to be men’s affairs. As a result of this, different pay scales have been witnessed. This has been seen even in positions where both men and women hold the same level of education and job qualifications. In this sense, the inequality in pay and job opportunity among male and female may pose serious diversity issues.
Religious beliefs of employers and employees can be a diversity issue in the workplace. The entitlement to religious beliefs in the work place creates an enabling environment for all employees. In case religious discrimination occurs within the working environment, then many employees will not feel comfortable to work in such environment. Sexism is another common diversity issue that is common in the workplace today. When an individual is promoted on the basis of sex, rather than the skills and talent they possess, diversity issues ensue. It is prudent to give equal opportunities to all candidates regardless of sex and other non-academic factors.
The thirst for employing experienced employees has created indirect discrimination against the young professionals. Many firms categorically state work experience as the basis for recruiting new employees, thus deterring the young professionals from participating in the recruitment process. This is a diversity issue that has caused serious unemployment rates among the younger professionals. Employees should give equal opportunities to individuals with same academic qualifications, barring other non-academic factors.
Benefits of workplace diversity
The success and the level of competitiveness of an organization depend on its ability to embrace diversity and obtain benefits. It is evident that when organizations enthusiastically assess their handling of workplace diversity issues, initiate and implement diversity plan, various benefits will be realized. These include increased adaptability, broader service range, variety of viewpoints, and effective execution of work. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual experiences and talents. This creates a pool of ideas that could effectively help in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands.
Therefore, organizations that employ a diverse labor force can supply a greater range of solutions to difficulties in service, sourcing, as well as, allocation of resources. The scope of service delivery is a function of a diverse collection of skills and experience. Varying viewpoints are a source of experiences numerous ideas. These are important factors that help in setting up effective business strategies. Embracing diversity in the workplace inspires all employees to perform to their best abilities. This propagates higher productivity and profitability through effective execution of strategies.
Challenges in managing diversity in workplace
The management effort for diversity issues in workplace experiences many challenges, which include communication barriers, cultural barriers, resistance to change, and implementation barriers. Cultural and language barriers need to be overcome, for diversity programs to succeed. Ineffective communication leads to low morale, lack of teamwork, and confusion. Some employees normally find it difficult to embrace the fact that cultural and social makeup of their working environment is changing. This may inhibit progress because it becomes problematic to share ideas. The diversity advocates may find it difficult to implement strategic diversity plan due to perceptual barriers among employees.
Steps and solutions to diversity in the workplace
In conclusion, despite being various challenges in the management of diversity issues in the workplace, there are various recommended steps and solutions that have proven successful in the world-class organizations. The steps include assessment of diversity in the workplace, development of diversity in the workplace plan, and implementation of diversity in the workplace. Incorporating diversity assessment and evaluation process in the management system can help determine the challenges and obstacles to diversity in the workplace, thus facilitating policy prioritization. It is of immense importance to develop a comprehensive diversity in the workplace plan, which should be measurable and achievable.
In addition, the organization should inculcate commitment in the implementation of diversity in the workplace plan. To managerial teams, that is, managers and other leaders should integrate diversity policies into each facet of the organization’s function and purpose. Since attitudes towards diversity cascade downwards in the organizations, it is incumbent upon management teams to create a culture conducive to the success of the organizations’ plans such as diversity in the workplace plan.
Finally, diversity in the workplace solutions include inclusion of every employee, in diversity in workplace plan formulation and execution to ward off resistance to change; foster an attitude of openness in the organization; promote diversity in leadership positions; utilize diversity training, and launch a customizable personel satisfaction study that provides comprehensive reporting to foster development and implementation of diversity in workplace policies.
References
Greenberg, J. (2010). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from diversity.sdce.edu: http://diversity.sdce.edu/content/diversity-workplace-benefits-challenges-and-solutions
Mona, J. (2013). Diversity Issues in the Workplace. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from ehow.com: http://www.ehow.com/about_5422421_diversity-issues-workplace.html
