Diversity in the workplace is crucial in promoting productivity and fairness among workers. The dimensions of diversity such as age, gender, religious affiliation, and ethnicity among others exhibit a significant influence on an individual or collective healthcare needs and capabilities in various ways. The impact of gender on the healthcare needs, for example, is based on the physiological, anatomical, and behavioral differences between women and men. Concerning behavioral differences, contrary to women, men tend to engage in behaviors that put them at risk of getting injured. Women are also more predisposed to stroke than men owing to the presence of estrogen in their body (Wassertheil-Smoller et al., 2003). Besides, women tend to be at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis than men due to thinner bones. Age diversity also exhibits a significant influence on health care needs because it affects one’s anatomy and physiology. People who exhibit diversity in anatomical and physiological features also have different healthcare needs.
Other dimensions of diversity such as religion and ethnicity influence aspects of healthcare such as accessibility and behavior. The difference in religion, for example, is associated with differences in health-related behavior and healthcare accessibility. In this case, healthcare needs of an individual are partly determined by the health-related restrictions imposed on the person by the religion to which the individual is affiliated. For example, religions that prohibit the consumption of animal-based foods put believers at risk of developing Vitamin B12 deficiency. Consequently, such individuals need diets that can provide alternative sources of vitamin B12. Concerning ethnicity, there is the need to note that various ethnic communities have cultural practices that have significant implications for the health of their members. Some cultural practices limit the accessibility to proper healthcare among some groups of its members. For example, in some countries in the Southern Asia, men are often fed greater quantities and more nutritious food than their female counterparts (Vlassoff, 2007). Consequently, in those regions, women and girls are more likely than their male counterparts to develop nutrition deficiencies.
The business workforce diversity plan presented in the case study would significantly help improve the presence of the minority groups in the workforce. However, somehow it constitutes discriminatory hiring practices. For example, maintaining women’s representation at a minimum of 60% implies that some women might not be hired on merits. Men, who might be adequately qualified for positions in various organizations, may miss out to cater for the absorption of more women in the workforce. The implementation of the labor force diversity plan presented in the case study is not necessarily discriminatory. Rather, it can be conducted in a manner that does not disenfranchise anyone. For example, expanding accessibility to education opportunities to women can significantly help increase their involvement in the workforce. This step does not constitute discriminatory practice provided that such opportunities are made available to men too.
Diversity-based policies exhibit significant impact of the healthcare needs of people in the workplace. For example, such policies bring people of various cultural backgrounds together. This, in turn, results in the need to change the policies guiding workplaces to cater for the need of people from different genders, religion, and other diversity dimensions. For example, as a result of increasing the presence of women in the workplace by 60%, provision of more sanitary pads and maternity leaves in the workplaces is necessary.
In a sample workforce diversity plan, the priorities involve the following: attraction and recruitment of diverse workforce, development and retaining of a diverse workforce, and promoting workforce diversity as part of everyday business. This plan can improve health service delivery in the sense that it puts the minority in positions where decisions are made. Consequently, it provides conditions that enable organizations to give priority to health care needs of different people.
References
Vlassoff, C. (2007). Gender differences in determinants and consequences of health and illness. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 47-61.
Wassertheil-Smoller, S., Hendrix, S., Limacher, M., Heiss, G., Kooperberg, C., Baird, A., & Aragaki, A. (2003). Effect of estrogen plus progestin on stroke in postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative: a randomized trial. Jama, 289(20), 2673-2684.
