What Is the Definition of Workplace Diversity?
Diversity is the inclusion of things, people, and places that are different. For example, having different races, genders, ages, and ethnicities of people in one place is showing great diversity. No one thing or person is the same and is made up of different cultures and backgrounds. Also diversity can be the different opinions of individuals.
1 Equal Employment Opportunity
Some laws require workplaces be diverse. This means the employer hires more than one race, or one gender, and certain age groups. When the workplace is diverse, it shows that your establishment is a true equal opportunity business that hires people with different backgrounds and races, instead of segregating, or discriminating against a certain individual. Affirmative Action is one law that requires that minorities be hired in an establishment to make it diverse and equal.
2 Expressions and Values
Outside of race and genders, there is another way to diversify the workplace. That comes from allowing the individual employees to express their own opinions on policies, products, and the basic operation of business. When you allow other groups to give their honest opinion, you will have more success when it comes to marketing and selling your product or business to people all over the world who share different values and opinions.
3 Diversity Makes a Better Work Atmosphere
When a company shows diversity, their employees will work with better attitudes and an exceptional work ethic. Allowing an employee who may not be as educated as another employee the opportunity to advance from an entry-level position to a managerial position is showing diversity. You are showing that you provide employment and growth for those who have not received a college degree but still value their work ethic, and showing that anyone with good working skills can work for your company.
4 Adapting to Workplace Diversity
Some individuals who have started with a company from day one may have trouble adapting if the company is trying to embrace diversity. When people are used to seeing only those who look like them and share the same work ethic they do, they do not want anything to change. This will cause friction, and it may be harder to get things accomplished. A company should have diversity workshops to help ease the transition and make everyone feel comfortable, so the company does not suffer.
5 A World Diversified
With the many different cultures that are always increasing in the world, employers and employees have to find a way to assert and embrace diversity in the workplace, or get left out of the times. For example, when products are being manufactured, there are multiple languages in the instruction packages, showing how the world has diversified itself. To keep up with the changes of the world, the workplace must also diversify, or they may find their business going under.
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