Role of HR Policy in anticipating and mitigating challenges of a diverse workforce

This article discusses the challenges of a diverse workforce and the role of HR policy in anticipating and mitigating them. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive environment in the workplace and promoting fairness, equality, collaboration, innovation, creativity, flexibility, and a sense of responsibility in every employee towards others. The article also highlights some of the successful metrics for measuring diversity and methods of inclusion.

Running Head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 1
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Running Head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Role of HR Policy in anticipating and mitigating challenges of a diverse workforce
Since workplaces have become more dynamic, the workforce has also become global, creating
workforce diversity. Workforce diversity stands for the similarities and dissimilarities among
employees with respect to gender, sexual orientation, age, background, culture, race, intellectual
abilities, physical abilities and religion. It is a feature present at every organization. It is bound to
happen because no two human beings are alike. Moreover, diversity in the workplace and even
in academia is a feature that is promoted to earn better rankings on a local and global level.
However, this diversity creates portals for several advantages and for various challenges from
discrimination, racism, favoritism, to groupies’. The term workforce diversity can ensure better
productivity but can also hinder the personal wellbeing of employees which may lessen the
productivity. Certainty in the effects of workplace diversity is difficult to assume. However, a
good HR policy can steer the developments of a workforce into fruitful outcomes (Cascio, 2015).
A good human resource department of an organization maintains the record of workforce
diversity as the biggest challenge in managing a diverse workforce is the identification of
diversity. The HR department must measure diversity by audits of not only employees but also
while recruiting (Cascio, 2015). In addition, it is also responsible for recruiting and training a
diverse workforce. These roles are known as Diversity Management and, the Human Resources
are clearly responsible for creating and maintaining a positive environment in the workplace in
which every employee feels included irrespective of other differences that may be (Shen,
Chanda, D’Netto & Monga, 2009).

Running Head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
The diversity in the workplace leads to various dissimilarities in work practice. A good HR
management should not favor any particular practice of work rather support a universal approach
for all. An environment of reactiveness, participation, mutual understanding and contribution by
all employees should be promoted to maintain a sound place for working. Furthermore, diversity
should not only be incorporated into one or two tiers of the organization, just for the sake of it.
Workforce diversity should reflect in all the steps of the ladder. Some of the best practices for
maintaining a diverse workforce would be, fairness, equality, collaboration and teamwork,
innovation, creativity, flexibility and a sense of responsibility in every employee towards others
(Chelladurai and Kerwin, 2018).
According to a study by The Forbes Insights Survey, it was found that around 60% of the
companies in the United States of America have plausible metrics to access diversity and
methods of inclusion. Some of the successful metrics being, performance reviews: a fair chance
before all employees to excel by performing, bonuses, department reviews: distributing the
responsibility of diversity management from CEO level to Department level, incentives, salary
increases and promotions (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright, 2017).
Several agencies at national and local promote workforce diversity because of its social, financial
and economic benefits. Workforce diversity is one of the neglected features that has the potential
to propel an organization into productivity and growth. As Josh Bersin says, "Companies that
embrace diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their business statistically outperform their
peers" (Bamberger, Biron and Meshoulam, 2014)

Running Head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
References
Bamberger, P.A., Biron, M. and Meshoulam, I. (2014) Human resource strategy: formulation,
implementation and impact, 2nd ed. London: Routledge.
Cascio, W.F., 2015. Costing human resources. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, pp.1-1.
Cascio, W.F., 2015. Managing human resources. McGraw-Hill.
Chelladurai, P. and Kerwin, S., 2018. Human resource management in sport and recreation.
Human Kinetics.
Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M., 2017. Human resource management:
Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Shen, J., Chanda, A., D’Netto, B. & Monga, M. (2009) ‘Managing diversity through human
resource management: an international perspective and conceptual framework’, International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 20 (2), pp. 235-251.