Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Practices - Importance and Benefits

Workplace diversity and inclusion practices
INTRODUCTION
Diversity in business refers to organization in which employees
with different genders, races, career, backgrounds etc. work together to
improve the productivity and achieve the overall business goals. The entire
article will identify the ways in which diversity incorporates all elements that
make individual different from one another. It will also identify that diverse
workplace is important asset since it identifies the individual strengths of
every employee and analyses the best potential in them (Scarborough and
et.al., 2019). Further, valuing the differences brings all the individuals
together so that fair work culture environment can be developed. Moreover,
diverse workforce helps to closely understands the needs of others and hence
increase the morale of employees. Hence, they can work more efficiently and
effectively without conflicts of ideas. Also, creativity of employees is
improved that helps to generate better ideas. Further diversity ensures that
better people are part of the organization irrespective of different parameters.
In broad manner gender, ethnic and cultural diversity may sometimes create challenges that companies may find difficult to
overcome. Some of them can be can workplace discrimination that most of the employees feel when diversity is not managed
effectively. Further there are chances that employees have misperception on certain things due to which there may be
chances of conflicts within different group members (What is diversity at workplace, 2020). Moreover, some employees may
find difficulty in respecting and accepting the differences of others and hence chances of unfair prejudices are higher. The
management has to ensure that such diversity can be solved through identifying the major issues within the organization so
that policies can be made accordingly.
Advantages:
However, if diversity is accepted in positive manner than it would
helpful in grater innovation and creativity so that when different people are
grouped together than workforce will be able to exchange unique perspectives.
Moreover, it will help in reducing the employee turnover as individuals may
feel more valued and accepted that will ensure happiness among the workplace
(Cowgill and Perkowski, 2020).
Also, the organization would be able to connect to large number of number as
diverse workforce will open up new marketing channels that will appeal to
wider target market. Further, higher employee engagement is developed that
helps management to easily introduced various changes in the organization.
Faster problem solving is also seen in those organizations who follow diverse
culture as result of which time and cost incurred are also minimum.
SUMMARY:
For organization to reach the desired goals it is very
important that they make an effort to make fulfilling experience of
the workers. Hence, they could perform better only when they are
diverse as world of business is changing and bringing diversity at the
workplace is the most important task for the business leaders (de
Aquino and Robertson, 2018). Diversity in workplace can be either
in form of skills, income, education, age, beliefs, race etc. that build
company and empowers people through providing an environment
and tools that they can use for future growth. In 2019, workplace
diversity doesn't base on hiring diverse individuals but also make
sure that participation of such employees is equal (Hopf and et.al.,
2021). Most of the individuals are confused with the term equality
and diversity. Equality is providing equal opportunities while
diversity on the other hand is appreciating the differences between
individuals. More over diversity reflects societies and demographics
more accurately than those organizations who are non-diverse.

Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live
with and perhaps the most dangerous thing for a
society to be without. ~ William Sloane Coffin Jr.
Data:
Diversity in workforce also helps to increase the revenue as Boston consulting group
found that companies with diverse workforce and increased innovation generated 19%
more revenue than companies with lower diversities. Also, it is said that diverse
companies enjoy 2.3 times higher cash flow per employee than others (Brown, 2017).
Further, according to annual population survey published in 2004 and 2019
employment rate increased in every ethnic group i.e. the biggest increase was shown by
44 to 56% combining both Pakistani and Bangladeshi followed by other white ethnic
group which was 71% to 83%.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Scarborough, W. J., and et.al., 2019. Support of workplace diversity policies: The role of race, gender, and
beliefs about inequality. Social Science Research. 79. pp.194-210.
de Aquino, C. T. E. and Robertson, R. W., 2018. Diversity and Inclusion in the Global Workplace. Springer.
Hopf, S. C. and et.al., 2021. Advancing Workplace Diversity Through the Culturally Responsive Teamwork
Framework. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 30(5). pp.1949-1961.
Villesèche, F. and et.al., 2018. Diversity and identity in the workplace: Connections and perspectives.
Springer.
Olalere, A. A., 2018. Workplace Spirituality and Creativity. The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace
Spirituality and Fulfillment. pp.989-1010.
Brown, J., 2017. Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change by Jennifer Brown. Publish
Your Purpose Press.
Cowgill, B. and Perkowski, P., 2020. Agency and workplace diversity: evidence from a two-sided
audit. Columbia Business School Research Paper. (898).
Online
What is diversity at workplace. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.giveagradago.com/news/2020/12/what-is-diversity-in-the-workplace/424>.
Opinions:
From the overall scenario I can say that diversity is important so that the organization
could have wider pool of resources, skills and opinions. This will help in adapting to global
economy very easily as firm would be able to adapt to different learning styles, finds various
mean of solving complex problems and have wider perspectives on all the solutions. Moreover,
global awareness can be enhanced in organization that will help them to build competitive
business structure (Villesèche and et.al., 2018). However, benefits of diversity can only be
achieved when business design diversity policies in better manner and implement them
successfully.
For this organization must understand that every business is unique and so their
initiatives. Therefore, copy paste policy should not be followed that will only result in losses.
Moreover, in my opinion I think that for organization who are running small business should not
indulge in too much diversity at workplace as resources are limited and hence management will
not be able to give develop flexible business policies (Olalere, 2018). On the other hand, in large
organization having proper training management department can increase the profits through
systematically understanding the differences among various employees and focus on aligning
different diversity practices.
Also I think that diverse organizations have the option to choose from variety of talents
available in the market as recruiting will be not based on certain type of person rather it will focus
on technical skills and experience individual possess. Thus, understanding and targeting the
customers would be easier as employees consists of different social backgrounds and culture.
Diversity and inclusion, which are the real grounds for
creativity, must remain at the center of what we do.~
Marco Bizzarri Diversity
Diversity is about all of us
and about us having to
figure out how to walk
through this world
together.~ Jacqueline
Woodson