Workplace Diversity

The sizeable increase in terms of diversity in the workforce has been a noticeable trend in the business world as organizations are making greater efforts to maximize profitability by targeting different marketing segments and new demographics. However, workplace diversity involves more than just hiring ethnically diverse individuals or minorities that come from different cultural backgrounds. It also recognizes that every individual is unique and that a job should essentially be given to the person who will thrive the most in the position regardless of any factors beyond their skillset. An organization that believes in workplace diversity gives equal opportunity to all and reaps the many benefits that comes with it. In fact, when managed correctly a business can flourish when diversity is incorporated in its workforce’s day to day operations. This is not always the case however and there can be some very significant challenges that come with trying to build a diverse workforce making it very important in this era of economic globalization to overcome such challenges effectively when they arise.

One of the major benefits to having a diverse workforce is an evident increase in both productivity and creativity. Employees from different backgrounds oftentimes have different perspectives and perceptions when looking at things and they may offer more innovative solutions to solving a problem. With effective collaboration and brainstorming a diverse workforce can open doors to these solutions as well as new ideas that can be used to benefit the company. In addition, some companies have the power and resources to expand into the global market and see opportunity in doing business with international companies. By having a language diverse workforce the expansion will not only attract more companies but will make the transition much smoother. For example, an individual fluent in Japanese will be able to communicate with willing buyers in Japan and this is beneficial in helping to increase sales. When it comes to global trade a company wants to feel comfortable with the organization its doing business with and being able to speak their native language as well as relate to their culture goes a long way in helping develop that comfort. The same can be said for a business trying to draw consumers from a certain geographic region. Sometimes these regions are highly populated by a certain race or ethnicity and by having employees of the same background it will help build better customer relations and trust. Finally, in general unemployed workers looking for jobs are more drawn to a company that promotes a diverse culture in their workforce. It shows that they promote equality and fairness in their business and this is a type of work environment that is highly regarded by all. With this being said a company that involves this practice will be able to attract more of the sought after talent looking for jobs in the industry while at the same time retaining their own productive employees.

Even though there are a large amount of benefits that come with having a diverse workforce there are still challenges that may be encountered along the way. Miscommunication is always at the head of the problems as language barriers are oftentimes present amongst diverse employees. The result of ineffective communication is confusion, misperception, and low team morale which are all factors that will lead to decreased production in the company. Personal prejudices can also lead to significant problems when trying to increase diversity in the organization. Some individuals have strong preconceived notions when it comes to certain cultures and the introduction of these cultures into the workforce may lead to tension amongst some employees. This will not only effect work output but can lead to more complaints involving issues such as harassment and racism which will take up a substantial amount of work time to resolve. In the Spencer Owens and Co. case study this was a major issue as employees of color were quick to bring charges of racism against whites in the organization. The frequency of these events increased racial tension and skewed the company’s workflow. Without a proper resolve to these conflicts and misconceptions an increase in diversity may actually deter a company’s progress.