Workplace diversity
Figure 01: Employer’s opinions on diversity
(source: Walters, 2017)
Workplace diversity is nothing but the acceptance and
show of respect by valuing differences between people of different races,
gender, ages, ethnicities as well as different personalities and experience
(Walters, 2017). Diversity can be categorised into two parts; the first
dimension includes the race, gender and sexual orientation, while the second
dimension includes religion, education and geographical location (Saxena, 2014).
Companies have a lot to gain by including diversity in
recruitment. By maintaining a diverse workforce, companies can benefit from the
inclusion of new ideas and different perspectives (Walters, 2017). This can be
a strong defence against stale ideas, and the incorporation of the established
business model can lead to better innovation. Moreover, when employees are
exposed to various cultures, ideas and perspectives, they naturally develop a
clearer insight into the global environment and their own surroundings, and
help employees become more experienced members of the society by breaking down
social and political barriers (Saxena,
2014).
Sri Lankan Airlines has already taken the initiative
to incorporate diversity into their recruitment process has already yielded great
results. The airline has recruited
several Chinese Passenger Assistants, all with experience in the travel
industry. In addition to flying onboard from Beijing to Bangkok and Colombo,
they will be on hand to help out transit passengers at Colombo’s Bandaranaike
International Airport. Passenger convenience has greatly improved since
many of the Chinese passengers do not speak English fluently.
A large number of Chinese
citizens visit Sri Lanka on personal or business travel, and Sri Lankan
Airlines has taken advantage of this and adopted their recruitment strategy.
There has been a strong growth in the Far East market since the introduction of
the Chinese Passenger Assistance Service and the airline has further broadened
the market share.
However, diversity at
work is not without its challengers (Dike, 2013). Managers and supervisors must
undergo diversity training to learn how to effectively interact with employees
and clients. This costs time and money to the company especially if the managers
and supervisors need to be sent abroad for the training (Dike, 2013). Discrimination can play
a part in a diverse workforce as well, affecting employee’s ability to perform
while also raising further issues such as perception of equity and issues of litigation
(Patrick and Kumar, 2012). In addition,
communication barriers as a result of different languages spoken can hamper the
productivity by dampening the cohesiveness among workers (Saxena, 2014).
Therefore,
effective management skills need to be in place to combat the challenges faced
due to diversity in the workforce (Patrick
and Kumar, 2012). Managers must recognize that every diverse culture has
its own strengths and weaknesses and in addition to their individual
characteristics, every diverse employee possesses unique strengths and
weaknesses that are acquired from their culture. When each workers´ unique
trait is managed properly and effectively in the organisation, the company can
leverage the strengths and complement its weaknesses to produce a useful
outcome in the form of better productivity (Patrick and Kumar, 2012). Implementation of mentoring programmes
and encouragement of constructive criticism are the keys to ensuring a secure
and diverse working environment for managers as well as employees (Saxena,
2014).
Take a look at the video
below, titled ‘Diversity by Design’ that demonstrates how LinkedIn is helping
employers recruit the most suitable candidate by comparing the response rates
of various job posts in terms of gender feedback and other options relating to
diversity.
Video 01: Diversity by
design
(source: LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2019)
List of references
- Dike, P. (2013). The impact of workplace diversity on organisations. Degree Programme in International Business. [online] Available at: https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/63581/Thesisxx.pdf?sequence=1
- LinkedIn Talent Solutions (2019). LinkedIn Talent Solutions: Introducing Diversity by Design. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J42yDxlsvw0
- Patrick, H. and Kumar, V. (2012). Managing Workplace Diversity: Issues and Challenges. SAGE Open. [online] Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244012444615
- Saxena, A. (2014). Workforce Diversity: A Key to Improve Productivity. Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies Annual Research Conference (SIMSARC13. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263968805_Workforce_Diversity_A_Key_to_Improve_Productivity
- Walters, R. (2017). Diversity and Inclusion in recruitment. [online] Available at: https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/content/dam/robert-walters/country/united-kingdom/files/whitepapers/Diversity-In-Recruitment-Whitepaper-web.pdf
- Walters, R. (2017). Diversity and inclusion in recruitment. [image] Available at: https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/content/dam/robert-walters/country/united-kingdom/files/whitepapers/Diversity-In-Recruitment-Whitepaper-web.pdf
Hi Jehan.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many firms have excellent diversity recruiting practices that occur in various parts of their organization. But it can be difficult when organisation takes too long time for recruitment process. Because the most qualified diversity candidates are in high demand, they are likely to get multiple offers soon after beginning their job search. That means that if you have a slow hiring process, the best diversity candidates will be long gone by the time you get around to making an offer.To avoid losing the best, you must have an accelerated hiring process that can hire diverse individuals faster than your competitors in some cases, in as little as one day (Sullivan, 2014)
I agree Sithari. In addition to your point, companies must strive for an effective and an accelerated hiring process in order to improve employee engagement, improve on the job performance, retain valuable employees and reduce employee turnover (Mayhew, 2019).
DeleteWhen it comes to managing workplace diversity prioritize communication is another important factor, to manage a diverse workplace, organizations need to guarantee that they efficiently communicate with employees. Policies, procedures, safety rules and other necessary information should be designed to overcome language and cultural barriers by translating materials and using pictures and symbols whenever relevant(Chidiac, 2018).
ReplyDeleteThat is true Sahan. As further explained by Ortiz (2018) providing diversity training, facilitating effective communication and encouraging interaction through team work can also assist in maintaining and managing a diverse workforce while gaining a competitive advantage.
DeleteAdditionally,Managers should identify certain skills that are vital for creating an effective and successful diverse workforce. Leaders must recognize their own cultural preferences, they must see diversity as the differences among individuals and support the fact that each individual is unique in special way. However, managers must be ready to change the organizational culture when the need to do arises and learn how to effectively manage the diverse workforce in order to be successful in the future. Also clear communication, social gatherings and business meetings play crucial role in managing diversity (Dike ,2013).
ReplyDeleteAgreed Oshantha. Even though managing a diverse workforce is somewhat challenging, thoroughly laid down policies and procedures that are inclusive of everyone whilst discouraging discrimination, treating each employee equally and encouraging team work in order to foster interaction among employees would benefit managers immensely (Dyson, 2019).
DeleteDiversity is understanding each individual in organization .work place diversity improve employee morale,productivity and retention there for, organization should design and implement diversity program (Patrick and Kumar, 2012).
ReplyDeleteThere is no denying the benefits of a diverse workforce Sankalpa. In addition to what you have mentioned, a diverse workforce also brings in a variety of perspectives, increased creativity and improves brand reputation to successfully develop the business in a global market (Stringfellow, 2019).
DeleteHi Jehan, according to Roosevelt (2001), managing diversity is a comprehensive process for creating a work environment that includes everyone. When creating a successful diverse workforce, an effective manager should focus on personal awareness. Both managers and associates need to be aware of their personal biases. Therefore, organizations need to develop, implement, and maintain ongoing training, because a one-day session of training will not change people’s behaviors (Koonce 2001). Managers must also understand that fairness is not necessarily equality. There are always exceptions to the rule.
ReplyDeleteWell said Sheron. In addition, Sherman (2019) states that setting objective standards, accepting feedback from employees, maintaining effective communication and treating people as individuals are few other methods of successful diverse workforce.
DeleteHi Jehan. Adding on to your article, recruitment and selection is often the first-place companies will begin when building a diverse work environment. However, many organizations, despite demographic and other evidence to the contrary, often show only a superficial commitment to diversity. Many people have heard a common refrain saying something like this: "If only we could find some truly qualified women and minorities, we would be happy to hire them. Those folks don't seem to be interested in the type of work we do in our industry. If you find some, we'll hire them." In reality, this kind of statement is at best an unfounded assertion, and at its worst, it reflects another form of racism and sexism stemming from the cultural programming that has effectively gone unquestioned. Where the work environment and career opportunities are right, qualified women and minorities are certainly out there. There is no secret to finding them; however, to attract and retain a diverse workforce, companies need to focus on diverse hiring people and diverse strategies. It is simply a matter of committing the company to the systematic, objective, rational and fair recruitment approaches, to the effective implementation of these strategies, and to promote a team environment that treats people fairly, irrespective of their differences (Hubbard, 2004).
ReplyDeleteI agree Anjula. Maintaining a successful diverse workforce should be a major goal for every company, since it brings in immediate and tangible benefits. For example, Stringfellow (2019) mentions that it improves creativity, productivity and brand image, while bringing in a variety of perspectives into the company. Hence, organizations must ensure they manage diversity effectively. Sherman (2019) says treating people as individuals, setting objective standards and maintaining effective communication are some ways of ensuring the company benefits from having a diverse workforce.
DeleteVery enticing article. With all the pros and cons you have mentioned the problem organisations are facing is lack of scholarly leaders to control and balance diversity within an organisation (Prasad, et al., 1997). Diversification has its own drawback as you have mentioned. Hence a leadership is needed who has a better understanding of diversity and its implications.
ReplyDelete