When you think of workplace diversity you might think of representations of various races, genders and religious backgrounds. But today’s concept of diversity in the workplace is very broad. When thinking of diversity in the workplace also think of personality, age, cognitive style, skillset, education, background and more.

“Diversity meaning: the fact of many different types of things or people being included in something; a range of different things or people”

More and more businesses are recognising the need and importance of investing in diversity as part of their hiring strategy. Diversity in the workplace is especially crucial in today’s global marketplace. Companies interact with different cultures and clients every day. Hiring people from different cultures and backgrounds payoffs in every area of the business by potentially resulting in increased creativity, increased productivity, new attitudes, new language skills, global understanding, new processes, and new solutions to difficult problems. greater agility, better market insight, stronger customer loyalty, innovation, and improved employee recruitment and retention.

Especially in this fast-changing world, businesses that fail to see the importance of diversity on the work floor might find it more difficult to attract and retain customers, employees and business partners in the future. They are losing out on productivity and most important profitability of any business and its core of existence.

We looked deeper into some advantages that come with a diverse workplace:

Increased productivity:

Having a diverse work force brings in diverse different talents working together towards a common goal using different sets of skills. Diversity also presents the opportunity to unite specific strengths to the advantage of the organisation. As every person has different skills and possesses varying strengths, these can be combined for greater performance and productivity.

Better problem solving and creativity:

With different and diverse minds come more solutions. Because every individual has their own way of thinking, operating, solving problems and decision making. Employees with different backgrounds and experiences will bring together a variety of perspectives, thereby evoking alternative solutions and approaches when discussing a topic or issue. If managed well, the strengths and best insights of every individual can be harnessed to heighten productivity and deliver better results.

Attracting and retaining employees:

You will attract and retail talent that will give a competitive edge to your organisation. Feeling included and appreciated increases loyalty and feeling of belonging. Language skills propels organisations forward either to compete in the International global world or to increase its diverse customer base.

From the marketplace perspective, a company that promotes workplace diversity and an inclusive work environment adds to its attractiveness as an employer.

Communication skills:

Diversity helps to build synergy in teams and enhances communication skills that brings in new attitudes and processes that will profit the team and company.

Growth of employees:

Employees will experience more personal growth in an environment where they are exposed to differences in culture, opinions and ideas.

The focus of diversity in the workplace is about acknowledging that every individual can bring something different to the table in an organisation. An organisation that is committed to a diverse workforce is an organisation that aims to use a group of individuals with unique qualities to grow. This also comes with the intention of wanting to develop the potential of every individual.

There are of course also challenges that occur when it comes to diversity in the workplace:

Clashes:

Culture, personality and background differences can cause social divisions between employees which they need to recognise and overcome. Naturally, this can cause disruptions when working in teams as individuals learn to adapt and understand one another.

Hiring needs:

Different companies have different approaches. Companies can have target-setting approaches in relation to gender and ethnic representations at specific levels in the company. Or companies look on an annual basis at its hiring strategy, discussing talent needs with heads of divisions and departments. Then there are Quota systems, however, a danger here is that hiring managers can sometimes feel pressured to recruit for the sake of diversity more than talent.

Organisational values:

If you want to make a diverse workforce work then the organisations company culture should show commitment to diversity. Foster an appreciation for diverse individuals, and encourage teamwork and collaboration. organisations will strengthen its diversity call by giving its employees equal opportunity for career development.

To Conclude: A business needs people with different personalities, experiences, and mindsets in order to be able to innovate, problem-solve and ultimately, succeed.