“Diversity” means the variety of people who work together in any organization. Different people have different ways of solving problems, seeing things, and understanding customers’ needs and wants.
What is Diversity In Workplace
Diversity in the workplace means the acceptance and inclusion of employees of all backgrounds. A diverse workplace is an important asset, since it acknowledges the individual strengths of each employee and the potential they bring. Valuing the differences of others is what ultimately brings us all together and can be the secret to a successful, thriving workplace and a fair work culture.
Why Is Diversity In Workplace Important?
Diversity in the workplace may be one of the most important factors in a business’s success. A diverse workforce is more likely to understand your customers’ needs and come up with ideas to fulfill them. Diversity also increases employee morale and instills a desire to be more effective and work more efficiently. This will greatly increase the productivity of your business.
Truly understanding diversity is, however, not as easy as it seems. Diversity encompasses many different aspects of an individual’s culture, lifestyle and perspective on the world. It includes gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, national origin and religious affiliation. Each of these aspects can be important in forming attitudes, feelings and viewpoints that are needed for a business to succeed.
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Diversity in the workplace improves the quality of products and services through more innovative approaches. Having different people with different backgrounds and different ways of thinking working together on a project will help the company to come up with more innovative solutions to problems.
This means that people who are represented within a particular workforce must have access to opportunities for personal development through training workshops and educational programs that will allow them to contribute their unique skills and talents to the organisation. An organisation can only realise its own potential when it has access to and employs a diverse range of talented people.
Diversity can be encouraged by businesses through outreach programs designed for students from minority groups or women returning from maternity leave. Often businesses will institute mentoring programs to pair newcomers with those who have been working at the company for several years.
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Types of workplace diversity
It’s important to recognise the types of diversity and to provide ways to ensure that you as a workplace, employer, or employee are contributing toward a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Employing staff with barriers to employment and treating them fairly is one of the ways employers can attract a more diverse workplace and diversify the skill sets within a workplace.
There are now funding and incentive schemes in place to encourage businesses to support people with a disability, Indigenous Australians, mature-aged people, and those who have been in long-term unemployment. Here are some tips to help create a more diverse workplace:
- Discuss diversity with your employees and outline the benefits of a diverse workplace.
- Identify and address any bias when it comes to the recruitment process. Have hiring managers be aware of the qualities and benefits applicants of varying backgrounds can bring to the company and ensure they are allowing for a fair hiring process. Let applicants know that you are an equal-rights employer.
- Value the individual skills that employees bring and make sure to utilize these strengths to help broaden your market and grow your company.
- Allow for flexible work options and provide the opportunity for parental leave for both women and men.
- Create and implement your own Workplace Diversity Plan (see the ACMA Diversity Plan as an example) for employees to become familiar with practising diversity and inclusiveness within the workplace.
