“Workplace Diversity”

Contemporary Issues In Management

Submitted By:
Vivek Rathod

Roll on: 210102

Submitted To:
Dr. Hitesh Parmar

POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS

MANAGEMENT
SARDAR PATEL UNIVERSITY
Abstract:
This paper is an examination of workplace diversity, especially the emerging
issues in contemporary reviews. Considering the demographic differences of
people in terms of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture etc working in an
organization that usually drive productivity and business performance; such a
diversity or heterogeneous work organization is largely driven by globalization
and liberalization of trade which allow productive factor inputs to move freely
across nations. Workforce diversity is embedded with some attendant advantages
such as the creation of a learning-work environment through collaboration and
team participation, productivity and increased profit. It is pertinent to note that,
there are some emerging issues in workforce diversity, which include
multicultural task environment, existence of large talent pool used for creating
and innovation, inter-functional coordination, complexity and discrimination at
work. These issues are brought to bear through globalization, migration, aging
population, outsourcing, women’s work etc. Organization should have a
framework for workplace diversity management; optimally allocating resources
to create a multicultural engaged workforce for productivity and excellent
business performance. Keywords: Workplace Diversity, Discrimination,
Globalization, Multicultural, Inter-functional, Team Participation.
INRODUCTION
Today’s workforce is made up of many types of people. Organisations
can no longer assume that every employee has similar beliefs or expectations.
Organizations exist to serve human needs. An organisation is only effective as
the people who operate it. People are considered the most important resource in
any organisation. They are the basic foundation of an organization and the basic
unit of change within organisation. The human resource approach focuses on the
interaction between people and the organization. If communication between
employees is poor, organisation. will suffer. When coordination and interaction
within the organisation is good, both employees and business will benefit.
Workplace diversity refers to the division of the working force into
separate categories that have a apparent unity or harmony within a given cultural
context and that impact potentially beneficial or harmful outcomes of
employments such as job opportunities, workplace treatment prospects of
promotion of employees, irrespective of job related qualification and
skills. Diversity can be defined differently by different cultures and
organisations. A view of business, organisation and human resource literature
produced three types of definitions of diversity: Narrow category-based definition
(e.g. gender, racial or ethnic differences); broad category-based definition (e.g. a
long list of categories including such variables as marital status and education);
and conceptual rule definition that is based on variety of perspectives, differences
in perceptions and actions. Some of the distinction categories may either have a
positive or negative impact on employment and job prospects in different
countries. Against the backdrop of broad definitions, on the one hand, and the
narrow ones on the other, generating a definition of workplace diversity that will
be relevant and applicable in different cultures proves to be a challenge.
Workplace diversity focused on the similarities and differences of the people that
they bring to an organization. It is generally defined to include dimensions which
influence the perspectives and identities that employees have such as profession,
education and geographic location. Diversity as a concept is considered to be
inclusive of everyone. Diversity plans create the organisational environment and
workplace culture by making differences work. It is about teaching and learning
from others who are different, it is about respect and dignity for all, and about
creating environments at workplace practices that encourage learning from others
and capture the advantage of diverse perspectives. Most scholars agree that
diversity in the workplace utilizes employee skills to the fullest and contributes
to the overall growth and prosperity of the organisation. It is based on the idea
identities should not be discarded or ignored, but instead, should be maintained
and valued.
DEFINITION:
Diversity is a satisfying mix of ideas, cultures, races, genders,
economic statuses and other characteristics necessary for promoting growth and
learning among a group. having variety in religious, racial, cultural, and
geographic backgrounds as well as experiences, beliefs, and. world view.

IMPORTANCE OF WORKPLACE DIVERSITY:

benefits of diversity in the workplace for employees
Conflict reduction
Within a diverse workplace, employees can better understand each other's
differences. This will often help to reduce conflicts between even the most
different team members; and will often unite people with a common purpose
rather than divide them.

Increased confidence
When employees' recognise that differences are embraced and celebrated in an
organisation, they are likely to also be more confident in their own unique
qualities. Encouraging diversity can help to boost confidence and performance
from individual team members, who may be more easily able to express their
ideas, become closer to their colleagues and enjoy and take pride in their work.

Boosting employee engagement

Employees are far more likely to perform well in an environment where diversity
and inclusion are top priority. The whole point of diversity & inclusion that it is
about everyone, not just underrepresented groups so encouraging everyone to be
confident in their ability will only help to boost morale and employee engagement
across the entire team.
Benefits of diversity in the workplace for employers
Increased range of ideas
One of the key benefits of diversity in society is the vast range of ideas that can
be explored. Diversity in the workplace will often result in a much broader
spectrum of creativity, from people with different backgrounds, skills and
experiences. A wider range of different perspectives will be highly beneficial
across all teams; from marketing to finance.

Boosts company reputation & simplifies recruitment processes

Diversity in the workplace will help to build a great reputation for the company;
especially important when you are looking to hire and retain talent. Especially in
terms of graduate recruitment, D&I can play a huge role in attracting candidates
to your business; if done well, it can also help you stand out from the bigger firms.

Wider talent pool to choose from

Companies that only hire men, for example, are limiting themselves to the skills
of half the population, this is just one of the many benefits of gender diversity in
the workplace.

Helps you to understand your customers better

Having a more diverse team will help your company gain a broader
understanding of your customers, what they want and what they look for. Who
knows? Your company could be missing out on a huge group of potential
customers that could be explored by hiring more diversely.

Reduce employee turnover

Companies with a diverse workforce will tend to retain employees for longer,
because ultimately employees who feel accepted and valued will be much less
likely to leave. Likewise, companies who clearly value career development, and
really care about their employees, will tend to have a much higher retention rate
than those who don't.
Different Types of Diversity in the Workplace
Age Diversity
It’s essential that organizations pay close attention to age diversity in the
workplace. Ageism in the workplace is a very real thing; many organizations
may believe that older employees don’t have the technological know-how to
do certain jobs (or willingness to learn new skills), or that younger
employees might not have the attitude, workability, or personality to succeed
on a long-term basis. Instead, organizations should be open to all ages when
it comes to diversity in the workplace; the different skills and life experiences
people of all ages bring to the workplace can be valuable in a variety of ways
for a wide range of different positions.

Generational Diversity
Running in parallel with “age diversity” is generational diversity in today’s
offices. Incredibly enough, today’s workplaces can see members of five different
generations roaming the hallways (or the different Zoom calls). Those
generations consist of:
The “Traditionalists,” born before and during World War II (roughly 1925-1945)
The “Baby Boomers,” born in the wake of World War II (from 1946 to 1964)
“Generation X,” coming after the “Baby Boom” ended (from 1965 to 1980)
“Millennials,” the young and technologically-advanced generation currently
making their mark on the workforce (from 1981 to 2000).
“Generation Z,” the next generation poised to enter the workforce.
Each of these generations features their own unique characteristics, skill sets, and
personalities that they bring to the workforce. Balancing out an organization’s
structure with a mixture of workers from different generations is key to ensuring
successful, streamlined collaboration.
Gender Diversity
As we explored in one of the prior examples, gender diversity is critical to
establishing overall diversity in the workforce—and, as the numbers show, is
essential for a productive organization overall. Moving past the outdated, male-
dominated workforce biases and taking active steps to welcome all genders into
all levels of an organization—from entry-level individuals to leaders—can have
a dramatic, transformative effect on an organization.

Gender Identity and Assigned Sex

Gender identity refers to where a person falls on the “spectrum” of gender, from
cisgender (identifying with their “assigned sex” from birth) to gender-fluid (not
identifying with one specific gender) and many other possibilities. This glossary
from the Human Rights Council provides some helpful definitions, and there are
several other helpful TED Talks on the subject. Welcoming in—and supporting—
those with different gender identities is another important factor in creating
diversity in the workplace.

Race and Ethnicity

Wondering about racial diversity in the workforce and ethnicity diversity in the
workforce? These two terms are different. As the National Geographic points out
in a “Culture | Explainer” article: “Race” is usually associated with biology and
linked with physical characteristics such as skin color or hair texture. “Ethnicity”
is linked with cultural expression and identification. True diversity in the
workplace welcomes in people of all races and ethnicities, bringing their unique
experiences and skills shaped by both into a productive, collaborative workforce.

Geographic Location
Opening your workforce up to individuals from different geographic locations is
a building block of workforce diversity. The good news? With the boom in virtual
collaboration and work-from-home practices, it’s easier than ever to gain
perspectives, thoughts, ideas, and strategies from individuals working in different
areas of the country (or different parts of the world).
Language and Accent
Did you know that there are over 6,500 languages spoken in the world today?
Helping to break down language and accent barriers and bring in those that might
not sound like everyone else in the organization is critical for that comprehensive
workplace diversity modern companies seek out.

Religion & Spiritual Beliefs

A person’s religion and spiritual beliefs can be an essential part of their makeup.
Creating a diverse and inclusive work environment that welcomes individuals
with different religious beliefs can create a harmonious, productive workplace—
especially essential in a country with a variety of religions and spiritual beliefs
represented in the populace (India or the United States, for example).

Cultural Identity & Background

Creating an inclusive workforce means welcoming those with different cultural
identities and backgrounds. There are a host of elements that make up one’s
cultural identity, and these elements often influence an individual’s specific work
or communication style. Someone coming from Canada might have a totally
different method of working than someone from China, for example. The key to
understanding cultural diversity in the workplace diversity is to celebrate the
differences and create a welcoming, warm environment where all can flourish.

Physical and Cognitive Abilities & Disabilities

A diverse workforce includes people of all physical and cognitive abilities and
disabilities. This workforce could welcome people that need a wheelchair to
function, for example, or those with cognitive (mental) disabilities like
Aspbergers or Attention Deficit Disorder. Like anyone else in society, people of
different physical and cognitive abilities and disabilities make up a diverse
workforce.
Mental Health
Luckily, society seems to have come a long way in recent years when it comes to
openly addressing the importance of mental health (it’s even been a topic of
conversation for National Basketball Association teams). However, there is still
much work to be done for the acceptance of mental health as a true factor of
diversity. Welcoming in those employees who have struggled with their mental
health, or have something that affects their mental health on a regular basis (as so
many of us do) is an important step for workplace diversity.

Behavior and Attitude

As much as we’d all like to work with people that are friendly, welcoming, and
enthusiastic all the time, that’s just not how human behavior and attitude works.
Diversity in the workplace means bringing in people with behavior and attitudes
that vary—from those enthusiastic, optimistic go-getters to people that might be
viewed as “antisocial,” quiet, or even surly.

Education
Seeking out a variety of educational backgrounds is important for diversity at the
office. Someone with a high school diploma or a degree from a state school might
fit in just as well as someone with a Master’s degree or an Ivy League college on
their resume. Educational diversity is one of the critical parts of diversity and
inclusion at work.

Personal Interests
What does a person like to do with their spare time? How about the kinds of
movies they watch or music they listen to? What do they like to read? What kind
of sports team allegiances do they have? All of those little traits that make up a
person—the kids of things you might read about on their Facebook “About Us”
page contribute to a diverse, productive workforce.
Appearance
We all make instant judgments based on appearance—that’s just the way our
brains work. However, it’s important for today’s workplaces to put aside those
biases whether they be for the clothes someone wears, their physical look, or
some other visual trait—and make sure that the workplace is a diverse one
welcoming and inclusive of all appearances.

Parental Status
Parental status is an important part of gender diversity in the workplace. Many
organizations may still have a mindset that is biased against those who are
parents; the impression may exist that their needed duties around the home might
take them away from the work that needs to get done. Bringing in employees with
children and without children makes for a diverse and welcoming workforce.

Work Experience
From people just starting out on their working existence to veterans of many
different jobs, work experience is a key function of diversity in the workforce. A
mix of work experience allows for a wide range of thinking to tackle different
problems and challenges that come up every day in the office. Those with long
backgrounds in the industry know those valuable ins and outs, while those with
experience in different industries (or those fresh to the workforce) could provide
fresh approaches and thoughts that could make a huge difference. Additionally,
be sure to search for diversity in both job function and diversity in management
status when filling out a workforce; cast a wide net and think outside the box to
staff those important positions.

Financial Status
The number of dollars in someone’s bank account shouldn’t correlate to the job
they can do for your organization. A diverse organization features people of
different financial statuses—from those that may be wealthy or financially secure
to those that may not be at the same level when it comes to finances. A diverse
workplace, hopefully, can help to raise everyone involved to at least a level of
financial comfort.
Political Beliefs
There’s a wide range of political beliefs out there—from people completely
apathetic and unconcerned about politics to those very vocal and passionate about
their allegiances. Welcoming those with different political beliefs (even those
ones that might be outside the perceived mainstream) can be an important part of
diversity in the workplace.

Diversity in the workplace examples

Companies across the board are taking steps to create an equality and diversity
strategy. Some of the best diversity and inclusion in the workplace examples are:

AT&T
Industry: Technology
AT&T took the prestigious top spot on DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for
Diversity In 2019. The award commended the behaviour of CEO and Chairman
Randall Stephenson, who is a big advocate for inclusion and diversity
management in corporate companies. AT&T has been applauded for its unbiased
approach to both graduate recruitment and more senior hiring - allowing
managers to recommend individuals through their own app. They also encourage
their employees to speak openly about race, sexuality, religion etc, to increase
mutual understanding of their colleagues.

Marriott International
Industry: Hospitality
In a close second place on DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies, Marriott recently
launched their Serve 360 plan, whereby they invested $5m in order for women,
people with disabilities, veterans, refugees and more to learn hospitality skills.
Not every company will be able to afford $5m; but it does point to the value of
investing in professional development.
Accenture PLC
Industry: Professional Services
Accenture is often ranked within the top companies for diversity (Thompson
Reuters' 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Index ranked Accenture as it's no.1 most
diverse company), and though this is largely due to gender representation within
their workforce, they have also been applauded for encouraging the inclusion of
many different groups. Diversity training within the company is broken into three
different categories;
1) Diversity Awareness, to help people understand the benefits of working with
a diverse organisation,
2) Diversity Management, to help team leaders to successful manage diverse
teams and
3) Professional Development, to enable minority groups to develop valuable new
skills.
Challenges of diversity in the workplace
Companies across a range of industries are embracing a more diverse
workforce; but with these benefits also come some key obstacles to overcome,
as there are many challenges of managing diversity in the workplace. Below are
the most common challenges of diversity in the workplace which are important
to consider.

Communication barriers
Hiring employees from a range of cultures and backgrounds has fantastic
benefits for businesses; but can occasionally result in communication or
language barriers within a team. This can sometimes lead to frustration amongst
employees and productivity loss.

Employee requirements
Whether it's a VISA or specific cultural requirements, hiring employees from
different countries can be tricky; especially if you are a relatively young
company. As well as posing a logistical challenge, it's important to remember
that these accommodations can also sometimes be an added business cost to
factor into your hiring plans.

Gender equality issues

Salary inequality between men and women has been a huge topic of discussion
in recent years. Individuals that are treated unequally can become demotivated
and often choose to leave, causing increases in staff turnover. The Equal Pay Act
aims to prevent gender equality issues by ensuring companies pay equally
between women and men for equal work. It is also important for employers to
ensure the same equality is practiced during the hiring process as well as with
career progression in terms of opportunities offered and promotions.
Generational differences
In teams where there is a wide age range, especially if the company is recruiting
graduates, there many be some generational differences or generation gaps. This
could potentially hinder discussions on certain subjects; millennials account for
the majority of UK workers, which is evolving today’s corporate culture. This is
something to consider when you start your graduate recruitment plans, as
individuals from other generations might struggle to adjust to any changes that
occur. To bridge the gap between generations, promote an office culture where
all views are heard and sustain a collaborative environment.

Conflicting beliefs
Conflicts can arise in the workplace due to differences in religious, political or
cultural beliefs, and unfortunately discrimination and prejudice still occurs in
some corporate environments.

Disability discrimination
The workplace can be tough for employees with a physical or mental disability.
In a recent study on disability and employment 12% of employers are concerned
that disabled employees will take more time off work and 19% believe that it is
expensive to hire individuals with a disability due to costs involved in adapting
the workplace. With many offices not fully equipped with wheelchair access or
no allowances for dogs, disabled individuals are still widely discriminated against
today.

Isolated individuals
Sometimes employees can feel left out or isolated when groups of other
individuals with similar backgrounds and characteristics, form 'cliques' or social
circles.
Time consuming implementation process
When thinking about the disadvantages of diversity in the workplace, one of the
key issues is that implementing a diversity in the workplace policy can be a
lengthy process involving research, time and resources. It can also work out quite
costly, if you decide to offer training to help bridge skills gaps for example. This
can make it difficult, particularly for small businesses and startups to launch a
diversity strategy. However, there are always smaller, less costly positive changes
that can be made to ensure all employees feel included and have a voice.

Resistance to change
In most companies it is common to find certain individuals that are resistant to
change. "This is the way we've always done it" doesn't mean that it's the right
way to do it now. However, sometimes it can be difficult to convince these
individuals that change can be a good thing which can inhibit the progress of a
diversity and inclusion strategy.

How to promote diversity in the workplace?

We have established there are some workplace diversity challenges employers
face, but they are not impossible for companies of any size to overcome. Now we
explore some potential solutions to these diversity challenges in the workplace:

Identify the problems

Make the challenges of diversity an urgent topic of conversation; whether they
are discussed in a weekly senior management meeting or shared amongst the
whole team for feedback. Frequently assess and evaluate your diversity processes
and make improvements accordingly.

D&I strategy for success

Develop a clear D&I strategy. We recommend you seek advice and feedback
from a diverse range of people in the business when it comes to your diversity
and inclusion in the workplace strategy, individuals from different departments
are likely to have different opinions.
Involve the whole team
When launching your diversity and inclusion strategy, it is a good idea to get
input elsewhere across the business wherever possible. You could consider
starting a diversity and inclusion team internally to ensure you are meeting the
standards, aims and objectives you've set out. It might also be a good idea to do
a regular 'desk swap' whereby you move individuals around, helping to prevent
'cliques' from being formed.

Initiate mentoring schemes

Initiating a mentoring scheme can help to increase employee satisfaction and
retain top talent and is one of the least costly diversity strategies that can be
implemented to ensure all employees feel included and have a voice. Find out
more about how a mentoring scheme could benefit your business.

Offer training programmes

Offer a clear, professional development structure to all employees. Bridge the
digital skills gap between generations by offering computer learning training or
offer language training for employees that are non-native English speakers. It
might also be a good idea to offer diversity training to certain team members,
particularly within management or the HR department, helping to ensure they
show compassion to colleagues in distress.

Hire bilingual or multilingual employees

Employing multilingual or bilingual staff can also help bridge the gap between
different cultures and resolve any language barriers between English and non-
English speaking employees.
Implement initiatives for gender equality
Businesses have a duty to demonstrate equality in the workplace and prevent
gender discrimination, particularly with regards to hiring both men and women,
paying equal salary and offering the same opportunities and promotions to both
men and women. Encouraging more women to work in tech is another prime
example of encouraging gender equality in all job roles.

Accommodate disabilities
Support physically or mentally disabled individuals by providing disabled access,
allowing service dogs at work and offering other initiatives to build a diverse
workplace. Find out other ways to manage mental health in the workplace Hold
people accountable It is important to hold people accountable if they are not
embracing workplace diversity and inclusion or if they are discriminating against
employees who have different characteristics or different ethnic or religious
backgrounds to their own. Put rules in place and stick to them, if there are
individuals who do not accept a diverse office environment, then prove that you
will not tolerate this behaviour. Employees may need to be regularly reminded to
keep personal beliefs and opinions separate to work, to help reduce the risk of
disputes in the office.

Factor in costs and time restraints

Ensure that you factor in all potential costs and time restraints during the initial
planning stages of your diversity and inclusion strategy. This will ensure that all
your plans go ahead smoothly and prevent any costly, unwelcome surprises
further down the line.
Conclusion

Globalization and trade liberalization which has enhanced the mobility of factors
of production from one nation to another easier has created a global market with
most organizations speedily becoming diversified. Most workplaces are now
heterogeneous rather than homogenous and having difference in people in terms
of age, gender, ethnicity, culture, skills, profession etc, working in the same
organization. Such workforce diversity helps in creating a learning organization
through cross fertilization of ideas and knowledge.
Workforce diversity brings about higher productivity and business performance
in the workplace as people skills and competences are synergistically brought
together for optimal performance of the firm. The emerging issues in workplace
diversity are the emergence of a learning organization through integration of
talent pool, higher productivity, communication, relationship building and
multicultural work orientation. However, some emerging negatives are racial
discrimination, high cost of diversity management, gender issues.
The contribution of this study is that it would help the management of
organizations to gain perspective on how diversity would impact performance in
terms of the quality and efficiency of service delivery. This would guide the
human resource department on how to create a good balance so as to encourage
diversity. Not only would this be used as a guide in the recruitment process but it
can also be used by managers to determine how to form or select diverse teams
to work in different organizations.
Recommendations
There are several ways diversity at work can be managed; organizations should
implement the following when managing differences at work. The firm’s
leadership should learn to value and respect fundamental differences at work,
admitting to one’s own biases and prejudices and resolving to reduce them,
building relationships with diverse others, treating diverse others as invited guests
by showing interest in them rather than treating them as stranger.
The management should encourage employees to learn languages and cultural
differences encourage inclusive work environment and encouraging workers to
accept overseas assignment etc (Patrick & Kumar, 2012; Cletus et al., 2018). In
the face of globalization and trade liberalization markets cannot be resistant to
diversity.
Companies should embrace heterogeneous workforce which will bring about
higher productivity and sustainable business performance.
Thus, irrespective of the challenges workplace diversity may face, its advantages
outweigh the limitations, workplace diversity is a laudable predictor of company
innovativeness and performance; therefore, top management should effectively
manage diversity to bring about workplace harmony.