The Impact Of Diversity On Workforce Diversity Essay

From Hollywood to the the social sector, diversity, rather the lack thereof, has been a topic of conversation. Although many organizations have begun to advocate for diversity, more work must be done. Across the social sector,women and people of color remain severely underrepresented in leadership positions. Organizations must become intentional about creating a diverse workforce and implementing inclusive policies that foster positive work environments. When employees feel represented and included they are happier and more likely to contribute to fulfilling the organization's mission.

Diversity in any organisation includes hiring and promoting a workforce of people with differences. These differences include race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical abilities and economic backgrounds. The premise of a diverse workplace is that employees are

Diversity in the workplace is a subject that has gained increased attention in the workplace over the past few years. After all, the impact of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity programs on the nation's work force is undeniable. Women and minorities were the first to dramatically alter the face of the economic mainstream, while gays, persons with disabilities and senior citizens followed not far behind. The result is a diverse American labor force representing a microcosm of our society - yet one that continues to struggle with its identity. Diversity as a social condition is not new to America. We were founded as a nation of Diversity. “America has always been a merger of cultures and, as such, has undergone periods of

Diversity is what makes people different, not just culturally but in human differences. Having a multitude of differences in the workforce gives an organization the ability to use many ideas to reach a common goal. A person could say that a diverse group of people together in one room can accomplish greater achievements than a room filled with the same types of individuals. Managers understand the concept of diversity, and how important diversity is to the success of a company’s ability to implement programs that continue to develop a harmonious and diverse workplace. The recognition that diversity is a reality in the workforce has generated an enormous amount of activity over the years among leaders in business, government, and civil

Today's workplace is more diverse than it has ever been in history. While the workforce has made strides in the direction of equality, it is still far from attaining total equality in the workplace. A company must value diversity. The main objectives of valuing diversity include awareness, education, and positive recognition of the differences among people in the workforce. Organizations are increasingly emphasizing group work or teamwork as a source of competitive advantage in a diverse workforce. It has been suggested that such organizations must target their recruitment efforts at applicants who are both diverse and amenable to working in teams ( Rau, Hyland 2003).

Diversity can include race, gender, culture, religion, age, physical disabilities, height, education level, income level, geographical location, technical abilities, socioeconomic background, personality characteristics, and values (Verma, 2015). With such a vast array of possible differences among the employees within an organization, it is important that there is care put into ensuring equal treatment for all. The employees in leadership roles must have the skillset necessary to build on the skills of their subordinates. Leadership must be able to focus more on the strengths employees possess and utilize those for growth opportunities for the company. There are many positive opportunities that can come from diversity, unfortunately it can also be the cause of many

"Diversity refers to human qualities that are different from our own and those of groups to which we belong; but that are manifested in other individuals and groups. Dimensions of diversity include but are not limited to: age, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities / qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, military experience, parental status, religious beliefs, work experience, and job classification." (Foothill-De Anza Community College District, 2015)

In a recent report (1999), a Department of Education in America described managing and valuing diversity as a key component of effective people management, arguing that it focuses on improving the performance of the organization and promotes practices that enhance the productivity of all staff. Their dimensions of diversity include gender, race, culture, age, family/carer status, religion, and disability. The de nition provided also embraces a range of individual skills, educational quali cations, work experience and background, languages, and other relevant attributes and experiences which differentiate individuals. In the UK, managing diversity has only recently come into fashion and subsequently gained pace since the mid-1990s. To date there is a lack of critical evaluative research and literature to support a common understanding of the concept of managing diversity, what impact it has on equal opportunities and what this actually means in practice in UK organizations. Existing literature relating to managing diversity can be broadly categorized into two groups, the first of which can be seen as doing little more than reiterating the traditional arena of equal opportunities (see Cooper and White 1995; Copeland 1988; Ellis and Sonner eld 1995). The second literature group views managing diversity as going far beyond the conventional approach to equal

Unfortunately, all honeymoons eventually come to an end and currently American Airlines is facing some challenges in ensuring they are the leader of the pack in terms of labor relations, as it was reported in January 2017 that American’s lead is slipping and risking falling behind the industry’s rival airlines. As reported in Bloomberg, the Pilots Union has been complaining that pay rates are falling behind those of other major airlines, the union representing the some 30,000 ground workers is pressing for speedier contract negotiations, and some flight attendants claim that their new uniforms make them sick.

The benefits of diverse workforce are immense. Since the primary purposes of an organisation are to survive and develop so that it continue to provide the best possible service for its public or provide the highest return to its shareholders, in order to achieve this, the organisation needs a knowledgeable and competent workforce. It is a huge advantage if organisation has access to a diverse workforce as this means they have access to a wide range of people with a variety of views, abilities and outlooks – all of which can enhance the business. This people

Being successful at managing workforce diversity involves attracting and retaining the highest quality individuals in the talent pool. For managers it means learning how to manage human potential sensitively. It requires an ever-increasing awareness of how people from different backgrounds deal with authority, communication, overall business etiquette, and relate to their communities of affiliation. Successful management of workforce diversity is a process that takes place in many stages and on many levels. It requires managers to first recruit a competent and qualified staff, then to accommodate individual needs within the context of the work team and the organization.

This paper is aimed at providing a framework for discussion of diversity and how it pairs with demographic characteristics. It is divided into four parts. Part I represents diversity in the workforce, which reflects the rational of organizations and how they handle diversity in the occupations of their workers. Parts II characterize diversity and age, as it responds to the fact that older people have the skill set to keep them working well past retirement age. Part III denotes religion, where as more employers are beginning to recognize the need to allow employees to take time to pray. Part IV symbolizes the personality traits in diversity and how “different” is not always viewed as wrong but can be an incentive to other

The world's increasing globalization requires more interaction among people from diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds than ever before. People no longer live and work in an insular marketplace; they are now part of a worldwide economy with competition coming from nearly every continent. For this reason, profit and non-profit organizations need diversity to become more creative and open to change. Maximizing and capitalizing on workplace diversity

Diversity in the workplace means bringing together people of different ethnic backgrounds, religions and age groups into a cohesive and productive unit. Advances in communication technology, such as the Internet and cellular phones, have made the marketplace a more global concept. In order to survive, a company needs to be able to manage and utilize its diverse workplace effectively. Managing diversity in the workplace should be a part of the culture of the entire organization.

Managing diversity within organisation is about ‘recognising this range of differences in people and valuing people as individuals, respecting their differences and their differing needs. It is also about accommodating differences wherever possible so that an individual can play a full part in the working environment’ (Daniels and Macdonald, 2005)