What diversity really means, and why it’s crucial in the workplace

  • Anita Rajendran-See
  • 18 Mar 2022
  • 3 MIN READ
ANspired
Diversity means the representation of various distinct perspectives on a single team or unit. It’s bringing together people from different aspects of human society, such as gender, age, religion, race, and sexual induction. Essentially, it implies the incorporation of everyone irrespective of their experiences. Although it often seems like a trendy idea to do, it entails a lot more about what it means or what it brings to an organisation. In a nutshell, companies that embrace diversity realize more productivity, profitability, and success since it breeds happiness and employee satisfaction.

Types of Diversity

There are basically four broad categories of diversity, namely;
  • Internal – which refers to inborn factors such as gender or ethnicity
  • External – or aspects that define one’s identity, such as marital status and religion
  • Worldview – which incorporates a wide range of characteristics such as political affiliation and other individual beliefs
  • Organisational diversity – that defines one’s work experiences
Companies need to incorporate all these different types of diversity in their workplaces. Their workforce should represent all these distinct aspects to achieve a more inclusive environment.

Why is Diversity Crucial in a Workplace?

Brings on Inclusivity

Diversity is vital in companies because it helps bring on inclusion. In addition, it helps foster fairness and overall satisfaction among workers. Studies show that diverse organisations have better work output because each distinct trait in people means different life experiences that can be used to better productivity. Additional research also shows that companies with more women in positions of power perform better financially than those who don’t. Therefore, diversity brings success, giving companies a competitive advantage.

Fosters Relationships

Besides, diversity helps leaders develop better attitudes towards their subordinates and vice versa. This can be attributed to the need for such top-management personnel to interact with teams to help them see what they are doing. Through constant interaction, communication channels are established, establishing formal and informal interactions.

Fosters Authenticity

Having people from different backgrounds, ethnicity, life and work backgrounds, and cultures brings about uniqueness to a group. It makes the company stand out physically or intellectually since different backgrounds are incorporated in idea generation and process formulation processes. As a result, companies with diverse personnel have invented unique products or services that take over markets. This is due to the incorporation of distinct mindsets in formulating ideas. It is important to ensure that workplaces are diverse and all-inclusive for such reasons. It brings the best of humanity together, allowing them to offer their skills and unique experiences to better the environment.

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