Abstract
The present study analyses diversity and inclusivity in workplaces, the levels of diversity, the difference between inclusivity and diversity, multiculturalism, and the benefits and challenges met while building a diverse environment. Moreover, there are examinations of topics such as steps for creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and HRM objectives and challenges in implementing inclusive policies. It was found that diversity leads to beneficial changes in a company on many different levels, including productivity, marketing, innovation, and competitiveness. While the benefits prevail over the cons, some challenges have to be mentioned. These include lack of communication, hostility, dispersion of the team, and discrimination. These difficulties can be managed by implementing a zero-tolerance for discrimination policy, organizing frequent training and meetings based on this subject, and listening to the employees’ complaints and suggestions.
Introduction
Many corporations are now starting to realize how important it is to create a diverse and inclusive workspace. Since a lot of groups of people have been historically marginalized, multiple companies are interested in creating equal opportunities for every specialist. An inclusive workplace is just as advantageous for the employer as it is for the employee. A business that creates equal opportunities, payment, and treatment for all meets difficulties, but it is a practice that ultimately leads to substantial improvements on many levels. The challenges can be diminished by the management if following the steps that lead to creating an inclusive workspace. This is why more and more businesses are eager to improve and implement revolutionary policies that promote safe and supportive environments for employees of different genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, etc. This study’s objective is to analyze diversity and inclusivity as a concept, examine the benefits and challenges of diversity, study different levels of diversity, and discuss HRM practices that lead to inclusive work environments for each employee.
Diversity/ Inclusion/ Multiculturalism
Conducting an analysis requires the terms diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism to be explained. Diversity refers to the presence of differences. When it comes to diversity in a workplace, it means hiring people of different genders, races, nationalities, religions, etc. On the other hand, inclusion refers to making people feel safe and comfortable in an environment. While diversity allows a business to include employees who are unique and have differences from one another, inclusivity makes them feel heard, appreciated, and welcomed into the workplace. Having one is redundant without having the other one. A company that follows a diversity policy must ensure the employees feel included and seen by their colleagues and management. Multiculturalism is a part of diversity, but it only takes into consideration the culture. While it is vital to create a team of people from different backgrounds, many other things must be considered (gender, race, religion, etc.). A genuinely diverse workplace is one that pays attention to all three factors and implements them into its corporate policy.
Dimensions of Diversity
There are multiple dimensions to diversity. Groups of people that have been marginalized and oppressed are all included in this category. It includes gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, ethnicity, language, and other components. There are three types of dimensions: internal, external, and organizational. The internal ones include race, ethnicity, age, physical ability, and sexual orientation. Individuals have no control over internal dimensions. The external ones include geographic location, income, personal habits, religion, work experience, appearance, etc. These deal with choices, unlike the internal ones. Organizational dimensions include functional level, work field, division, work location, union, management status, etc. However, the first level of dimension is the personality itself. This shows how individuals communicate with others, whether they are introverted or extroverted, and how they respond to difficulties and challenges. The four dimension levels allow an understanding of diversity based on group differences.
Benefits of Having a Diverse Team
A diverse team is a beneficial thing for any business. Since this policy has advantages, this is proof that being inclusive is not just a political statement or part of an agenda. According to researchers, diversity correlates with imaginativeness, innovation, and ambition (Sharma et al., 2018). Triana (2017) claims that there is also the marketing argument that shows that a diverse team is more prone to successfully marketing the products in foreign countries and domestic communities of different populations. Needless to say, providing equal opportunity is beneficial for the brand’s reputation. More people are inclined to support businesses that alight with their own values and ethics. To summarize, a group of people that differ in terms of nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., is more innovative, productive, and competitive than one that lacks diversity.
Challenges
While there are many benefits to creating an inclusive environment, there can be challenges that may appear. These reforms can be met with hostility from some employees. Kang and Kaplan (2019) argued that the lack of certain behavioral guidelines regarding an inclusive policy leads to the inability to growth in the set goal. If the management missed the opportunity to install certain boundaries and policies regarding discrimination, inclusivity would not be possible. The other downside might be problems with integration. Ferdman (2017) claims people who have freedom and are seen as representative components of society have a stronger sense of inclusivity. Employees might think their voices will not be heard, which will suppress their desire to contribute to the conversation. A good solution is organizing recurring training sessions for the professionals. The discussions have to incorporate topics such as unconscious bias, inclusive strategies, cultural differences, etc.
Steps for Building a Diverse Workspace
There are certain steps that must be followed to build a truly diverse workspace. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the foundation that ended segregation and employment discrimination based on color, race, religion, sex, national origin, and, more recently, orientation and gender identity. The first step would be implementing a non-tolerance policy for discrimination and marginalization based on the aspects mentioned before. Another helpful thing is to state that there is an equal opportunity when writing the job description. This will allow different people to apply for the job and not be concerned about lacking the same opportunity. An effective change is starting to celebrate the differences in employees. If a person from the team follows certain religious practices or has special needs, accommodating those would be a significant step in building their relationship with the management. Last but not least, listening to people’s struggles, inclusion issues, and complaints will allow for a better understanding of their experience. These steps will ensure a diverse and inclusive work environment where every voice is heard and accepted.
HRM Objectives and Ethical Issues
Human Resource Management (HRM) is a detrimental part of building strong and long-term professional relationships with employees. The HR department deals with hiring new people, managing employees, and creating a safe environment. According to Ng and Sears (2018), the HR department has to address various internal organizational requests and is frequently responsible for applying different company policies. HR managers deal with ethical issues, which is why there are detrimental to ensuring an inclusive environment for the employees. These include conflicts related to race, disability, gender, privacy, safety, payment, etc. Moreover, hiring people is one of their duty, so the workplace’s diversity is strongly connected to the HR department. They must guarantee a welcoming environment, safe space, and equal opportunity for all people regardless of their ethnicity, age, and other aspects. Diversity Management is a detrimental part of HR management, and it is the foundation of promoting inclusion and diversity in a company. It allows the business to develop and encourages the team to consist of a wide array of professionals.
Conclusion
Based on the analysis, a workspace cannot be diverse without being inclusive. The first step is hiring individuals that are different from each other, but the second step is implementing policies that would help them assimilate. Cultural differences and other personal characteristics ought to be respected and considered when creating a safe space. The second conclusion is based on the benefits and challenges that might appear when building an inclusive environment. While it will be beneficial for competitiveness and innovation, it has to be noted that subsequently applying a zero-tolerance discrimination strategy is detrimental. Human Resources Management is the tool to use when building a diverse workplace. Besides hiring different people, HR managers must guarantee and validate a safe space for the employees. It is essential to create an environment that makes everybody feel safe and welcomed. Historically, groups of individuals and communities have been marginalized, discriminated against, and undervalued. However, there are steps that allow corporations to minimize or even extinguish bias and inequality.
References
Ferdman, B. M. (2017). Paradoxes of Inclusion: Understanding and Managing the Tensions of Diversity and Multiculturalism. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 53(2), 235–263. Web.
Kang, S. K., & Kaplan, S. (2019). Working toward gender diversity and inclusion in medicine: myths and solutions. The Lancet, 393(10171), 579–586. Web.
Ng, E. S., & Sears, G. J. (2018). Walking the Talk on Diversity: CEO Beliefs, Moral Values, and the Implementation of Workplace Diversity Practices. Journal of Business Ethics, 164(3), 437–450. Web.
Sharma, N., Singh, V. K., & Pathak, S. (2018). Management techniques for a diverse and cross-cultural workforce. IGI Global, Business Science Reference.
Triana, M. (2017). Managing Diversity in Organizations: A Global Perspective. Taylor & Francis.