Managing Workforce Diversity : A Key To Success

1. Introduction

    Workforce Diversity is the differences and similarities between the employees of any organization. It varies in terms of age, sex, gender, religion, caste, ethnicity, etc. Diversity is the variation inside the organization among the employees that can bring positivism and creativity in the employee. Workforce diversity brings a variety of people in the same workplace. So, nowadays workforce diversity became major of people is a tough task and the success of the manager can be shown from his diversity management skills. 

    (Jeffery Sanchez-Burks and Michal E. Mor Barak, 2005) the researcher has discussed one's perceptions, values, and behaviors in such situations reflect deep-seated beliefs about the nature of interpersonal work relationships. He further emphasized that to understand and manage these differences requires understand and manage these workforce diversity and how it influences relational and communication styles.

    (Taylor H. Cox. 1991)  suggested that organizations should value diversity to enhance organizational effectiveness. Diversified workforce provides various advantages like creativity, problem solving, and flexible adaptation to change that may leads to competitive advantages but the management of such diversified workforce is an important issue and can be done by adopting key components like leadership, training, research, analysis and change of culture and human resource management systems and follow-up activities like additional training, discussions about diversity issues with the group members.

    If we take an example of big companies like Apple, Coca Cola, Microsoft Windows, etc are always trying to diversify their workforce and continuously try to ensure and effective diversity management.

2. Nature of Workforce Diversity 

• Organizational Factor

    It comprises level, Post, Position, Division, Seniority, Work location, Union association, etc.

• External Factors

    In Includes those factors that are determined exogenously like marital status, parental status, Attire, Work experience, Educational background, Religion, Personal habits, Geographic location, etc. 

• Internal Factors

It contains factors which are inherent with employee themselves i.e. Age, Race, Ethnicity, Physical ability, Sexual orientation, gender, etc.

3. Type of Workforce

1. Surface Level diversity

2. Deep Level Diversity

4. Importance of workforce diversity management

• To retain talent, skillful, and experienced employees of the organization . If the employer provides a good working environment for a diverse workforce, then their morale will boost up and there will be no or very few levels of turnover, absenteeism, etc.
• To create an innovative environment for the creative employee. A diverse workforce is just like portfolio management, the heterogeneous group of employees brought innovative ideas and creative though than a homogenous group.
• To increase harmony among the employees inside the workplace by sharing the culture, which finally brings the cordial relationship between the employees>
• To attract the talent pool inside the organizational setting. So, an employee is motivated and retained in any organization if he/she feels their values, culture, religion, and efforts are valued.
• To increase Organizational citizenship behavior and commitment from employees towards the organization. 
• To maintain responsiveness to social and demographic changes and increase accountability towards the societies.
• To solve the complex task by a productive diverse ideas and from such varied ideas complex tasks can be solved. 
• To build a positive image of the organization in the domestic and foreign market place.
• To prevent employee turnover, if the employee provides an equitable and respected environment for a diverse workforce.
• To maintain better human relations inside the organization if the individual differences are properly addressed.
• To build an ability to deal with the diverse market along with a diverse workforce and that creates competitive strength of the organization in the marketplace.
• To increase productivity, sales and the revenue of the organization by adopting creative ideas and concepts generated from diverse brains
• To increase job promotion and employee development in the industry.
• To reduce workplace discrimination if workplace diversity is properly addressed.
• To ensure the quality work life and employees can feel the homely environment inside the workplace.