Diversity In The Workplace
Running head: DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Diversity in the Workplace
Diversity in the Workplace
Diversity is a term used most often to describe the different types of race, religion, and nationalities but in today’s business world, it is used to describe the different individual behaviors of employees. Diversity is about characteristics and demographics that differ from person to person and how they affect human behavior. To understand how diversity affects the work place let us look at four types of diversity--Differences in skill and abilities, Values and attitudes, Occupation differences, and Age.
Diversity in the workplace benefits all staff and employees. Diversity entails an accurate representation of the population, including ethnic, racial, and religious minorities, persons with disabilities, people of both genders and people of all ages. When a multitude of people from different backgrounds are represented in a place of employment, it encourages the elimination of stereotypes and prejudices. Workplace diversity ensures that racism, sexism, and other biases become eliminated from the community at large. Businesses can become models for a more tolerant and diverse community (Schermerhorn, J. R., & Osbom, J. G. (2003)).
Diversity may entail strict hiring practices that use affirmative action procedures. Affirmative action eliminates the possibility of bias on the part of the hirer and also creates a more diverse workplace. A diverse office environment is one in which people from varied backgrounds, social status, and gender can relate. This can encourage friendships that cross all these lines. The more diverse the workplace, the less likely people will be to form cliques because it would be impossible to not interact with different people. Furthermore, in a diverse workplace, many holidays are honored to pay respect to different traditions and customs. Office food may become more...
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