Why we need to ensure diversity in the workplace

Companies all over the world seem to trumpet their commitment to certain values, principles, resilience, grit, innovation, skills, ethics, integrity, etc. So, ensuring workplace diversity should be a natural byproduct, right? But, that's often not the case.

Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between individuals in an organisation, including but not limited to race, gender, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and abilities/disabilities. 

The goal of promoting diversity in the workplace is to create an inclusive and respectful work environment that recognises and leverages the unique perspectives and experiences of all employees, resulting in increased innovation and improved business performance. 

As diversity is found everywhere around the world, companies cannot circumvent its significance within the organisation. 

According to a recent study conducted by Mckinsey in 2020, diverse executive boards which include more women generated more profits for companies around the world. More precisely, the companies generated 14% higher EBIT (Earnings before interests and taxes) on average.

More often than not, companies in Asian countries have a perception that male employees perform better than female employees in managerial positions. Such an approach during the hiring process adversely affects not only the workplace environment, but also leads to gender discrimination. 

Working twice as hard as a male employee does not always result in half the recognition for female employees, because men are valued and respected in the organisation. So, the ability, skills and knowledge of women are often ignored and undervalued in the workplace.

Women feel hesitant to lead their teams no matter how competent they are for managerial positions. As a result, they cannot voice their solutions to challenges encountered even in dire need of situations. Eventually, such behaviour affects the efficiency at the workplace negatively.

Similarly, employees who come from disadvantaged backgrounds such as rural areas, tribal areas, poor socio-economic conditions, etc, are often undervalued at the workplace despite doing phenomenally well at their tasks. 

Diversified teams at the workplace bring more opportunities to the table. One can easily exchange information and experiences that are different from others. Employees can come up with different ideas to work according to the needs and preferences of the customers. Unique ideologies will aid employees in decision-making as well. 

More than a decade ago, Dr Edward E Hubbard, the CEO of Human Performance Consulting, found that a well-trained, diverse, workforce produces six times higher results than homogeneous teams.

Bringing in people from different backgrounds adds new perspectives to the organisation. Besides, consumers are also seen to be attracted to companies that represent their own demographic group through marketing. 

Companies also need more employees competent enough to communicate with consumers from different regions, who can make the consumers feel like they belong to the same community. 

They provide out-of-the-box solutions to the challenges encountered during business operations. Learning to value different opinions will also encourage effective communication among employees. 

According to the concept of Dr Jessica Jackson, the question is: how can we implement diversity in the workplace and also empower employees to have freedom of thought by sharing with others? 

This will make sure that employees feel comfortable asking questions or making mistakes, while learning and speaking up about what's on their minds. She talked about the importance of the link between DEIB (Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) and mental health. 

Managers can be the first ones to respond to the concerns addressed by the employees who face discrimination on the regular basis, regarding sensitive issues such as age shaming, gender discrimination, body-shaming, racism, etc, inside the organisation. 

DEI training programmes should be provided by managers to mitigate the risk of workplace discrimination. Employees require psychological safety at the workplace. Companies should perceive the potential of diverse employees by making the words count into action. 

When the employees feel safe they are going to perform by exceeding the expectations at work. Through such approaches companies will demonstrate empathy, compassion and attitudes towards employees will determine the growth of the corporate culture. 

Moreover, They are the ones who will also be able to achieve market leadership by promoting a healthier workplace environment. Subsequently, Global companies with a diverse workforce are more likely to be future-proof and successful in the industry.