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HRSEO Articles |
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Diversity in the Workplace
Without being a completely new concept, workplace diversity has been one of the main concerns of the employment policies worldwide, and especially in those countries where immigration is, was or has been a major component of the social and political life. This is, obviously, the case of the United States of America, whose history was built on the progressive accumulation of representatives of various cultures and civilizations learning to live together. Periodically and for various reasons, such countries faced waves of immigrants together with the economical advantages as well as the social problems they raised, such as the hostility of the existing population towards the new comers as they would accept lower wages against a product of discussable quality.
During the second half of the 20th century, on the basis of movements aiming at ensuring civil rights recognition and especially the acknowledgement of racial equality, workplace diversity has come to include all kinds of differences that may be encountered within the working environment: age, cultural background, ethnicity, family responsibilities, fashion, gender, health disabilities, language, religious belief, sexual orientation, social habits etc. Furthermore, during the last two decades, the bibliography of the topic has considerably augmented, touching numerous other aspects related to the working policy of various countries. In other words, all this theory deals with the identification and management of the individual differences in the workplace.
One of the basic principles to be respected within the working environment is the equal employment opportunity (EEO) because when applied, it leads to a wider scope of the organization, a broader range of target groups, and in the end a higher efficiency of the working chain. To build a prosperous business and further develop it, managers have to put this principle into practice and the results may sometimes exceed the expectations.
Moreover, workplace diversity programs have been created and they are usually focused on the consultation of the personnel, on the achievements aimed at and the assessment of the resources needed, on the methods of implementing the program and also on the organizational objectives in general. Other factors worth considering when building up such a program are: the identification and assessment of the previous workplace diversity performance, the demographic profile of the employees, the general requirements and standards of the companies. As for the outcomes of workplace diversity programs, they include the awareness raised as for the workplace diversity principles, their integration into the business systems, the creation of a harmonious and supportive work environment.
It is no wonder therefore companies create and implement realistic and, wherever possible, measurable workplace diversity strategies. Obviously, such strategies are adapted to the requirements and needs of each particular company, as there is no general model valid worldwide. One thing that should always be kept in mind when carrying out workplace diversity strategies is the monitoring of their success, which can be achieved by following the progress or regress of some specific indicators. Usually, a coordinator is appointed by the senior managers in order to closely monitor the implementation of the above strategies.
Workplace diversity remains one of the main features of the contemporary practices in the field of human resources selection and work legislation.
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