Diversity In The Workplace
Diversity in the workplace is a much misunderstood concept it is not just about removing prejudices. It is about recognising and celebrating the different people, cultures and influences that exist in and around your organisation and using them to enhance the work environment as well as contributing to more successful business opportunities and approaches.
Why A Diverse Workplace?
In simple terms one could say that not appreciating the diversity of people one meets in life means that one discriminates in one way or another. This is a simplistic view. To not note or appreciate some one of a different race or age is not discriminatory unless one chooses to deliberately use reality as a tool to discriminate with. The best example of such discrimination is the battle that women had and in many places still have to be recognised as equal to their male counterparts in many organisations throughout the world.
Diversity in the workplace is about recognising and celebrating the differences that each of us brings to the work or social situation. On a very basic level it is about valuing people for the abilities they have – what ever the ability is, rather than for who they are or what they look like or what they believe in.
Non-discrimination must form one of the tenets of any ones diverse approach to life and work. The ability to be open and interested in what each person you come across brings to the situation. Diversity issues in the workplace include cultural differences between work colleagues. Recognition of such differences will allow an appreciation of the cultural heritage people bring to work. In a purely business transaction this may being empathic to the needs of people in certain situations.
Such differences may include the status accorded to older people, the relationships between men and women. The latter can prove very difficult. In the United Kingdom discrimination between the sexes is outlawed but in other lands such acts are part of the culture. We may be uncomfortable with such situations but if we are to continue in business in these environments we must respect this cultural difference.
Remember that business people from other countries have to deal with our cultural differences to them. Britain’s are felt to be more restrained in their physical communications – we don’t kiss each other as welcome to business meetings and we queue quietly for buses and our place to be served. This is seen by other countries as strange and used to described as national traits.
Diversity in the workplace, therefore, is about being sensitive and considerate to those around you. Not to make assumptions about them because of the way they deport themselves or think is important – and sometimes difficult. If you are unsure the wisest move is to ask your hosts or your guests or work colleagues if something that you don’t understand has some significance. Better than offending some one is to feel slightly foolish but to have learnt something new about some one.
Diversity Training is designed to explore your outlook towards others. It looks at areas such as cultural diversity and best practices for promoting diversity. It looks a great deal about what each of brings to situations but also explore how we react to people and what triggers negative and unhelpful reactions.