Diversity Background: 6 Types Of Diversity

A diverse background refers to the ethnic or cultural background which is not White. The workforce of a company must be diverse. If its workforce consisted of people belonging to the same race, gender, age, etc., the team would not be as creative and successful as it could have been. There must be diversity in the employees' backgrounds to be an impartial organization. Workplace diversity must be the goal of every organization. By ensuring this, the workforce will consist of employees who view the world differently and apply their experiences and circumstances to contribute their own perspectives for the organization's good.

These Are The Different Types Of Diversity:

•  Cultural Diversity 

It refers to the existence of different cultures. It is the result of practices, traditions, beliefs of employees based on their races, ethnicity, etc. In a workplace, cultural diversity would refer to a multilingual team, varied age groups working together, etc. This is very common in multinational companies. It improves employee productivity. 

Companies gain from the employees' varied experiences. Employees understand their coworkers' experiences and think from a different perspective. This brings new ideas to the firm as employees think outside the box and out of their comfort zone. Cultural diversity increases creativity as combining various perspectives would result in new ideas. 

Another interesting fact is that this would lead to an increase in profits. The think tank Center for Talent Innovation survey shows that 48% of US companies with more diverse management improved their market share. In contrast, only 33% of less-diverse management portrayed similar growth.  

The employees respect their differences and acknowledge that all cultures are valid. By understanding different cultures, the employees would feel more united, and this builds teamwork and coordination. 

• Racial Diversity 

Race is the grouping of people based on physical or social qualities. Examples of races are white or Caucasian, Latino or Hispanic, etc. Racial diversity is the acknowledgment of differences between racial groups. Management must ensure that there is no racial discrimination in the workplace. 

A racially diverse workplace would reduce turnover costs, improve accessibility to new and diverse custom markets, and increase innovation. It leads to the development of new products and services. Most importantly, it prevents the marginalization and exclusion of employees of different races. 

Employees belonging to a different color have always faced challenges in getting hired, receiving fair compensation, and acceptance from coworkers. 

• Religious Diversity 

Religious diversity refers to the variety of religions, that is, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, etc. Religion is a very sensitive topic and might lead to many issues if there is any disagreement upon it. Workers must be provided training to encompass all values and teachings of different religions to avoid any conflict or dispute in the workplace. According to a survey conducted by Glassdoor, 3 out of 5 employees have faced discrimination in the workplace based on gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. This accounts for about 60% of the employees, which is a very high rate. 

The management must encourage the employees to accept differences and to discuss their faith in a safe environment, without any disagreement and respect towards one another. 

Some religions demand prayers at specific timings, so the management must ensure that they do not restrict the employees from fulfilling their religious obligations. They must also make sure that they treat all religions equally as being partial to employees belonging to a certain religion would cause internal conflicts and further major problems in the workplace, which should not have existed in the first place. 

The topic being about religion, it is very hard to settle the matter. The management must adopt a no-tolerance policy for such issues. There must be no excuses for the rising of severe religious issues if they have been properly trained and educated on company policies.  

• Age Diversity 

It is the acceptance of all age groups. Young employees have technological knowledge while older employees have more experience. An age-diverse workplace is very important. Due to their diverse perspectives, the employees deliver optimal performance as ideas from different age groups are channeled into the work. 

A 2020 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology has found that being a part of a mixed-aged group in the workplace increased the desire and motivation of all the employees, young and old, to stay in the organization. The management must create age-diverse opportunities so that the employees can interact with each other. The young ones can mentor the old ones and vice-versa. Diverse teams or cross-functional task forces for solving an issue can be created. By bringing them together, the employees' engagement increases, and the employees will feel content and not indifferent due to their age. 

• Gender Diversity 

Gender diversity is the fair representation of people belonging to different gender groups. A company must maintain an equal balance in male and female employees. Simply hiring women, transgender, and non-binary people is not enough, they must be empowered and encouraged to use their full potential in the workplace to reap the benefits of a gender-diverse workforce. 

The management must ensure a fair promotion process, starting right from the hiring committee. The hiring committee and those who are hired should not have domination of one gender over another. By having a healthy mix of male, female, transgender, and non-binary people in the workplace, the management can benefit from their points of view, and this increases the level of creativity and innovation. 

By emphasizing an inclusive culture, employee morale and their opportunities are increased. This leads to a higher employee retention rate which saves time and money for the organization. Having a gender-diverse workforce contributes to greater profitability. According to Mckinsey, companies having more gender diversity are 21% more likely to achieve above-average profitability.

• Disability Diversity 

Impairments do not disable people. It is society's attitude towards the impairment that disables people. People with disabilities usually have strong connections with others. They are productive and perform well, just like the other employees, once they land the right job. They boost morale and loyalty as it is a diverse workforce. There is saving in costs as there is less turnover, recruitment and training costs. 

It also builds the company's image and reputation among its staff, community, and customers. They are less likely to be injured than other people. Hiring such people adds to the overall diversity of the organization.

Companies must make accommodations to help disabled employees integrate into the workplace. They can do this by installing ramps for wheelchairs or providing mental support. Their hiring process must also be inclusive of disabled people. 

Conclusion

It is the responsibility of the management to avoid discrimination on any grounds in the workplace. This can be avoided by developing written policies stating the rules and measures if some employee is guilty of discriminating against their coworker. The management must continually educate the employees on their role to prevent discrimination. Employers and employees must respect each other and acknowledge their differences.