What Are Some Typical Examples of Cultural Diversity in the Work Force?

Cultural diversity in the workplace extends beyond national origin and includes many factors pertaining to employees’ ethnicity and experience in areas such as religion, language, political views, gender identity and moral codes. For any organization to perform up to its potential, it is important to understand the ways in which diversity manifests in the workplace and how to tap into it rather than stumble over it.

A common example of cultural diversity in the workplace is a multilingual workforce. Language diversity can introduce communication complications, but can also provide benefits for your business. Linguistic diversity helps you project a clear image of inclusion to the public. A multilingual staff can help ensure clarity of message when addressing different cultures and when you want to target a diverse marketplace. Having a multilingual workforce can ensure that cultural differences do not keep customers from engaging with and enjoying your business.

Age is often overlooked when considering workplace diversity but can be a point of major divergence in experience and knowledge. Consider the common stereotype that younger people are more tech savvy, whereas older people are opposed to contemporary trends. Even if this is the case, this range of perspectives allows for a more dynamic business approach than one perspective could on its own. In companies where the stereotype is standard, you can benefit from both the experience and insight of older employees and technical implementation from the younger staff. Having different ages means you will have different generations working together. Having employees that are Millennials and members of Gen Z, for example, means different ideas and perspectives will be brought to the table.

Employees can bring varied belief systems and degrees of religious observation with them into the workplace. These different backgrounds can sometimes manifest in overt needs, such as giving certain holidays off, dietary restrictions, clothing and prayer requirements. The differences may be more subtle, simply informing employee personalities and the character of their interactions with others. Religious diversity in the workplace creates a need for effective communication, respect, and empathy among workers. Just as with other points of cultural diversity, differing beliefs have the bonus of additional perspectives. For example, a religious Jew on the staff may notice advertising that would alienate other religious Jews before you produce it.

Racial diversity continues to present American businesses with challenges. The history of segregation in the United States is well-documented and continues to be a hot button issue in business. While disparities in equality might be less pronounced than they were in the early part of the 20th century, equality is still questioned, especially when it comes to equal representation in upper management. Business and governments continue to work on integrating their workforces to better reflect the general population because it is good for business. Companies that hire a racially diverse workforce consistently draw more customers and reap higher profits than those businesses with a less diverse staff, reports a 2009 “Science Daily” article.

Cultivating a diverse workplace has many more positives than potential negatives and enhances inclusivity in a work environment. Some employees may have physical or unseen disabilities, may have differing sexual orientation, might struggle with mental health or any of the other aforementioned qualities. None of these should be seen as disadvantages to hiring an employee and should rather be benefits, as it may mean they are better at problem-solving for certain scenarios and work better with team members. The benefits of cultural diversity include more job seekers seeing themselves represented in your company and may be more inclined to apply to work alongside this adverse group of people. Having different demographics represented in your work force will result in unique perspectives and viewpoints being shared in your space more often, which is never a bad thing.

Cultivating a diverse workplace has many more positives than potential negatives and enhances inclusivity in a work environment. Some employees may have physical or unseen disabilities, may have differing sexual orientation, might struggle with mental health or any of the other aforementioned qualities. None of these should be seen as disadvantages to hiring an employee and should rather be benefits, as it may mean they are better at problem-solving for certain scenarios and work better with team members. The benefits of cultural diversity include more job seekers seeing themselves represented in your company and may be more inclined to apply to work alongside this adverse group of people. Having different demographics represented in your work force will result in unique perspectives and viewpoints being shared in your space more often, which is never a bad thing.

Diverse teams and worldly co-workers will lead to a better business. In an ever changing world where so many different people are expected to peacefully work together, having a workforce that mirrors that diversity is important. Encourage individuals with different skill sets to apply to your business and be aware of the types of diversity that exist when you’re hiring. Making strides to fully include every group of people in your company will greatly benefit you.