Workplace Diversity Paper

Diversity in any organisation includes hiring and promoting a workforce of people with differences. These differences include race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical abilities and economic backgrounds. The premise of a diverse workplace is that employees are

Diversity is known as individuals which are representing more than one national origin, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, beliefs, and age which create a diverse workforce environment were some feels valued at all costs and was skill sets are being used to develop goals within the organisation.

In the article Diversity in the Workplace, written by Kenneth Jost published on October 10th 1997, reads about the changes job settings face because diversity is being encouraged. The statistics, in this article, prove that there was more white males employed than other genders and races, but this issue is decreasing over the years because of diversity awareness. Later, the article spoke about affirmative action, and diversity training being created to help minorities receive equal employment opportunities. Also, affirmative action was created to help minorities with college and university admissions. The visible change lead white males to feel threatened that their jobs were being taken. 56 percent of white males believed these programs that

Workplace Diversity does not only refer to those groups that have been discriminated against or that are different from the dominant or privileged groups, but to the mixture of differences, similarities and tensions that can exist among the elements of a pluralistic mixture.

Throughout most of history, women have endured so much. They almost always had fewer legal rights and career opportunities. The main professions tied to women were wifehood and motherhood. According to "Women's History in America" (1995), “Women were long considered naturally weaker than men, squeamish, and unable to perform work requiring muscular or intellectual development.” The common stereotype was “a woman’s place is in the home.” Women went through the struggles of not being able to get an education, voice their opinions, not having the right to vote, and being viewed as property.

Organizations are made up of man & woman, many cultures & races, and multiple generations. Some of the organizations are also comprised of disable employees. This is what we called diversity. Diversity is something that has been around in the organizations for decades. Diversity in Collins Dictionary means, the state or quality of being different or varied and range of different things. It is synonyms to variety, mixture, range, and multiplicity. According to Queensborough Community College in its website define diversity as “Understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.” Diversity is the mixture of people, culture, race, ethnicity, and more. Diversity can somehow affect the employees and can be challenges to the managers.

Diverse workforce Refers to similarities and differences among employees in terms of age, cultural background, physical abilities and disabilities, race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation (Saxena, 2014).

Organizations who make a commitment to diversity can see a significant impact on business in many ways. Diversity “requires a significant commitment for change to occur” (Delong, 2007, p.9). It is extremely important that leaders understand the commitment and embrace it in order for a positive impact to occur. Employers with diverse cultures and leaders can build positive and successful relationships with customers, suppliers and vendors. They can better attract and retain top talent. All of these equal more financial gain for the company.

America tends to be the hope of the hopeless, the melting pot with a big heart. If is fair to say that every country in the world has a community in America. Majority of Nigerians like myself, settled in Maryland, Ghanaians in Virginia, Kenyans in Minnesota and New York has a community for every people from every culture and country. These people from different cultures all come together and start businesses, get married, join the labor force and raise their next generation. America as a whole and its workforce are becoming more diverse. Gone are the days of overwhelm dominance of the white men in the American workforce. The present workforce in now inclusive of others; more people of color are joining the workforce; the percentage

Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in an organization. Workplace diversity is about acknowledging differences and adapting work practices to create an inclusive environment in which diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds are valued. It is about understanding the individual differences in the people we work with that arise from a broad range of backgrounds and lifestyles, and recognizing the value of using those different perspectives, ideas and ways of working to enhance the quality and outcomes of work. Our diversity is shaped by a variety of characteristics including age, ethnicity, gender, disability, language,

Diversity is what makes people different, not just culturally but in human differences. Having a multitude of differences in the workforce gives an organization the ability to use many ideas to reach a common goal. A person could say that a diverse group of people together in one room can accomplish greater achievements than a room filled with the same types of individuals. Managers understand the concept of diversity, and how important diversity is to the success of a company’s ability to implement programs that continue to develop a harmonious and diverse workplace. The recognition that diversity is a reality in the workforce has generated an enormous amount of activity over the years among leaders in business, government, and civil

population. Companies need to focus on diversity and look for ways to become totally inclusive organizations because diversity has the potential of yielding greater productivity and competitive advantages (SHRM, 1995). Stephen G. Butler, co-chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum, believes that diversity is an invaluable competitive asset that America cannot afford to ignore (Robinson, 2002). Managing and valuing diversity is a key component of effective people management, which can improve workplace productivity (Black Enterprise, 2001).

Today, America's workforce is noticeably different than that in the past. A "typical" Union member was labeled as white, male, over age 40, and a high school grad at best. Embracing a diverse economy represents a strong economy. Many businesses that adopt the nation's changing demographics are reaping the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce (Burns, Barton, & Kerby, 2012).

Diversity can be defined as the differences among the people working in the same workplace. Those differences can be related to gender, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, culture or personalities.

Diversity in the workplace and how communication is the driving force behind it. Workplace diversity can be described as “all the differences in age, gender, sexual orientation, education, cultural background, religion, and life experience” (Okora & Washington, 2012, as cited in Mulkeen, 2008). Another functional definition of diversity is being cultural, racial, or sex-based. An organization’s definition and viewpoint concerning diversity guides the strength of its employees to connect and communicate adequately and profit from the betterment of diversity (Lambert, 2016).