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In an effort to increase globalisation, expand their market reach and foster innovation through diverse perspectives, many companies have come up with policies that support cultural diversity in the workplace. Now it is common to see an office with employees from all over the country and around the world.
Let’s find out what cultural diversity is and why companies are trying to achieve it.
So what exactly is cultural diversity in the workplace? It’s when companies take in applicants from any region, country, or religion. Some companies may even have rules that require them to have diversity quotas to address racial and sex discrimination.
Why do firms take the effort to consider things like variety in race, age, educational background, religion, and sex? Because those are factors to help create more voices and more opinions thus making for a more comprehensive solution when staff works as a team. In an office where there are people of the same cultural background or generation, colleagues may not be able to see things from different viewpoints or come up with things beyond what they have all been taught.
Cultural diversity can even help companies make more money. According to a McKinsey & Company paper done in 2005, companies with a variety of ethnic workers make 35% in profits more than companies without.
Also, it seems like businesses look better to applicants if they have a diverse staff. It is a common belief that varied workplaces appear happier and more dynamic to the public, so they regularly attract young, capable workers to the companies. An article that came out in 2007 stated that 67% of workers prefer a more diversified office and such businesses don’t have many employees job-hop because they often feel more respected as a team member, not as an ethnic hire.
(Adapted from Think 12)
