1.1) Diversity

What is Diversity

Diversity refers to the range of traits within a group of people/workforce.

This includes factors such as age, gender, skills, etc

What is discrimination, stereotyping and stereotype threat

Discrimination is noticing differences, but is not necessarily bad.

Stereotyping is making unfair judgements and assumptions based on someone’s diversity

Stereotype threat is when someone fears conforming/confirming a stereotype

Examples of diversity related issues

Age

• Assuming older people are less capable, despite no scientific evidence

Gender

• Women are typically disadvantaged within the workforce

Race/Ethnicity

• Members of minority groups facing discrimination

Benefits of a diverse workforce

Cultural knowledge

• People for different countries/cultures would know how to act if the business planned to expand or target the market

Employee satisfaction/retention

• Feeling included and heard greatly increases employee satisfaction

Innovation

• Diversity promotes innovation with everyone having unique perspectives and skills

Managing Diversity

Key concepts include:

• Treating people as individuals, advocating for their needs (accessibility)

• Having clear, transparent policies

• Striving to be objective with decisions

• Having a diverse selection panel for hiring

• Giving everyone equal access to training and challenging assignments

• Ensuring you are aware how your actions may be perceived by different cultures

Potential Risks of Diversity

Potential for conflict

Stereotyping

Discrimination