Workplace Diversity - Implementing

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Change is the only constant, however when it comes to accepting this fact, many people find it difficult. Many employees don’t want to accept the change in their workplace that diversity brings with it. Employees fear the competition that highly motivated people from different backgrounds, social status and economic fronts bring with them to the workplace.

Working women face a different challenge. Even in today’s world, women are expected to be the primary parent when it comes to attending to their children. The way they juggle their parental responsibilities with their work often creates friction in their family lives.

In many cases, it was found that the diverse person himself wasn’t comfortable working in an organization that was predominantly of one race or culture. The fear in his mind stems from discrimination and possible retaliation.

Implementing Workplace Diversity

When these issues crop up, as they do, the management needs to take a tough stand and send a clear message to their staff that the change is bound to happen and that’s the way to a better future. This message should come firm and with conviction. The staff should understand that the management is serious about diversity and they will do well to follow suit.

In addition to sending a strong message, the management can successfully implement Workforce Diversity by following these steps −

  • Establish Urgency − the management must provide convincing argument on the need to embrace diversity, and that the employees shouldn’t be viewing this change as a policy makeover, but rather as a change in ideology.

  • Form a Winning Team − The heads of the departments need to get together on this and throw their entire support behind the move. This will encourage the employees to see the right picture. People tend to follow their managers as they have more experience and are the right people to get information from.

  • Define Clear Vision and Strategy − Outlining a clear strategy and empowering people with a vison gets them motivated and engaged in a result-oriented process. This helps the company keep a track of its employees’ involvement and successful implementation of the project. Small-term targets must be set to ensure its successful implementation.

Diversity Strategies Comparison Chart

In the following Comparison Chart, we have tried to explain in a nutshell, the prominent differences between the Implementation Strategies of big companies and small companies. We will discuss the reasons behind this difference in the next table −

Big Companies Small Companies
They have specific Employee Resource groups to provide mentoring programs to their employees Human Resource personnel and managers take the responsibility to guide employees.
The companies provide an equal working opportunities and access to information to all their employees. They contact those candidates who they think will be the perfect fit as per their desired profile.
The companies employ people with disabilities and provide them a healthy and safe working place. The companies don’t employ people with disabilities as they don’t feel sufficient in dealing with the challenges that come with it.
The companies provide employees with dedicated libraries where they can study more about diversity and learn how to implement them. Managers tackle diversity-related issues only when they face some, otherwise there is no extensive training given on it.
The companies intensively invest time and money in training their employees on Workplace Diversity. They don’t spend money on training, but raise awareness through occasional seminars.

There are several significant reasons behind big companies having different approach towards Workplace Diversity as compared to small companies. We have compiled the most important of these differences in the table below −

Big Companies Small Companies
The companies have Operation Plants in many countries in the world. The companies many operate in only their native country or 3-4 countries.
The Companies employ indigenous workers wherever they establish their workplace. Their recruitment is limited to one to three countries.
Their workforce Diversity covers addresses all cases of diversity due to the nature of their operations. They consider mostly physical ability, gender, geographical location when recruiting their employees.
Generally, these companies employ over 4,00,000 people in more than 210 countries Employ lesser employees and from lesser regions.
They encounter numerous challenges too, due to the size and diversity of their company. Their challenges are seldom and minimal, due to their small size and limited scope of operation.
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