Workplace Diversity

Enhancing workplace diversity is about creating a workplace environment that enables all employees to exploit their full potential. The global nature of today’s business means that people from different cultural backgrounds work in the same organization. Diversity also manifests in employees’ personalities. Organizations should accept and support employees’ diversity to enable them to achieve collective organizational goals. Embracing workplace diversity helps the organization boost its reputation and brings tangible benefits by improving its bottom line.

Question #1: What challenges the Company would Face if Felix was Hired

Communication Challenges

Having communication problems among global teams is a common phenomenon. These challenges can range from language barriers, differences in communication styles and preferences, and even having some team members with hearing loss (MacDonald, 2017). Identifying and looking for strategies to deal with such issues is essential in creating harmony among global teams.

One of the communication challenges in integrating Felix into this diverse workforce is his seemingly confrontational stare. One of the female employees complains that Felix gives an intimidating look, which is a sign of contempt. She makes it clear that she finds it uncomfortable working around such employees. Another employee also complains that he will have difficulty working with Felix due to his demeaning character. At some point, Felix stated that he did not expect that he would have to work with one of the senior employees at the new workplace. The problem may result from generational differences, but working with him will be a problem.

Another evident communication challenge likely to unfold at Felix’s new workplace will arise from different attitudes towards hierarchy. The top organizational leadership, including the CEO, is treated differently in a multicultural environment. Some cultures are hierarchical, such that all communication follows a top-down communication structure. However, in some cultures, communication is horizontal without a particular rank consideration.

Another communication challenge likely to arise from Felix’s integration into the new workplace relates to fluency and accent issues. The language barrier is an obvious problem among multicultural teams. In most workplace environments, English is the conventional language. However, non-native speakers struggle to communicate in English (MacDonald, 2017). At times, even subject matter owners give up the opportunity to present ideas to a team because they fear they will not pass the message across successfully. Subsequently, this often leads to disengagement, ultimately depriving non-native speakers of the confidence to communicate with their colleagues.

Cultural Misunderstandings

Apart from communication issues, cultural misunderstanding is also likely to arise. For instance, expressing oneself by raising the thumb, patting a colleague on the back, or greeting a colleague with a left hand may be offensive depending on one’s cultural affiliation (Sapling, 2021). Therefore, this calls for intensive training before an employee is hired by the organization (Farnswort, 2020). Training will help employees understand the source of such uncomfortable situations in case they occur. In addition, it helps employees understand one another’s culture and avoid such situations in the future.

Question #2: My Stand on Hiring Felix

I would hire Felix into the company if I were the one to make the decision. Having a diverse pool of employees is vital for various reasons. One of the immediate benefits of diverse teams is the innovation and creative prospects they bring into the organization (Stahl, 2021). People from different cultures have different life experiences and, hence are likely to bring innovative prospects into the organization. Besides, people from different cultures bring unbiased solutions to problems without their cultural voice.

Hiring Felix will also bolster the internal decision-making processes. Research shows that diverse teams are 87% more likely to make better decisions compared to non-diverse teams (Stahl, 2021). Like teams are better than individuals in decision-making, so are diverse teams. Diverse teams provide the much-needed objective approach to problem-solving. In the process, a diverse team will overcome the hard-wired cultural biases that impede decision-making among non-diverse teams (Lyons, 2019). Besides, diverse teams are better positioned to serve a diverse customer base. An organization’s employee pool should reflect the customer base to understand their needs better.

The decision to hire Felix is also intended to improve the company’s reputation. When businesses embrace diversity, they are viewed as more socially responsible and relatable by other people. Such diversity will enable the company to build its brand reputation and, in turn, attract more customers, partners, and markets. Currently, even employees look at the reputation of their prospective workplaces before joining these companies (Lyons, 2019). Notably, 17% of employees aver that the diversity displayed by an organization during the hiring process is crucial in helping employees to develop a positive work spirit from the word go. Besides, top performers are more likely to approach a company that is more accepting of a diverse pool of employees. Therefore, hiring Felix will cement the company’s reputation as a diverse workplace, attracting even more productive employees in the future.

Conclusion

In summary, workplace diversity is unavoidable in today’s business environment. People from different cultural backgrounds are forming diverse teams due to the growing number of multinational corporations. Nonetheless, managing a diverse workforce comes with its challenges, including language barriers, cultural differences, and differences in communication styles. However, the benefits of having a multicultural team are more than the costs that accompany such teams. Workplace diversity spurs decision-making and facilitates creativity and decision-making.

References

Farnsworth, D. (2020). HR022/HR022: Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools. Edis.ifas.ufl.edu. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HR022

Lyons, S. (2019). Council Post: The Benefits Of Creating A Diverse Workforce. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/09/09/the-benefits-of-creating-a-diverse-workforce/

MacDonald, G. (2017). Strengths and Challenges of Diversity. AAG Newsletter. https://doi.org/10.14433/2017.0001

Sapling. (2021). Sapling – Top Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace—And How to Address Them. Www.saplinghr.com. https://www.saplinghr.com/blog/top-challenges-of-diversity-in-the-workplace-and-how-to-address-them

Stahl, A. (2021). 3 Benefits Of Diversity In The Workplace. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2021/12/17/3-benefits-of-diversity-in-the-workplace/?sh=dbb3b3a22ed2

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Unit 1 Assignment
Attached Files:
File HRM305 Unit 1 Assignment and Rubric.doc HRM305 Unit 1 Assignment and Rubric.doc – Alternative Formats (46.5 KB)
Due midnight Sunday

Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

For our first assignment, we will focus on two key course concepts. You will begin to recognize the need to develop work environments that appropriately value, support and engage all employees. Furthermore, you will also being to identify challenges associated with workplace diversity.
Watch the video, “What Would You Do?” and be prepared to answer the questions in the attached assignment description.
Refer to the attached document for full details and grading rubric.