Recruitment diversity in the workplace may sound simple to get right, but diversity encompasses many different things, such as; gender, race, age, personality, ethnic group, education, background and so much more. You must also consider how individuals perceive themselves and how they perceive each other. Your staff’s perception of others will ultimately affect how your teams interact and communicate with one another. For your business to be able to function positively and effectively, your human resource management team needs to be able to handle these social challenges effectively.

Diversity in the workplace has been on the rise in the last 10 years and it continues to increase significantly in employment. To successfully handle diversity in a business, your HR team will need to tackle issues such as adaptability and communication, and must be prepared to devote resources to embracing and managing diversity in the workplace.

Workplace Diversity Benefits

It isn’t just about building a great corporate image; your business success depends on workplace diversity. Taking initiative to actively assess and develop a workplace diversity plan comes with multiple benefits for your company; however, this does not come without its challenges. Resistance to change, communication barriers and management strategies are important aspects to consider. By employing a diverse workforce you will be able to remain competitive by providing varied solutions to challenges in services. Each employee from different backgrounds will bring to the table their individual experience, talents, and unique skills which will open your team up to innovative ideas and enable you to adapt to the ever changing markets and consumer demands.

Multi-Skilled Workforce

An organisation that employs a varied workforce will benefit from a collection of skills and experiences such as multilingual and cultural understanding. These valued skillsets enables an organisation to provide a service to a broader range of customers from all over the world. Developing a strong human resources management team that can bring people from different walks of life to work together comfortably takes careful consideration and training. Your HR team will need to possess a high level of cultural understanding, as well as personality and lifestyle acceptance.

Steps to successfully embrace diversity into your recruitment strategy

1.     Regular assessment of diversity in your workplace

Evaluating your recruitment strategy and workforce is an integral part of a successful management system. There are several ways to get a better understanding of how your employees are interacting and if they are happy with the team they work with. Taking an employee satisfaction survey is one of the most efficient methods in helping you to understand your workforce, and can help your HR management team determine the challenges that come with diversity. Ultimately, this will enable you to understand which policies need to be implemented or eliminated from your recruitment strategy in order to build a positive and diverse team.

2.     Implement a diversity plan and set an example

It’s no good to just throw rules and regulations at your staff and expect them to follow it blindly. We often adopt our attitudes and view points towards work from those in authoritative positions; just like how children follow the actions of their older siblings. Your employees are no different and will follow the lead of management. The attitudes that your management team has towards diversity will filter down and will play a vital role in building a culture conducive to the success of your diversity plan.

3.     Counter resistance with inclusion

Involving your employees in your decisions to implement and execute a diversity plan (and other workplace changes) will help your to cultivate a culture of trust and loyalty. Scheduling regular staff meetings and encouraging your workforce to participate in sharing ideas and opinions will kindle a sense of equality, empower your staff, and allow everyone to feel valued. Promoting diversity in management positions also provides your workforce with clear visibility of the direction of your business. This also encourages employees to stay loyal to the organisation and helps to attract new talent in the process.

As the economy becomes progressively global, workplace diversity becomes increasingly crucial for business survivability. It’s important to assess your company’s diversity policies and recruitment strategies in order to be able to plan for the future. If you are unsure about where to start, here at HR4UK we have specialists who will be able to give you expert advice on various human resources, employment and legislation matters, and can also provide you with the tools to shape your workplace policy. Alternatively, our knowledge centre contains many useful articles on various hr and employment services.