Nowadays, a lot of people seem to be promoting the idea of enforcing workplace diversity and promoting workgroups that are as diverse as possible.
However, is there a real benefit to this for the entrepreneurs or is this just another attempt for one to push their political agenda?
While the majority of studies show that the former is the case, the truth is that you don’t really need complex statistical data in order to uncover all the benefits of a diverse workplace.
Here are five major advantages of diversification that are as straightforward and self-explanatory as it gets.
1. More Supportive Work Environment
The first major advantage of diversity is the fact that it encourages a supportive work environment.
Keep in mind that as long as you’re in a majority, there’s nothing scary about the environment that you are in.
However, not a single person out there is in majority when it comes to absolutely every aspect of their life.
Even if they share the ethnicity, background, gender, age and sexual orientation with the majority of their coworkers, there’s always that one thing that can set them apart.
Knowing that they’ll get accepted for that as well can be quite empowering.
2. More Productive
One of the most important factors in order for you to ensure productivity is the ability to adequately delegate tasks.
True diversity can make this a lot easier.
However, when delegating tasks in a diverse work environment, you need to avoid delegating tasks based on anything other than one’s skills, abilities and aptitudes.
Still, people coming from different backgrounds (foreign nationals), usually have exposure to the education system that favors different skillsets, which should make this somewhat more efficient.
3. More Efficient Brainstorming
The reason why the efficiency of brainstorming is affected by the size of the group is due to the fact that each individual has a chance to bring their personal experiences into the mix.
This is why it’s so important that you find representatives of as many different groups as possible to add into the mix.
For instance, aside from having representatives of different age groups, genders and backgrounds, you might also want to consider have a person with a disability on your roster.
Keep in mind that this is just one of many advantages of hiring workers with disabilities.
It’s definitely an opportunity that you can’t afford to miss out on.
4. Better Company Image
Inclusivity is an incredibly important factor in your PR campaign.
Remember that you have an audience that belongs to all demographics and that some of them might think twice before working with those that seem discriminatory against their own group.
Also, millennials tend to be more inclined towards diversity, which is why if you manage to portray your enterprise as more diverse, you might get a chance to make your company seem as an exemplar of a contemporary business world.
5. Greater Adaptability
Imagine a scenario where there’s a major religious holiday incoming and the majority of your staff belongs to this particular religious group.
Well, provided that you have someone in your employ (or several of them) who practice a different religion, you’ll always have someone who can check into work without any problem.
If you’re hiring people from families where both parents are working, chances are that you won’t have a problem finding one to volunteer for a graveyard shift, so that they can stay with their kids when their partner goes to work.
The more diverse your staff is, the more options you have.
The best thing about these advantages is the fact that the list goes on and on.
You see, there are many slight, passive boosts like the fact that diversity makes your business more approachable and that it helps boost its talent attraction and retention efforts.
Just bear in mind that in the competitive modern business world, your business needs every single advantage that it can get.
Diversity can, therefore, really help you get what you need.