Workplace diversity and inclusion

Diversity and Inclusion create the most dynamic workplaces

Organizations have been evolving with time as per demand and market conditions. Firms strive hard to balance their core attributes to the demand of the environment where it is functional. However, some stereotypes and discriminations are embedded in our system that challenges diversity and an inclusive work environment. In recent times there has been an increased discourse on diversity and inclusion. 

People encounter several challenges due to lack of opportunities in workplaces. Community growth is not possible when gender, race, or any other discrimination prevails in workplaces. 

Organizations' focus has shifted from conventional HR practices and processes to gender disparity, disability inclusion, equity of ethnicity, and so on.

 Therefore inclusion can be considered as a state of organizational culture where the workforce is not subject to bias on the basis of prejudices and stereotypes based on gender or disability. Global Giants and multinational organizations are focusing on inclusive employment and gaining benefits.

Some benefits of inclusion at the workplace:

• A society cannot grow where women employees are deprived of their rights irrespective of their merit.
• Inclusion of the disabled and deprived brings financial strength to the community.
• Brand goodwill is built in the market that exponentially helps the firm in sustainability.

 Skill training, social protection schemes, and government interventions can elevate awareness of diversity and inclusion.

 However, diversity has gained the attention of marketers for ages, and organizations in the global market have been working to inculcate diverse work cultures. 

• Diversity is the presence of people from different castes, ethnicity, race, and nationality at workplaces.  
• Physical disabilities should not create discrimination or harassment at the workplace.

Modern organizations have explored deeper ways to create market presence through responsible means and diversity and inclusion is a step towards the same.

Diversity and inclusion encompass many visible and invisible benefits to organizations. Some of the benefits of diversity and inclusion at the workplace include: 

- it brings valuable inputs from different perspectives of culturally different employees leading to a competitive advantage

- it makes the organization's image in the market as a responsible firm putting efforts towards the growth of suppressed and vulnerable sections of  the community  

- the presence of gender parity in the workforce brings higher retention and improved business outcomes.

- diversity and inclusion bring heterogeneity thereby reducing the power and control in the hands of fewer sections of the workforce and this way the financial performance of the organization is consistent.

However, there are a few challenges to workplace diversity and inclusion. Its complete acceptance is still in a nascent stage, some of the challenges have been briefed below

                                            Challenges of Racial, Physical and Gender discrimination

- Minority feels alienated at their workplace

- there is a lack of significant contribution made by the minority employees and the power of decision-making still remains in the hands of employees and managers from larger social groups.

-infrastructure is still a challenge as most of organizations are not very adaptive and only a few areas of organizations are developed to suit the minor and inclusive employees. 

- there is a lack of presence of top-level employees from minority groups that could accelerate a change towards a better sense of belongingness for the disabled or other vulnerable employees. 

Organizations need to integrate diversity and inclusion in their work culture and bring more meaningful inclusion through communicative, transparent, and non-discriminatory work culture.

By Neha