Inequality has been an age old problem that is being faced by businesses across the globe. This inequality exists in the form of gender biasness, lack of female leaders in the workplace, any biasness in the form of caste, religion or ethnicity. There has been a significant improvement in the situation in the last few years. But we are still far from reaching sustained equality. Workplace diversity is also an essential aspect of any business. Human resource management aims to ensure a high level of diversity in the workplace. Workplace diversity encompasses people from several races, gender, age groups, religions, ethnic groups as well as cultural backgrounds coming together to work as a team (Barak, 2016). This diversity has been increasingly emphasized by organizations throughout the world. This is because a high level of workplace diversity improves organizational culture and widens horizons for all of the organizational stakeholders.
Human resource management of any organization plays a critical role in the success of the business (Bezrukova et. al., 2016). The HRM department is consistently evolving and growing. This essay will throw light on the emerging themes in the human resource management of any organization. Inclusion and diversity in the work place are key trends that are shaping the industry significantly. A critical analysis of similar trends has been conducted in this report which aims to gain a deeper insight upon the current status of the HRM industry at large. For this discussion, several economic, political, technological and environmental factors have been considered which directly impact the industry.
The report essentially focuses on several problems faced by several organizations in the United Kingdom. The predominant issue of concern is that of inequality in the workplace. Several businesses have introduced new rules and policies in order to ensure an equal work environment for all employees (Downey et. al., 2016). Despite this, the progress seems painfully slow adversely impacting all stakeholders associated with the business. There are two ways of looking at the importance of inclusion and diversity within any organization. First is a moral case and second is a business case. The moral case suggests that all people are equal and everyone deserves equal opportunities to develop, to progress and, be rewarded and recognized at the workplace(Parker, 2016).
The business case of the aspect focuses on the increased productivity and efficiency of any organization resulting from a higher level of diversity in the workplace (Kalinoski et. al., 2013). Diversity and inclusion have been known to yield positive outcomes for any organization. It is important to note that diversity can only lead to a better workplace environment if the business associates and manages the concept well. Cultural diversity in a workplace results in enhanced creativity (Nishii, 2013).
The case suggests that diversity as a practice has a wide impact on organizational performance but not as much an impact on employees. However, the effects of diversity are different for different organizations and industries. The policy implementation in the UK has considered the fact that a single individual has several personalities and therefore makes it important consider a holistic perspective towards diversity(Lane & Flowers, 2015).
Intersectionality is essentially a framework that attempts to identify the impact of various systems of power. Team processes can be better understood with Intersectionality. The case suggests that focus of a leader on a single group of people in a team will not benefit the team. In fact, diversity in a team can only be effectively practiced when there is equality. Diversity has a positive impact on the organization as well as its employees. An inclusive workplace atmosphere is necessary to realize the benefits of diversity in the organization.
Despite several legislations and policies, inequality still persists within several workplaces. There are various factors that are leading to inequality in the workplace. The foremost factor is biasness and prejudice. This eventually leads to discrimination. Secondly, there is still a severe lack of women leaders within the organization (Peretz, Levi & Fried, 2015). It is unfortunate that this inequality begins from the first step of recruitment. There are perceptions regarding disabled application.
Once the employee is a part of a firm, performance evaluation procedures are often different and largely biased. Benevolent discrimination done in organizations is also a major factor that prohibits equality. It is essential to understand that several stigmas associated with employees may scar the individual in the long run and adversely impact the entire employment experience. Gender pay is a brutal reality that is faced by several women throughout the world. This gender pay gap stems from the culture of inequality in the organization.
Given the high level of inequality faced by organizations throughout the globe, it is the need of the hour to take some stern steps towards creating an equal and diverse workforce within any business. There are several factors that support equality in the workplace. Firstly, trainings should be provided across all organizational levels regarding the importance of diversity (Wrench, 2016). These trainings must also be inclusive of various efforts at mentoring employees towards effective management of diversity. However, these trainings can only provide a short term impact. Secondly, the government must put substantial efforts to ensure development and growth of the disabled. There must be stringent policies towards making offices disable friendly. Overall it is the responsibility of the human resource management as well as organizational leadership to create a culture of equality (Al-Jenaibi, 2017). This can be achieved with the help of open communications, adopting open door policy and creating a culture which is transparent.
The foremost thing to do is for organizations to understand the value and importance of workplace diversity and inclusion. A business’s financial performance, organizational creativity and interpersonal relationships among employees, all largely depends upon the level of diversity and inclusion the company propagates. Diversity in the workplace is sure to reap benefits to employees as well as employers.
The leaders of the organization must drive the change and promote diversity within their organizations. It is also important that equality is practiced within every step of the organization starting from recruitment to performance evaluation to rewards as well as other workplace policies. During recruitments, organizations must not release ads which are gendered or promote any biasness towards a working group. All candidates applying for the job must be weighted in the same plate and no discrimination must be made on the basis of caste, religion, ethnicity gender, race or disability. Organizational policies must be frequently reviewed and necessary changes must be made in order to foster a culture of diversity in the workforce. All employees within the business must be treated fairly and equally.
It is high time that the termites of inequality have been eating away the growth of our businesses and we must do something about it. Individuals associated with the business must be treated with respect and dignity throughout the workforce. Secondly, employees must also take responsibility and put efforts in ensuring a culture of equality and open communication.
There are various focus areas which directly impact the level of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. These factors are described as below:
The political environment of any country plays a major role in understanding the level of diversity that may exist in the organizations of that country. Political leaders frame country’s policies regarding immigration. Government can also introduce rules of equal pay and non-discrimination which will further lead to a culture of inclusion and diversification. The laws that are guiding nations today have allowed provision for people to travel across borders and work in different countries. When an individual travels to another country to work or study, he or she definitely considers the level of political stability of that country (Madsen & Nielsen, 2017).
The advent of technology has changed the shape of industry at large. The new technologies that are being introduced have enhanced the reach of recruiters to candidates residing all over the world. This allows them to invite a diversified population within their organizations. The growing technology has specifically been beneficial for the disabled. The recent developments have created technologies and machines that can increase the productivity and employability of the disabled (Bond & Haynes, 2014). Such efforts will help in creating equality and will reduce any form of discrimination against the disabled.
There are several social trends which have an impact on the degree of diversification and inclusion existing today. Social media and the internet play a critical role in changing social patterns of individuals across the globe. Social media is also being used as an effective tool to recruit people internationally. A lot of credit towards increasing globalization in the world goes to the impact that has been created by social media. With the help of this platform, employees are becoming increasingly aware about their rights in the workplace. The issue of equality within the organization is also gaining significant attention with the help of social media and this is why organizations are putting increasing efforts to ensure workplace equality (McCann, Sparks & Kohntopp, 2017).
Businesses are also being able to handle diversity effectively with the growth of social media. This is because there is an increasing awareness regarding different cultures and ethnicities which help break the stereotypes leading to discrimination.
As mentioned in the case study on CIPD, the government is taking a lot of measures and steps towards inclusion at work and workforce diversity. The country is also taking serious steps against the organization who are defaulters and the authorities receive complaint about them . Thus, the legal transformation is a positive factor towards ensuring workforce diversity and inclusion at the workplace.
Diversity in the work place and inclusion of work is also being driven across various industries on the basis of increasing level of education in females. The females are the ones who initially used to be in the highest numbers when it came to college level studies, but in the present day more and more females are going even for further studies. This implies that organization have to start creating posts, or make it appealing to the growing female population.
Globalizations has led to the creation of what we call a flat world. Businesses from different parts of the world are crossing geographic boundaries and expanding in foreign lands. This allows them to recruit locally and hence increasing the overall diversity of the organization. Globalization at large has also reduced the cost incurred by a firm in order to invite candidates from other parts of the world. Organizations have also been conducting exchange programs so that their employees can work in a new culture and country. It is the increasing globalization which has given the much required boost to increasing diversity in the workplace (Davis, Frolova & Callahan, 2016). Moreover this globalization has enhanced awareness about different cultures and ethnicities which makes it easier for employees to work in diverse environment.
The implication of increasing diversity and inclusion predominantly differs from organization to organization. There are various stakeholders of the business and it is their attitude towards diversity which defines the impact of the same. Workplace diversity has a positive as well as negative effect on the organization.
One positive implication of the emerging themes on operation and strategic decision making is reduction in the gender wise pay gap in various organization. Across the globe there can be seen on an average a median gap of 12-15% in the pays of males and females. This however is not a healthy, positive and motivating sign for the female employees. Thus, the emerging theme will definitely help in reducing this pay gap.
Inclusion, diversion and workplace equality and drivers for growth and motivation for employees within a business. A diverse organization helps to widen horizons and help people learn about different cultures and ethnicities. Such an organization also ensures that people from different background come together and work with effective collaboration. People from different backgrounds offer several different perspectives to the same situation. This helps in increased productivity.
Diversity also helps employees in learning about new cultures and traditions. Organizations can take the best practices of different culture and enhance their profitability. An environment of inclusion can go a long way in motivating employees that are associated with the business. Maslow’ hierarchy of needs suggests that people are motivated by their social needs which effectively includes inclusion.
Similarly, an organization that promotes equality of work and does not discriminate on any basis will have a much higher productivity. Such an organization is a platform for people to work together and get fairly compensated for the same. People with disabilities or mental illnesses often find it difficult to find jobs or perform to the best of their potential. These emerging trends of inclusion and equality have not only offered them with opportunities to work with dignity but also these trends specifically technological trends have increased their overall productivity.
On the other hand, diversity can also have adverse impacts in the workplace if it is not managed effectively. When a diverse workforce comes together, there can be increasing number of conflicts owing to cultural and language barriers. Communication within a diverse team can get really difficult at times and may reduce overall efficiency of the business. However, it is up to the leaders of the organizations to put efforts in the right direction towards ensuring managing workforce diversity in an effective manner. The strategies to do the same have been described in the next part of the report.
There are several efforts that can be made by organizations in order to ensure diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Firstly, the leaders of the business must propagate a diverse workforce. They must lead by example and create a culture where people from diverse backgrounds and come together and work. No discrimination should be made on the basis of religion, caste or sex throughout the organization. Employees indulging in a discriminating behaviour must be penalized. Organizations must also regularly provide diversity training to their employees in order to ensure that they become comfortable with a diverse culture and can efficiently take advantage of such an environment to increase their productivity. Lastly, a culture of open communication goes a long way in addressing issues that are fostered from inequality or diversity within a workforce. This will not only help employees in voicing their problems and addressing their issues but in the long run, this will also help in creating a positive workplace environment.
References
Al-Jenaibi, B., 2017. The scope and impact of workplace diversity in the United Arab Emirates–A preliminary study. Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 8(1).
Barak, M.E.M., 2016. Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications.
BEZRUKOVA, K., SPELL, C.S., PERRY, J.L. et al. (2016) A meta-analytical integration of over 40 years of research on diversity training evaluation. Psychological Bulletin. Vol 142, No 11. pp1227–74
Bond, M.A. and Haynes, M.C., 2014. Workplace diversity: A social–ecological framework and policy implications. Social Issues and Policy Review, 8(1), pp.167-201.
Davis, P.J., Frolova, Y. and Callahan, W., 2016. Workplace diversity management in Australia: what do managers think and what are organisations doing?. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 35(2), pp.81-98.
Downey, S.N., van der Werff, L., Thomas, K.M. and Plaut, V.C., 2015. The role of diversity practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45(1), pp.35-44.
KALINOSKI, Z.T., STEELE?JOHNSON, D., PEYTON, E.J. et al. (2013) A meta?analytic evaluation of diversity training outcomes. Journal of Organizational Behavior. Vol 34, No 8. pp1076–1104.
Madsen, M.B. and Nielsen, V.L., 2017. Does Gender Diversity in the Workplace Affect Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions?. International Public Management Review, 1(18), pp.77-115.
McCann, J.T., Sparks, B.H. and Kohntopp, T.F., 2017. Leadership Integrity and Diversity in the Workplace. Research in Economics and Management, 2(5), p.177.
NISHII, L.H. (2013) The benefits of climate for inclusion for gender-diverse groups. Academy of Management Journal. Vol 56, No 6. pp1754–74.
Peretz, H., Levi, A. and Fried, Y., 2015. Organizational diversity programs across cultures: effects on absenteeism, turnover, performance and innovation. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(6), pp.875-903.
Wrench, J., 2016. Diversity management and discrimination: Immigrants and ethnic minorities in the EU. Routledge. United Kingdom.
Parker, John. (2016) A report into the ethnic diversity of UK boards [Parker Review Committee] [online]. Available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ethnic-diversityof-uk-boards-the-parker-review [Accessed 6 August 2018].
Lane, S.R. and Flowers, T.D. (2015) Salary inequity in social work: a review of the knowledge and call to action. Affilia. Vol 30, No 3. pp363–79.
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