When was workforce diversity first used

This compelled some employees to rebel and skirt around training rules, thereby making the DEI training somewhat counterproductive. Another common DEI strategy utilized by companies to fight bias were hiring tests. These hiring tests allowed managers to assess candidates based on their technical knowledge and qualifications instead of their socioeconomic or racial background. As a result, hiring tests were not enforced consistently across candidates from different backgrounds.

Clearly, traditional diversity training methods have been negligible and ineffective. Change is long overdue. As aforementioned, social pushes for societal reform played a large role in driving this change.

Specifically, the recent boom of the DEI industry coincides with current social movements. Besides societal expectations, firms also have a financial incentive to invest in improving diversity. Although diversity can bring value to the firm in many ways, it has a particularly positive impact on the following 4 aspects of organizational performance:. As outlined above, many businesses have invested in their DEI programs in hopes of improving their financial and operational performance.

This can be most clearly observed through the sharp increase in hiring numbers of DEI professionals. Moreover, managerial attitudes towards DEI have also shifted positively.

Executives have also invested in DEI initiatives in nearly every aspect of their business, such as talent recruitment, community engagement, executive leadership composition, and data and metrics transparency. An organisation with a climate of fairness and equity will help the organisation to become an employer of choice. This is because an organisation which focuses on fairness and equity will value talents and employees in the workforce. The organisation will recruit new employees and promote existing employees purely based on their working ability.

It would not discriminate any individual from any race, religion, sex, national origin and disability as long as that individual is beneficial to the organisation. With its reputation as an organisation that value integrity and socially responsible, it will develop a strong employment brand.

It may experience a more diverse pool of applicants who can bring an amazing deal of talent into the workforce and give them an advantage in retaining their talent by providing the employees a workplace with a climate of fairness and equity.

As an illustration, an organisation which has a workforce made up of mainly male employees in top positions would benefit from diversity through the employment of the top female graduates in the related fields of study.

By recruiting more female graduates into the workforce, it creates an impression to the society that the organisation only hires the best regardless of gender. As we step into the globalization era, the globalization effect reflects that all top-class human resources and the very best talents are more likely to come from diverse backgrounds and orientation. If an organisation chooses to give up diversity in the workforce, they might miss the opportunity to recruit some of the best talent in the minority group, and thus loses the competitive advantage against their competitors.

Therefore, by creating a climate of fairness and equity, organisation can gain competitive advantage from a diverse workforce. Moreover, an organisation can utilize a diverse workforce to create competitive advantage by having a better marketing strategy.

A diverse workforce has a better responsiveness to social and demographic changes Von Bergen et al. A better marketing strategy can help an organisation to increase the sales and revenues and thus increase the profits of an organisation by expanding the market and fulfill the needs of the market.

The world is becoming smaller every day. The developments of technology such as the internet, mass media and telecommunication have contributed to the shrinking of international market.

Traditional barriers are being broken down. Many organisations try to involve in international trade so that they can grow and become successful. An organisation need to have a very diverse market for their products so that they can be competitive.

They need to increase their sales volumes by identifying the needs of their customers. New markets are opening across the world and these increase business opportunities as well as competition. Growing markets in regions such as Latin America, Asia and Central Europe are important markets in the global trade. They are traditionally the minorities in the workforce. By having a diversified workforce in an organisation, it helps the organisation to understand the culture and customs for a particular region or ethnicity.

Individuals who came from different ethnic background have different culture and attitudes. Diversity refers to identity-based differences among and between people that affect their lives as applicants, employees, and customers.

Surface-level diversity represents characteristics of individuals that are readily visible, including, but not limited to, age, body size, visible disabilities, race, or sex. Finally, hidden diversity includes traits that are deep-level but may be concealed or revealed at the discretion of individuals who possess them.

Skip to content Diversity in Organizations. McGrath, J. Traits, expectations, culture, and clout: The dynamics of diversity in work groups. Ruderman Eds. Washington, D. Thomas, R. Beyond race and gender. Cox, Taylor H.

Pelled, L. Demographic dissimilarity and workplace inclusion. The concept of workforce diversity expanded from compliance to an issue of business survival during the early s. Surface-level diversity represents characteristics of individuals that are readily visible, including, but not limited to, age, body size, visible disabilities, race, or sex.

Deep-level diversity includes traits that are nonobservable such as attitudes, values, and beliefs. Benefits of workplace diversity Increased productivity: A diverse workplace allows for more ideas and processes. This diversity of talent means a broader range of skills among employees, as well as a diversity of experiences and perspectives which increases the potential for increased productivity.

Examples include sex, age, race, ethnicity, etc. Deep level of diversity in contrast is difficult to judge from appearance. It includes internal characteristics such as personality, attitudes, habits, values professional background, skill level, etc.