The Importance of Diversity in the Workforce

Running head: THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY IN THE WORKFORCE 1

The Importance of Diversity in the Workforce

Michael O. Russell

Southern New Hampshire University

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERISTY IN THE WORKFORCE 2

Abstract

The basis of this study is to describe the importance of having a diverse age difference in today’s workforce. It will also describe how age discrimination, in particular with elderly people, presents challenges to organizations. It will also describe what policies and practices management my use to alleviate these challenges, and how continuity in the workforce is important for future generations of workers as the workforce continues to age.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY IN THE WORKFORCE 3

The Importance of Diversity in the Workforce

With an uncertain economy and the rising cost of living, more and more senior personnel who are eligible for retirement are staying in the workforce instead of retiring at the traditional age that generations before them did. This is not just happening in the United States, it is happening all around the world. As Robbins stated, “U.S. legislation has, for all intents and purposes, outlawed mandatory retirement. Most workers today no longer have to retire at age 70, and 62 percent of those aged 45 to 60 plan to delay retirement” (Robbins, pg 46). The fact that people are foregoing the traditional age of retirement forces management to focus on ways to create a diverse atmosphere in the workplace that addresses the needs of both the older generation of personnel but also the newer generation.

There are other underlying reasons people are working later into adulthood. There is the high cost of medical care, to include doctor visits and medication, higher cost of food, but more importantly, people today are living longer than any generation before them. However, the fact that seniors are working longer can lead to more pressing issues in the workplace, in...