Diversity

Managing diversity can be a challenge, however, is important to the success of corporations for many reasons. Embracing diversity will create a more positive work environment that is more productive and lends itself to retaining and attracting highly skilled workers (Kourdi, 2009). “Employers have much to gain by having a workplace that is open to everyone. Such universal thinking not only helps recruit skilled employees, but also enhances corporate continuity efforts by helping employers retain the talents of an aging workforce” (Cavalcoli, 2011, p. 52).

“Diversity simply means difference and we are all different in many ways. Our different perspectives influenced, for example, by our age, gender, race, cultural background, religion, experiences of disability or our family structure and sexual orientation – are a source of valuable information and knowledge that companies often fail to tap into” (Kyle, 2009, p. 13). “ Rather than seeing the benefits and potential, we can be put off by challenges that balancing the needs and expectations of different groups within our businesses can present” (Kyle, 2009, p. 13). The EEO Compliance Officer at UC Berkeley stated, “Diversity as a concept focuses on a wider set of qualities far beyond race and gender. “In the context of the workplace, valuing diversity means creating a workplace that respects and includes differences, recognizing the unique contributions that individuals with many types of differences can make, and creating a work environment that maximizes the potential of all employees”” (UC Berkeley).

When people think of diversity, more often than not their first thought is of ethnicity and race, and then gender; however, diversity is much broader than that. “In Workforce America, Managing Employee Diversity as a Vital Resource, diversity is defined as “otherness or those human qualities that are different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong, yet present in other individuals and...