Only about 15% of Fortune 500 companies have a female CEO. In 2021, only nine Fortune 500 CEOs were Black, including three Black women.
Although progress has occurred in recent years, the workforce still lacks representation. Many companies want to combat inequality by diversifying their employee base. Workplace diversity benefits, like new ideas and perspectives, outweigh the complications.
If you work in a diversifying company or field, you will have to confront the challenges of diversity in the workplace at some point.
Learn more about these challenges and check out our quick diversity guide for more tips.
Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace
Before diving into the challenges, let’s review. What is diversity?
Workplace diversity is the concept of including various people to contribute to a business. A diverse workplace has employees from different backgrounds throughout the company hierarchy. Some facets of diversity can include:
- Age
- Gender
- Race & ethnicity
- Sexual orientation
- Religion
- Beliefs & ideologies
- Physical capabilities
Bringing together a wide variety of people can be exciting, but it can also be challenging. With so many unique backgrounds, coworkers are bound to butt heads sometimes. Be prepared for some of the following concerns in your diverse workforce.
Necessary Accommodations
Creating a diverse company involves more than hiring from a wide pool of candidates. Employees need to feel safe, included, and encouraged to stick around. Managers and employers must be understanding about accommodations, including:
- Handicapped-accessible spaces
- Mental health benefits
- Visa requirements
- Parental leave
- Supportive childcare options
- Flexible hours
- Gender-inclusive restrooms
- Pronoun awareness
Communication Difficulties
Age, gender, language, culture, and disabilities can affect how we communicate. For example, older employees may not understand younger employees’ references or slang. Or people with hearing loss, autism, and other disabilities may need more clarification.
Simple miscommunications can lead to mistakes. For this reason, it’s important to be aware of common workplace language. Ensure that everyone feels included and up-to-date in the conversation.
Reduced Productivity
One of the best parts about having a diverse team is the constant generation of new ideas. Everyone can (and should) have their say in group discussions. But too many opinions can clog up communication lines and slow down productivity.
You should never discourage brainstorming in the workplace. Still, it’s important to avoid letting opinions cloud the vision for a project. An elected task force may help field opinions and reach a consensus.
Cultural Conflict
Cultural conflicts can occur in a diverse workplace. This happens more when language barriers, strong politics, or religious differences exist. A coworker acting casual and joking with their boss could seem offensive to someone from another culture.
Not everyone must adhere to the same cultural practices at work. But everyone should be respectful of different cultures. Conversations at work should never veer into delicate political or religious territory.
Workplace Hostility
If managers ignore cultural conflicts, discrimination and hostility can occur. For example, refusing to use a person’s pronouns will make them feel disrespected. Workplace hostility pits coworkers against each other and introduces cliques.
To have and maintain a diverse workforce, you should actively work against discrimination. Managers must take any reports of discriminatory language, actions, and harassment seriously.
Developing Diversity Tips
The challenges mentioned in this article often arise in a diverse company. You can combat them with proactive training. Follow this diversity advice to keep your company running smoothly:
- Check in with employees’ perceptions
- Encourage team collaboration
- Be open-minded to new ideas and beliefs
- Promote equality and fairness
- Emphasize clear, honest communication
Promoting acceptance and diversity should always be an ongoing discussion. If you want to educate and inspire your employees, here’s a handy link to click for DEI training!
Expanding Horizons
Cooking with a melting pot of cultures and ideas requires a strong kettle. Companies must stay aware of the challenges of diversity in the workplace to ensure growth and success. Luckily, regular diversity training can ease discussions and bring out the best in everyone!
Are you looking for more ways to boost your productivity and success? Don’t miss out on our other business, strategy, and technology articles!