The dimensions of diversity include age, race, skills, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and other differences that make one unique. From hiring the most qualified employees and creating a happy workplace to fostering great financial success, a company that has the highest rates of diversion is the one that succeeds.
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The Need for Diversity
An organization's foundation is its workforce and, none can replace the power they hold in the firm. Diverse employees are like colors in your painting; the more different colors you have, the higher chances you will design a masterpiece. Similarly, the dimensions of diversity are the elements of your painting.
Just like you can't complete a painting without its essential elements, you also can't imagine a complete diversity without fulfilling its dimensions.
Classification of Dimensions of Diversity
Diversity stands for the differences, therefore based on the types of differences, diversity's dimensions are classified into four types:
- Personality Dimensions
These dimensions focus on one's behavior and their qualities, skills, and how others view them as a person.
- Internal Dimensions
These include aspects beyond your control like age, gender, ethnicity, etc. that will influence your interaction with others.
- External Dimensions
Your external dimensions are the outcomes of your life choices or their decisions that can include aspects like education, marital status, etc. These factors greatly influence the quality of connection and experience with others.
- Organizational Dimensions
These dimensions include those key elements that help employees relate to one another through their work and interactions.
Now, we shall discuss each type of diversity's dimension one by one.
9 Types of Diversity Dimensions
1. Age Diversity
- Age diversity is amongst the most crucial factors that strengthen the company's bottom line. Your company can prosper only if your senior and young employee balance is well-maintained and their strengths are equally utilized.
- The young talents can boost up technology and contribute to the latest trends and techniques. At the same time, the older employees can offer a broader perspective and knowledge in decision-making through their experience.
- Different approaches to problem-solving, viewpoints will give your company a holistic approach to decision-making.
2. Ethnicity & Race
Both race & ethnicity seem similar but aren't. While you can only belong to a single race, you can still identify with multiple ethnicities and links to your culture.
So why are they important for diversity?
- The research shows that businesses with an inclusive environment with their workforce from different ethnicities and races can be 35% more able to achieve than the average financial returns.
- In the U.S., ethnicity, and race highly influence one's life expectancy, access to healthcare, housing, and criminal justice.
- The survey by the University of Texas found that diversity never impacted an organization negatively, if not positively.
- Even ethnic groups and minorities' representation in the executive branch nearly boosted profits by 30 in companies worldwide.
3. Gender Diversity
- Gender diversity confers equal opportunities, pay scale, and representation of all genders. However, in the U.S., out of 40% females, only around 5% are in upper management while the rest are limited to lower levels.
- Moreover, gender pay disparity is a big issue as for every $1 to male, only 80 cents go to females as the salary.
- It's high time companies start realizing that skills and talents have no boundaries. Moreover, different genders can have different skills and experiences.
- Thus, more viewpoints and opinions will help the organization accomplish its goals.
4. Sexual Orientation
- Employees can thrive in an environment wherein they feel accepted, heard, and secure.
- Hostile work culture will not allow employees to express themselves, eventually hampering their progress.
- Keeping up secrets about their identity in fear of alienation is stressful and may lead to their walking out of the company.
5. Religion
- An organization is diverse when it celebrates and acknowledges its employee's characteristics.
- It allows them to have higher job satisfaction and excitement to work.
6. Disability
- Skills are an employee's assets that make them valuable for a company and, disability is never a barrier in it.
- It is crucial as a respectable organization to equip disabled employees with the required tools.
7. Personality
- Everyone has a different personality with unique powers. Some may seem, market players, while some have a creative approach to designing solid business strategies.
- Despite being prone to conflicts, they give birth to new insights and ideas.
8. Socioeconomic Status
- Employees belong to different socioeconomic backgrounds and thus, have different takes on money.
- However, the organization must convey its view on money and values it keeps on priority rather than directly focusing on profits.
9. Educational Qualification
- Today, corporate culture makes educational qualification its baseline rather than the skill set. Though sometimes it's necessary, other times they are unnecessary.'
- Unnecessary qualifications can prevent you from hiring the ideal candidates with skills but no formal educational background.
Some other dimensions of diversity include language, geography, and marital status.
13 Surprising Benefits of Diversity
- Decrease in racist and discriminatory practices.
- Increase in cultural competency.
- Increase in investments as more diverse stakeholders, and audiences engage with your company.
- Have a worldwide vision as diverse employees have unique experiences and mindsets that help the organization target different audiences.
- Increased tolerance of different cultures thus, promoting cooperation.
- A diverse pool of talent allows the company to equip itself on different fronts.
- Higher brand reputation and image.
- It increases job satisfaction, and employees feel excited and motivated while at work.
- The abundance of knowledge and experiences can help decision-making while looking at each problem from various angles.
- Establish a secure and nurturing environment.
- Collaborative environment as employees feels included and heard.
- Room for innovation and creativity.
How to Promote Diversity in your Organization?
You can promote diversity by setting each diversity dimension as your stepping-stone to improvise your work culture.
1. Advertise Accordingly
Choose print ads for attracting experienced professionals while social media and online forms for the young.
2. Gender Equality
- Use inclusive language in all your policies and meetings.
- Minimize the gender pay gap.
- Devise flexible approaches like telecommuting and part-time for women.
3. Acknowledge Religious Observances
Acknowledging religious observances and culture will help employees trust you.
4. Ensure disability Never Become a Barrier
- Provide latest technologies like screen readers or other software.
- Make the office accessible through a wheelchair by building a ramp for smooth travel.
5. Educate Employees for Bias
Provide training to the employees to spread awareness of common biases and prevent them from hampering the judgment.
6. Personalize Your Diversity Practices
- No two diversity practices are equally effective. Their effectiveness depends entirely on your organization's requirements.
- Thus, what suits other organizations may not serve your purpose. So, personalize your diversity practices as per your requirements.
7. Bring Leadership and Management on Board
- Train your management and convey the company's expectations from it.
- Make sure your leadership is diverse.
8. Conduct Regular Continuous Dialogues
Regular talks and discussions will help employees clear their queries, regarding diversity and its importance.
9. Communicate Your Values
Make sure all employees and even higher-ups are well-aware of the company's values.
10. Establish Clear Boundaries
Ensure to convey to all employees how the company entertains zero-tolerance against discrimination.
In a Nutshell
Dimensions of diversity are the stepping stones to achieving a world-class and inclusive environment. It ensures diversity blooms and all employees freely express and contribute to the company.
Different minds and perspectives are the ingredients of a long-term successful business and profitability. There's no match for DEI in being an all-rounder for making the workplace haven for employers and boosting the overall productivity and, of course, the revenue.
