ABSTRACT
Today there is increased awareness of diversity in the workplace. We are all multidimensional and complex people. Workers bring a diversity of languages, origins, education, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations with them to their jobs. It is the manager's legal and moral responsibility to manage this diversity. Most people understand what is meant by diversity in the workplace, but many do not understand what diversity is not. Diversity is not:
A problem, but an opportunity. Diversity presents the opportunity to use workers’ different skills and thinking styles to grow and improve business.
Limited to race and gender. Diversity encompasses more than issues concerning minorities or women. It also involves cultural differences between internal and external customers. The goal is to create a corporate culture in which each individual can contribute to the organization.
A human resources department responsibility. Managers must train their workers to understand that they all have a key role in the acceptance of diversity in the workplace. It must be clear that the goal of the organization is to create a multicultural climate.
A concept of exclusivity. Diversity is inclusive. It is not about favoring one group over another but about increasing sensitivity to and knowledge about individual differences, and using that knowledge to create a corporate climate that respects and embraces those differences.
