Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are becoming very popular topics among organizations. The modern workplace supports social advancements and views workplace diversity as a critical component of success and enjoyment at work.
For some firms, building a diverse workplace might be a challenge, but there are ways to foster harmony and cooperation amongst various individuals and groups. Absence of diversity in the workplace can have a number of effects on an organization’s capacity to expand and be profitable.
This blog discusses the effects of a lack of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
UNDERSTANDING THE REPERCUSSIONS OF LACK OF WORKPLACE DIVERSITY
An inclusive and diverse workplace in contemporary firms is essential to success and happiness and promotes cultural improvements. For some businesses, it might be difficult to build a varied workforce and foster a sense of harmony and togetherness among various people and teams. Also, the effects of a lack of diversity in the workplace take many forms.
It depends on who is working in the low-diversity environment, and this lack of variety in the workplace typically causes either high or low employee turnover. As a result, businesses should strive for intrinsic and acquired diversity, both of which can help your company expand significantly and give your employees a sense of community and build a diverse workplace.
SO, WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF A LACK OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT THE WORKPLACE?
The following are some effects of a lack of a diverse workplace:
- Fewer partners for discrimination victims
Discrimination in the workplace persists despite employers’ best attempts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion inside their organizations, and, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it’s much more pervasive than you may believe. The agency states that it addressed 67,448 complaints of job discrimination in fiscal year 2020 alone. These complaints included those based on race (32.7 percent), sex (31.7 percent), age (21 percent), color (5.3 percent), and religion (3.6 percent).
One of the major problems with a lack of a diverse workplace is that victims of discrimination or harassment may feel alone when it occurs. One of the most significant implications of a lack of diversity and inclusion in the workplace is that those who experience social isolation may become reluctant to disclose instances of prejudice.
When a certain minority is underrepresented in positions of authority at a company, discrimination in the workplace may feel even more alienating and helpless to employees. They might even be hesitant to make any effort to stop the discrimination if they don’t feel they have support. As a result, a lack of variety might unintentionally foster a climate in which bigotry is tolerated and even encouraged.
The victim’s career may also suffer if these discrimination issues are not reported, and a hostile work environment where employees believe their employer tolerates prejudice may result. We can therefore conclude that one of the most important problems with a lack of a diverse workplace is toxic work environments.
- Possibly tone-deaf deliverables
Deliverables that might be abusive or otherwise undesirable can be stopped before they reach the customer or even before they leave the meeting room when there are a variety of viewpoints present at work.
Also, an employee’s race, age, gender, and other distinctive characteristics shape their frame of reference, enable them to spot offensive content, and prevent the company from seeming foolish. The following are some of the best illustrations of tone-deaf deliverables as a problem brought on by a lack of a diverse workplace:
- Labels, taglines, and other text translations that fall short of being accurate
- Goods that are inconvenient for customers with disabilities
- The unintentional use of insulting or harsh language brought by misinterpreting the implications of particular words
- Marketing that is ineffective to everyone but one demographic group
- Beliefs regarding the analysis and use of items by various client groups
- Restricted viewpoints in the workplace
Flaws in the company because of a lack of a diverse workplace from its personnel are a consequence of a lack of workplace diversity and inclusion, just as tone-deaf deliverables are. If all of your company’s personnel come from similar backgrounds, chances are good that they share similar perspectives on the work you conduct. This puts your employees at risk of developing groupthink, a condition in which fresh ideas and opposing viewpoints are suppressed among a group of individuals.
Because there are various opinions represented in the group and fresh ideas can be introduced that advance a company, hiring people from underrepresented backgrounds can aid in lowering the likelihood of this happening. It could indicate a leave policy that disregards the needs of religious groups or an office layout that makes it far more difficult for those with disabilities to reach the restroom, the pantry, and other crucial team locations.
Additionally, because of the lack of a diverse workplace, these limited viewpoints result in regulations that unfairly favor one cultural group over another.
- Limited role models
It may be difficult for underrepresented employees to connect with mentors for advice when there is little to no workplace diversity, which is a serious problem. Additionally, not having the same kind of support at the beginning of their careers as their coworkers do can cause them to fall behind as their coworkers’ careers advance, costing them thousands of dollars over the course of their working lifetimes.
- Communication problems
Lack of a diverse workplace may cause communication issues, which may then result in unintended offense, murky procedures, and mistrust among employees. Also, businesses without a diverse workplace may experience communication difficulties with international team members who speak different languages or have distinct cultural norms.
- Lack of Customer Support
The lack of a diverse workplace can result in public relations disasters that you’ll need to fix so that customers won’t stop supporting your brand. An unfavorable public opinion that could have been prevented if persons from underrepresented backgrounds had been included in the decision-making process of these messages can be produced by incidents like these. This is particularly crucial if you want to diversify your clientele because you need those communities’ perspectives to inform your understanding of the best ways to engage with them.
7. Lack of Innovation
Employees connect innovation and diversity. In fact, a Deloitte survey found that 74% of millennials think businesses that promote diversity and inclusion are more inventive, and businesses with more diverse workforces tend to have more revenue. Companies with greater than average levels of diversity experience a 19% increase in innovation revenues over their less diverse workplace competitors, according to research from the Harvard Business Review.
BARRIERS TO BUILDING A DIVERSE WORKPLACE
While it is clear that increasing diversity in the workplace has many advantages, doing so is not always easy. Managers need to be aware of the challenges they face when trying to diversify their workforce.
Problems with integration
Certain organizations may experience issues when it comes to building a diverse workplace. Making new hires feel appreciated and welcome is essential for a smooth transition into the company. If the right measures aren’t in place to enable diversity training, organizations won’t be able to help a new hire’s integration into the office efficiently. Interpersonal interactions and worries about workplace equality, including income parity, job responsibilities, and more, are among the many distinct levels of integration that are necessary.
Communication issues
A diverse workplace may experience communication issues. Inadequate communication can lead to unintentional offense, mistrust, and hazy workplace protocols. When hiring foreign employees with various schedules, languages, and cultural norms, businesses looking to diversify their workforce may encounter communication issues. Under these kinds of circumstances, it can be very simple to offend someone without meaning to.