Advantages of Workforce Diversity
Business firms that
manage diversity enjoy a strategic advantage in the following manner:
(i) An organisation
or a company with well-managed diversity will solve the conflicts resulting
from opposing viewpoints, into a completer and more inventive / innovative
solutions.
(ii) An
organisation that promotes equal employment opportunity for diverse groups will
generally do better at attracting and retaining talent from all backgrounds,
thereby increasing a pool of skilled employees. The differences among people
lie a wide variety of talents and perspectives. The broader the range of
talents and sweep of perspectives among the employees, the better would be the
opportunity for the business to succeed.
(iii) Business with
workforce from varied backgrounds can more effectively serve the customers, who
are themselves diverse. Such employees can interact with local customers in an
effective manner and pay careful attention to their customers’ sensitivities
and expectations,
(iv) Companies with
diverse workforce are able to present their product and services in a better
way.
(v) Companies with
effective diversity programs can avoid damage to their corporate reputation or
costly lawsuits from charges of discrimination or cultural insensitivity.
(vi) The global
market place of today demands a workforce with language skills, cultural
sensitivity and awareness of national and other differences across the market
in order to be successful. For example, the multinationals operate in different
countries, where the cultural practices vary radically. Workforce which can fit
in the cultural understanding of the country where the multinational is
operating is a must.
Workforce Diversity in India
The human resource managers in Indian
organisations have to respond to a wide range of diversity issues due to a
diverse workforce of varying socio-economic, ethnic and linguistic composition.
Various categories of employees in the Indian
organisations include the following:
1.
Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs):
The candidates belonging to scheduled castes
and tribes determined by a notification of the Central Government are given
preferences to the extent of 15 percent and 7.5 percent respectively in case of
jobs in the government departments and public sector enterprises. Recently,
some political parties have called for reservation of jobs in the private
sector also for the scheduled castes and tribes.
2. Other Backward Castes (OBCs):
The Central Government has made provisions for
reserving jobs upto 27.5% in the government departments and public sector
undertakings for those who belong to other backward classes. Though there is no
such compulsion in case of private enterprises, they already have employees
belonging to the OBCs.
3. Disabled or Physically Handicapped Persons:
Employees whose work assignments are limited
by their physical abilities have in the past been referred to an “handicapped”
or ‘disabled”. Today, the more politically correct term is ‘physically
challenged’ for those individuals who have hearing, speech, visual,
orthopaedic, or other health impairments.
The Central Government has provided for
reservation of jobs in Group C and Group D posts for the blind, deaf and orthopedically
handicapped persons. Socially responsible organisations in the private sector
also offer employment to the physically challenged persons.
4. Ex-Defence Personnel:
Ex-defence personnel or ex-servicemen who are
trained and disciplined may also be offered jobs in the organisations. This
would increase workforce diversity in the organisation.
5. Displaced Persons:
The people who are displaced because of
acquisition of land for public purpose or because of other causes like flood,
militancy, etc. may be preferred for jobs in public enterprises on humanitarian
grounds.
6. Female Employees:
The ratio of women workers at the place of
work is on the rise. This has been associated with the problems of
discrimination and sexual harassment. The organisations need to take steps to
deal with such problems
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