The demographics of workers in the work place have been changing for the past decades. Researchers have shown that increased immigration, the latent growth of the population and other factors have led to workplace diversity increase. The challenge to human resource managers has increased trying to manage, and explore the diversity of the work place. Whereas there are many advantages to the diversity in the work place, there are also some problems which may arise.
These include increased conflict based on faction, reduced production as workers find the work place uncomfortable among other factors. Stockdale and Crosby (2004) stated that it is the responsibility and duty of the human resource manager to exploit all talents and use the diversity of his work force to grow the company, increase business opportunities and meet the goals of the business easily.
Managing the Age Distribution of Employees
There are various issues that have caused an increase in the age gap and diversity of employees in any company. Human resource managers for example in the past decade have found themselves faced with an increase in the high number of employees that are nearing retirement. This means that the companies now have to engage themselves more in a proper and ideal recruitment process to meet the needs that are facing the company.
However, the main mistake that many human resource managers are making is to recruit completely from one age group, the young adults. While recruiting older employees may not seem ideal it has its own benefits which include the experience that such employees bring into the company. Furthermore, older employees have fewer dependants and are more likely to dedicate themselves fully to the job, without requiring time to spend on furthering education, raising children and other such issues (Stockdale and Crosby 2004).
Managers are also experiencing a bulge in the younger generation seeking employment who are more inclined to be highly competitive and aggressive with regard to the career advancement opportunities. The competition for advancement can be beneficial when managed properly, however, if the human resource manager is not tuned into this new trend, there are chances that the company will face great and massive turnover frequently. Daly (1998) indicated that the challenge for the managers lies in creating a new career development plan that takes advantage of the different career patterns and bridges the various gaps in numbers and nature of the employees.
To address these challenges, companies should consider integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into their career development strategies. Crafting a clear dei mission statement can guide managers in fostering a workplace environment that values diverse career trajectories and mitigates turnover risks.
Managing the Gender Distribution at Work
The number of women participating actively in the work force and decision making positions has increased significantly. The past decade has seen a majority of the women totaling more than 70% joining the work force. This number is set to increase. It is also significant to note that the gender diversity characteristic is one that is likely to draw more interest and controversy that any other measures. Companies have lost consumers and loyal clientele because they were considered completely biased towards one gender, even though this may not be intentional (Daly 1998).
Human resource managers have highlighted several points with regard to gender. First, more and more women as compared to the men are training higher levels of training, in terms of education thereby qualifying for better positions and income. In addition, women tend to be better placed in terms of dealing with different clientele, marketing and building the businesses. With this in place, the human resource managers of large companies have in the past decade set to make the work place friendlier in order to attract more and more talents of the women. The concerns are simple for the human resource managers:
Women need to be treated equally, provided with the same opportunities for advancement and paid the same salary as it would have been had a man held the same position. Measures need to be enacted to ensure this, not just written down but indeed become embedded in the employee culture.
Human resource managers are beginning to develop creative and innovative ways through which they can accommodate the working mothers. To draw the best from the skills and talents present, accommodation of mothers and their families has become a necessity for the businesses and managers.
The managers have developed a variety of ingenious ways to cater to the priorities in the women lives and these have included: work schedules that are quite flexible where employees can complete their hours without completely shunning their family responsibilities, maternity and paternity leaves and child care and elderly care assistance programs for their employees (Cartwright 2002).
If the trend in the past continues, the participation of women in active labor will increase and at the same time, participation of men will decline.
Managing Diversity in Education and Training Levels
Over the past half century access to education and the level of education in its entirety has risen greatly among the global workforce. In fact the fastest growing industry is that associated with higher education. With the pay off from higher education increasing significantly in the past decade, it can be assumed that the desire for and pursuance of higher education and training will definitely increase.
However, this has brought in a new problem for the human resource managers, while the jobs are becoming even more complex, the skill set for the employees is becoming even more differentiated. A manager can find themselves with a work force made up of adults with limited reading and writing capabilities, possessing the skill to handle only the minimum requirements of a job for daily living; and on the other hand, highly qualified individuals with several forms of training having attained the highest level of certification.
As more and many more of the upcoming generation attaining degrees, the availability of skilled workers is becoming even lower. Skills such as machine maintenance and pipe fitting in factories are lacking the right qualified individuals to fill the positions. The result is that the compensation packages offered to the baby boom generation is becoming higher in the skilled jobs. In some companies, the managers have been forced to hire graduates with basic skills in the skilled professions, and then spend money preparing and training them so that they can manage their jobs easily (Mor- Barak 2005).
Managing Diversity in Culture
Free movement of labor across the globe has brought different cultures together and sometimes this could indeed cause a clash, where two or more cultures do not agree or are based on different foundations. The right talent, skills and training could come from a completely different culture from that dominant in the company. Human resource managers are faced with the problem of creating a more cohesive.
Mor- Barak (2005) showed that the manager finds himself with the challenge of creating the right culture in which employees appreciate and are able to work with other cultures. In some cases, the dominant culture could go as far as defining the employee’s personal taste, character and even dressing. The manager in this case requires creating an environment through which employees are flexible and accommodating of such a culture. For example global companies moving into the growing Arabian economy, find that women employees have to dress and even act differently. The inability to adapt properly, leads to loss of qualified and exemplary employees.
Many companies today find that employees are tolerating rather than accepting the different cultures in their mist. The human resource manager has the duty and the responsibility of ensuring that acceptance moves beyond tolerating each other (Henderson 1994). Should any misconceptions present themselves, the manager has the duty and the responsibility of ensuring they are completely ironed out and straightened. Each employee should be able to feel that not only are they appreciated but that their culture is also kept as part of the company. This includes getting time to celebrate important holidays in their culture, and being allowed to dress as they deem fit (Dessler 2000).
The key to ensuring that the employees meet their objectives and goals is ensuring that all team players remain focused on the facts rather than personalities and abilities of individuals. Managers have found it helpful to bring the teams together periodically to enjoy the strengths of the various cultures present. This way the minority cultures feel like part of the team, while the other cultures enjoy new experiences and begin to view the different cultures differently. Through team building and training programs, it is possible for the managers to create a completely cooperative and cohesive team where the differences in culture are only used for the benefit of the company business.
The managers as well as employees need to be open minded when it comes to learning more about the new cultures, sharing experiences and creating an environment of empathy. Of course the manager needs to set a good example. Employees tend to follow and feel freer when their leaders have emulated what they are selling (Daly 1998). The importance of accepting the new cultures and creating an empathetic environment needs to come from the top to the bottom instead of from bottom to top.
Diversity Initiatives
Many executives and managers in human resource believe they do understand and have indeed employed various skills to promote diversity in the work place. However, it is indeed evident that few human resource managers understand the need for diversity. There are simple ways, initiatives human resource managers use to increase and help manage, recruit and grow the work place diversity.
Human resource managers have a duty to identify the needs of the company with regard to diversity. The employees and workforce need to resemble or at least look similar to the demographics of the community that the company wishes to serve. This is so that consumers and potential clients do not consider the company as completely alien. If the workforce is far from what the community looks like, it is time for the manager to develop a hiring and recruitment strategy that will allow recruitment of talented and skilled workers similar to the community demographics.
Albrecht (2001) showed that the human resource manager is also responsible for ensuring that the new recruits, those hired from minority groups have a reason to stay. Promoting equal workplace ethics is important to ensure that the employees do not need to go elsewhere because they feel constrained or segregated. Affinity groups and work place culture that promotes the diversity and use of talent, the comfort of each employee.
The recruitment process remains the most important factor in creating and developing a diverse work force. The areas here job vacancies are advertised should be diverse in order to generate interest and draw applicants from different walks. This may mean the company moving out of their comfort zone, but the benefits to reap from the variety of talents that are available are even greater. Cartwright (2002) advised managers to take the time to make potential employees aware of the steps that you have taken to ensure that the company remains an ideal place to work, ensuring that you maintain cultural sensitivity in the descriptions.
The human resource manager has a duty to ensure that they create a job description that is quite compelling, drawing the interests of a wide pool of candidates. Whereas the main executive may know the duties that will be handled by the new recruit, it upon the human resource manager to attract the right candidate.
CONCLUSION
A diverse work force provides a challenge in terms of communication, sending a message across is often much more difficult as different individuals and employees. The human resource manager helps the company develop the right and most effective communication strategy, for all the workers. A strategy that favors particular workers could lead to segregation of some employees. Transparency is the key to proper communication system, all employees need to feel they are valued and part of the company. Proper communication is necessary in order to maintain a proper employee-employer relationship.
Human resource strategists have directed that a communication strategy is not just about passing information to the employers, but also about receiving information from the employees. Human resource managers have the responsibility of maintaining an open door policy, so managers can help employees to confront some of the challenges that they may be facing. A communication strategy that is flexible adapting to changes and the needs of the employees, in receiving and conveying the information. The responsibility of ensuring proper communication is completely dependent and relies entirely on the human resource department.
REFERENCES
Albrecht, M. H. (2001). International Hrm: Managing Diversity In The Workplace. Oxford, Uk, Blackwell Publishers.
Cartwright, R. (2002). Managing Diversity. Oxford, U.K., Capstone Pub.
Daly, A. (1998). Workplace Diversity: Issues And Perspectives. Washington, D.C., Nasw Press.
Dessler, G. (2000). Human Resource Management. Upper Saddle River, Nj, Prentice Hall.
Henderson, G. (1994). Cultural Diversity In The Workplace: Issues And Strategies. Westport, Conn, Quorum Books.
Mor-Barak, M. E. (2005). Managing Diversity: Toward A Globally Inclusive Workplace. Thousand Oaks, Calif, Sage Publications.
Stockdale, M. S., & Crosby, F. J. (2004). The Psychology And Management Of Workplace Diversity. Malden, Ma, Blackwell Pub.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
