Why Diversity Makes Your Workplace Better

Posted October 12, 2015

Issues surrounding diversity in the workplace often get tossed around like a political football, but most people generally agree having a range of people from different backgrounds is a genuine asset for a business.

Given the global nature of today's business world, diversity is more valuable than ever for a company. Businesses who hire people from one type of background will have all types of blind spots when it comes to assessing liability or seizing an opportunity.

Increased creativity

Having a diverse staff allows for a great range of perspectives, and in an office with a healthy marketplace of ideas, this leads to greater creativity.

The key to greater creativity is embracing the various points of view offered up by the staff. Therefore - even if you struggle to understand where someone is coming from – if you trust your employees, you should consider their ideas as valid. Largely disregarding ideas from a diverse workforce is tantamount to having diversity for diversity's sake.

Better outreach and networking

When each person comes to a job, they bring along their own personal network, as well as an individual academic and professional background. Hiring a diverse staff means effectively multiplying the company's network across a range of groups and institutions. This type of network is invaluable when it comes to consultations, sales leads, recruitment and partnerships.

Diversity makes hiring easier

Having a diverse workforce can make recruitment easier. A 2014 survey from the employment site Glassdoor found an overwhelming majority of people want to work in a diverse workplace. Acquiring top talent is a competitive game, and looking attractive to the best candidates allows companies to corner the job market.

Reduce turnover

In addition to drawing in more people, diversity could also play a role in keeping people from leaving. The same Glassdoor survey found 57 percent of respondents said their company should be doing more to increase diversity.

An employer may be unintentionally creating a hostile environment when they hire a homogenous workforce. For example, if a company hires a large amount of workers on one side of the political fence, a talented individual from the other side could feel uncomfortable when discussing work issues that touch on political philosophy. Hiring from a range of backgrounds typically avoids these types of unintentional scenarios.

At Ambassador, one of the leading employment agencies in the South, we work hard to foster diversity in the workplace, as we know how much it can benefit our clients. If you are looking to diversify your workforce, feel free to contact us for job candidates from all walks of life.