Skip to main content

Managing diversity in the business

Diversity in a business poses a big challenge to effective  internal business communication. What is diversity in a business?  Diversity refers to different human virtues of employees working for the same business, for example different nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, gender, ethnicity, cultures, religions and even disabilities.  The manager needs to have a good understanding of  differences among employees, including a knowledge of the history, religion, politics and customs of other cultures.  Communication in a business should make provision for all employees who have different backgrounds and should never be perceived as offensive.  Apart from a good understanding of diversity, the manager should also be sensitive towards all employees coming from different backgrounds.  A manager should never underestimate the challenges of diversity in a business.  Messages are often understood because of unnecessary misunderstandings, for example,  a custom that might seem appropriate in one culture, may be offensive in another.
But what should a manager do  when it comes to diversity management in the workplace?


Freedigitalphotos.net

I would, first of all, suggest conducting a survey about diversity among employees.  This survey could include questions on the business’ own culture, how communication takes place in the business as well as how all employees understand diversity.  Managers often do not consider age differences as part of diversity in the workplace.  The truth is that a “cultural gap” often exists among younger and older employees.

Using the results of the diversity survey, another strategy could be to provide training to employees on diversity.  This is often referred to as a diversity programme. The diversity programme should be linked to the communication plan of the business. A good diversity programme in a business could result in an understanding of the different cultures of employees in all aspects of the running of the business. 

Dealing with diversity in the workplace is challenging, but will be rewarding in the long-term success of the business.

Related posts:

True Diversity is a Thought Process

Diversity programme blunders in business communication

Home
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

The role of the manager in effective business communication

Happy employees are more productive. Business communication is no longer about how to write a letter, email or use effective writing skills.  It has also extended to other areas in the business, for example, excellent relationships within the business. A manager should not only concentrate on successful communication with its external clients, customers and stakeholders.  The employees of the business actually are   internal clients   and should also be treated with care.  Many scholars refer to this as   internal marketing , a very important feature of good business communication.  Employees’ well-being and work satisfaction play a large role in their productivity and how loyal they will be towards the business.  The role of the manager is to ensure good relationships with and among employees.   A healthy working environment is equally important.  Previous research has indicated that employees also have other career as...
Read more

Time for a communication audit?

When is the right time to do a communication audit in a business?  Why is it important to know whether communication in a business is effective or not? During a communication audit the strength and weaknesses of all communication in the business is analyzed, namely its communication policies, strategies, practices, messages, capabilities and even the media that are used, including social and other online media. If you have read some of my other postings in this blog, you will know how important communication in a business is.  Lack of effective communication can even cause the business to eventually fail. When is the right time to do a communication audit?  You could consider a communication audit in your business when: a major restructuring of the business is taking place   the business seems to be failing and not reaching its objectives. union negotiations are upcoming a merger or acquisition of another business might be happening a new management ...
Read more

How Storytelling can liven up Business Communication

Storytelling is referred to by some experts as the future of internal communication.  Telling stories is not new and has been around for thousands of years. Many psychologists can tell you that something is better remembered if it is linked to a compelling story.  This is just how our brains work. This is why storytelling can be a powerful internal communication tool to engage and inspire employees. Using stories for internal communication messages could evoke a shared sense of identity due to an emotional connection with the stories. Language The Coca-Cola Brand is renowned for its stories. can be used to the business' advantage as it can evoke such emotional connection with other employees and what the business stands for. Businesses therefore now also use stories to share or explain their business culture or goals. The business can, for example, use stories to explain difficult data, facts, and figures.  Stories can also pro...
Read more