Diversity in the workplace refers to an organisation where people of different sex, gender, caste, class, age, physical appearance, education, and abilities work together in a safe and respectful environment. Having a diverse workforce is important because it brings together different perspectives, which increases creativity and innovation, leads to more customers, and improves customer satisfaction.
However, there are several barriers to diversity, including:
- Prejudice: Discriminating against others who are different.
- Cultural Differences: Conflicts arising from different social norms or ways of addressing colleagues.
- Additional Facilities: The need for new infrastructure, such as accessible washrooms for persons with disabilities.
- Communication: Conflicts caused when a company only respects or communicates in one language.
Inclusion is the practice of including people with respect and love, ensuring that every member of a company has the same chances to grow in their career. While a company may be diverse by hiring different types of people, it is only truly inclusive if it provides additional support systems, such as daycare facilities for parents or special transportation for people with physical disabilities.
To create an inclusive workplace, organisations can:
- Implement inclusive leadership where the top team is diverse and understands inclusivity.
- Establish policies for equal pay for equal work and culture-specific holidays.
- Provide training for all employees on how to support inclusion.
- Use inclusive design, such as ramps, large signboards in multiple languages, and multi-sensory safety alarms.
Understanding gender is a key part of diversity. While sex refers to the physical body one is born with, gender refers to the expectations society has for people based on that sex. Gender stereotypes—fixed ideas about how men or women should behave—can be harmful because they limit an individual’s capacity to grow and pursue their career interests. Gender equality means providing everyone, regardless of gender, with the same rights and opportunities to achieve similar results, which may require extra efforts to support those who have faced discrimination.
In India, citizens are protected by several legal frameworks:
- The Constitution: Article 15 prohibits state discrimination based on gender, while Article 16 guarantees equal opportunity for employment.
- The POSH Act (2013): This act was formed to protect women from sexual harassment in the workplace. It requires any workplace with 10 or more employees to create an Internal Committee (IC) to handle complaints.
- Wrongful Termination: It is illegal to fire someone based on their gender, age, disability, or religion.