Workplace Diversity in the work environment implies that organisations are available to recruiting individuals from a wide range of various backgrounds, paying little mind to race, religion, incapacity, gender, orientation and culture. The word 'diversity' can likewise incorporate age, work understanding, financial foundation and marital status. Workplace diversity involves recognising the value of individual differences. When companies recruit and retain a diverse pool of people, it brings a host of benefits to the business, as well as its employees.

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, “We are home to the world’s oldest continuous cultures, as well as Australians who identify with more than 270 ancestries. Since 1945, almost seven million people have migrated to Australia.” These migrants have made an enormous contribution to our national economy, providing a financial benefit of more than $10 billion in their first decade of settlement alone.

In current situation, our workplaces across the country are, of course, manifestations of the diversity that we have. 28% of our population was born overseas with another 20% have a parent who was born overseas. In our workplaces, most of us would accept cultural diversity as part of everyday life.  If we were to think though about why embracing or being explicit about celebrating diversity matters, I think we can put it in the following terms: it is about capturing talent, it is about boosting innovation, it is about encouraging productivity. If we are talking about a country that still takes in a significant number of immigrants every year, where almost half that population is first or second generation, then this diversity isn’t likely to diminish in any way.  If you think of the source countries of our migration at the moment, the two biggest source countries are now India and China.  Diversity will endure.

Some of the benefits of having diversity at workplace are shared below

Increased Creativity

Diversity in the workplace leads to increased creativity. 

People with different backgrounds tend to have different experiences and thus different perspectives. Exposure to a variety of different perspectives and views leads to higher creativity. When you put together people who see the same thing in different ways, you are more likely to get new ideas, thus improving the creativity of your workplace.

Faster Problem Solving

According to researches it is found that diverse teams are able to solve problems faster than cognitively similar people.

Employees from diverse backgrounds have different experiences and views, which is why they are able to bring diverse solutions to the table. Thus, the best solution can be chosen sooner, which leads to faster problem-solving.

Higher Employee engagement

Deloitte conducted research that captured the views and experiences of 1,550 employees in three large Australian businesses operating in manufacturing, retail and healthcare. This research showed that engagement s an outcome of diversity and inclusion.

The link between workplace diversity and employee engagement is pretty straightforward - when employees feel included, they are more engaged.

Better Company reputation

Companies that are dedicated to building and promoting diversity in the workplace are seen as good, more human and socially responsible organisations.

Workplace diversity also makes your company look more interesting. Finally, if you present a diverse workplace, you will make iy easier for many different people to relate to your company and your brand, opening doors to new markets, customers and business partners.

Increased Profits

Companies with a diverse workforce make better decisions faster, which gives them a serious advantage over their competitors. As a result, companies with diversity in the workplace achieve better business results and reap more profit.