According to the CIPD, “Promoting and supporting diversity in the workplace is an important aspect of good people management – it’s about valuing everyone in the organisation as an individual.” We completely agree. Diversity is so much more than just someone’s race or ethnic background. It is the rich tapestry of characteristics and everything else that makes a person who they are. Individuals have varied work styles, abilities and disabilities, as well as different cultures, generations and economic or educational backgrounds. Employers should recognise the many strengths and talents that diversity brings to their organisations.

Here are a few reasons why we think diversity rocks:

• R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – It nurtures mutual respect within a workforce. Acknowledging and celebrating our differences helps us to establish a positive workplace culture sweetened by diversity.

• Better problem-solving – Recognised and well-managed teams that are aware of their own diversity can work better and tackle problems together in less time. Employees can learn from other co-workers with different work styles enabling them to create more effective solutions together.

• Diversity fosters creativity and innovation –  It’s quite a simple concept really to think that because people are different, they have different thoughts, ideas and levels of experience and knowledge. Organisations can use this to their best advantage by ensuring that each individual is supported to the best of their ability.

• Keeping hold of talent – Diversity helps to improveemployee retention, but it’s really what you do with it that adds value to your organisation. Employees that feel valued for their individuality, skills and knowledge are much more likely to remain loyal to their employers over a longer term.

• Keeping employees engaged – According to Deloitte, a professional services network which captured data from 1,550 employees from a cross-section of industries, employee engagement is a direct outcome of diversity and inclusion. It concluded that when employees feel included, they are in turn more engaged.

Ultimately, workplace diversity provides organisations with a more broad perspective and is something to be valued and nurtured. Want to find out more about how you can implement diversity and inclusion? Take a look at this CIPD report that includes six top-level recommendations and action points for consideration here: Diversity management that works: summary of recommendations.

To visit the CIPD website, please click here