Workforce Diversity and Human Resource Management

Abstract At present, employers have acknowledged that employees’ satisfaction is essential for company’s development. The present paper dwells upon the latest findings in the field of human resource management. It is reported that workforce diversity is beneficial for employees’ productivity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Workforce Diversity and Human Resource Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it is also important to remember that workforce diversity can cause certain constraints which should be taken into account when working out the necessary technique. Fortunately, when paying attention to possible negative effects of diversity, it contributes to enhancing of creativity and competitiveness among personnel. Admittedly, creativity and competitiveness are two important features which help a company to be successful in the competitive business world. Introduction The histo ry of the concept of workforce development dates back to ancient times. Of course, the modern concept of work force differs greatly from that of people living in times of slavery. At present employers who are preoccupied with their companies’ prosperity pay much attention to their workforce. It is now accepted that comfortable environment created for an employee will make the latter more productive and creative. Admittedly, company which hires productive and creative employees benefit. Thus, nowadays many scholars try to find many ways to motivate personnel. The latest finding in this field is concerned with diversity in the workplace. It has been proved by many researches that it â€Å"creates an energy that can rarely exist in an environment of uniformity† (Sujansky 10). Admittedly, this energy is beneficial for reaching business goals, so employers should make use of the latest discoveries in the field. It is accepted that employees’ satisfaction is important The new concept of the importance of employees for the sake of company’s benefits dates back to 1980s when UK researchers claimed that there were â€Å"direct links between job satisfaction and job performance† (Ferris 1). Thus, scholars started researching this link from different perspectives.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Eventually, everyone agreed that employees’ satisfaction enables companies hire â€Å"reliable and competent employees† which was â€Å"a key component in developing an effective and sustainable competitive advantage† (Kickul 320). Admittedly, productive and competitive employees are eager to take up new assignments and fulfill them as soon as possible. More so, such employees are not seeking new working places, but are concentrated on their tasks. According to Sujansky it is very important to keep employees in the c ompany, because the loss of employees can lead to the loss of customers (9). On one hand, the employee is often the personification of the company’s image, so stability in workforce means stability in the company. In other words, customers will not trust a company where employees do not want to remain for a long time. On the other hand, customers often follow employees who they trust. Besides, when an employee leaves it means that the company will have to waste time and money to educate a new employee (Sujansky 10). Admittedly, all these losses are unacceptable in the modern highly competitive business environment where stability means a lot for companies. The research in the field of effective strategies to reach employees’ satisfaction from work It goes without saying that apart from discovering the reasons of the importance of employees’ satisfaction scholars were trying to work out ways of motivating personnel, though many scholars believe that more research is necessary (Sharma and Kaur 13). Thus, scholars singled out numerous strategies to improve the business environment within the company. For instance, Risher points out that several strategies aimed at different types of employees can be found (34). He claims that these strategies do not require a lot of financing, and even simple performance measuring and providing new problems to solve will motivate employees to like being at work (Risher 35). High-involvement work practices are also reported to be very effective (Konrad 11). These practices presuppose that employees participate in the process of decision making and this is a very good factor which influences employees’ satisfaction (Konrad 12).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Workforce Diversity and Human Resource Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is also necessary to add that scholars stress the exclusive role of the climate within the company (Chuang and Liao 153). It is necessary to add that Chuang and Liao regard the climate in terms of employees and clients relationship, claiming that the creation of the appropriate climate is beneficial for both clients and employees (194). Many researchers focus on existing companies and try to develop effective strategies on the basis of these companies’ experience. For instance, Holland et al. analyzed the experience of more than thousand human resources professionals from numerous Australian companies and found that the majority of these companies pay little or no attention to improving fruitful environment for employees (247). Admittedly, scholars have worked out many techniques and methods to improve working environments. It has been also acknowledged that each company should use the mix of suggested strategies since there are few universal concepts which could be appropriate for all types of companies. However, recently scholars have found one of such universal concepts. Reportedly, workforce diversity positively influences the environment within the company and its competitiveness in the business environment. Diversity in the workforce is beneficial for companies In the first place, it is necessary to define the term. Thus, â€Å"employee diversity is the degree to which individuals perceive similarity between themselves and coworkers† (Ash 223). Thus, diversity touches upon such individual’s characteristics as gender, age, ethnicity, religion, etc. This kind of diversity is reported to be effective in terms of internal business environment. It is possible to point out that diversity is not something that is yet to be reached. The globalization and the development of competitive workforce have brought diversity in the workforce in the majority of countries. In fact, there are certain studies which dwell upon possible problems which companies with diverse workforce can face and how to overcome these constraints. For instance, Ash depicts certain challenges that companies may face in terms of workforce diversity. Thus, people pertaining to different cultures may find it difficult to communicate and co-operate in a proper way (Ash 225).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Americans and Chinese employees have different style of work and communicating their idea, more assertive Americans can dominate over more timid Chinese employees and this will undoubtedly result in poor performance of a team and entire company (Ash 225). Admittedly, apart from ethnic and cultural differences, age issues can also emerge in diverse company. Lowe et al. points out a number of problems which companies face when four generations work in one company (43). Younger people are more energetic and require more benefits from employer, while older employees are more thoughtful and substantial while making decisions. Of course, these peculiarities also cause many conflicts in the workplace. Thus, it is also essential to prevent emerging of some issues associated with diversity. It is possible to implement training of personnel, and make sure that all diverse teams are guided by a person who is aware of possible problems and knows the way to overcome them. Admittedly, if to take into account these differences and be ready for certain constraints, diversity in workforce will be beneficial. As far as creativity is concerned, workforce diversity contributes to the development of new ideas (Ash 225). People can find the most effective solutions if they view the problem from different perspectives. In a diverse environment people having different cultural (and other types of) background generate more ideas, than homogeneous teams (Ash 225). Apart from creativity diversity in workplace also influences competitiveness. Employees try to self-develop and work harder to be better (or not worse) than other members of the team. The spirit of competition can be fruitful for achieving business goals of the company. Of course, it is important to keep friendly atmosphere. More so, the majority of scholars stress that the fulfillment of tasks should be fun (Lowe et al. 51). It is essential to turn routine tasks into some engaging activities which require cooperation from ev ery employee. Conclusion On balance, workforce diversity is one of the most influential factors which affect employees’ productivity. Despite possible negative effects which can be effectively overcome, diversity should be regarded as a great background for companies’ development and improvement. It is important to state that apart from using strategies concerning workforce diversity it is necessary to exploit many other effective techniques and methods of employees’ motivation. Fortunately, scholars have worked out numerous strategies which employers are free to use. Thus, the existing paradigm â€Å"employees should be satisfied for company’s sake† can be easily realized if employers and human resource professionals incorporate certain strategy, based on the scope of effective techniques, for certain companies. Annotated Bibliography Holland, P, Sheehan, C, De Cieri, H 2007, ‘Attracting and retaining talent: exploring human resources devel opment trends in Australia’, Human Resource Development International, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 247-262. Holland et al. suggest that nowadays it is essential to create favorable environment for employees. The authors provide a literature review which considers the latest research in the field. Holland et al. in their own research are focused on Australian organizations. Reportedly, the major concern of HR managers of companies is recruitment and selection. Whereas important activities aimed at skill development, team building and training are ignored. The authors conclude that this tendency should be changed since appropriate environment for employees will result in profits for companies. Sujansky, JG 2007, ‘Make Your Corporate Grass the Greenest: 16 Cost-Effective Ways to a Culture That Keeps Your Keepers’, Journal for Quality Participation, 30, 3, pp. 9-12. The article by Sujansky dwells upon the importance of the appropriate environment for employees. The author p oints out that it is essential for an employer to keep the employees â€Å"happy† since they are the bridge between the company and customers. When employees start searching for new places of work, customers can also be lost for the company. Apart from this Sujansky suggests sixteen effective ways of keeping employees motivated and productive without financial motivation. Sujansky’s 16 tips are easy to follow and, thus, they can be helpful for any employer. Works Cited Ash, Steven R. â€Å"Why Should Small Businesses Care about Employee Diversity?: Five Areas of Research That Influence Organizational Results.† Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship 20.3 (2007): 223-232. Chuang, Chih-Hsun, and Hui Liao. â€Å"Strategic Human Resource Management in Service Context: Taking Care of Business by Taking Care of Employees and Customers.† Personnel Psychology 63.1 (2010): 153-196. Ferris, Stephen M. â€Å"†Our Most Valuable Resource Is Our.†: How to Help Employees Believe in a Slogan.† Ivey Business Journal Online Mar.-Apr. 2006: 1-7. Holland, Peter, Sheehan, Cathy, De Cieri, Helen. â€Å"Attracting and retaining talent: exploring human resources development trends in Australia.† Human Resource Development International 10.3 (2007): 247-262. Kickul, Jill. â€Å"Promises Made, Promises Broken: An Exploration of Employee Attraction and Retention Practices in Small Business.† Journal of Small Business Management 39.4 (2001): 320. Konrad, Alison M. â€Å"Engaging Employees through High-involvement Work Practices.†Ivey Business Journal Online Mar.-Apr. 2006: 11-14. Lowe, Debra, Kenneth J. Levitt, and Terry Wilson. â€Å"Solutions for Retaining Generation Y Employees in the Workplace.† Business Renaissance Quarterly 3.3 (2008): 43-51. Risher, Howard. â€Å"Tapping Unused Employee Capabilities: How to Create a High Performance Environment by Changing the Work Paradigm and Taking a Radically D ifferent Approach to Train the Next Generation of Managers and Supervisors.† The Public Manager 32.2 (2003): 34-39. Sharma, Manoj K., and Gurvinder Kaur. â€Å"Employee Empowerment: a Conceptual Analysis.† Journal of Global Business Issues 2.2 (2008): 7-13. Sujansky, Joanne G. â€Å"Make Your Corporate Grass the Greenest: 16 Cost-Effective Ways to a Culture That Keeps Your Keepers.† Journal for Quality Participation 30.3 (2007): 9-12. 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