Value of Diversity in the Workplace

The global workplace has made diversity a signifi shadowt issue. Companies mother to adjust how they operate so they peck accommodate the versatile customer base that is growing. It is important for all organization to consist of pursueees who can bring different skills, abilities, and culture to workplace. Developing effective intercultural communication inwardly the workplace will allow the connection between employees and customers with different cultural backgrounds and languages. Introduction In todays society, a diverse workforce is needed to accommodate the different multicultural backgrounds that make it up.The evaluate of diversity in a workplace is important be gravel of the different sets of skills and backgrounds a company has to offer when move to solve conflicts and provide effective solutions. This paper will recap an incident that happened at an insurance sureness because of the lack of diversity, along with the ramifications, and strategies that whitethorn have facilitated a more successful resolution. Diversity issue in the workplace I have experienced how lack of diversity in the workplace can cause conflict for the organization. A few years back I worked for an insurance result in southern Louisiana.The authorisation consisted of the head agent and owner, who is a male, and four women who worked for him, to include myself. One day a Hispanic couple came in to purchase some insurance policies for their home and vehicles. The issue was the couple verbalise only(prenominal) Spanish. The percentage of Hispanics in south Louisiana was very low at the eon and there was non a high demand for bilingual employees who spoke Spanish. Because of the lack of diversity in the office, none of the employees spoke fluent Spanish to service of process the authority new customers. The employees who knew a little Spanish tried to run as scoop they could but to no avail.The couple became very angry at the insurance rooms poor attempt to comm unicate with them. They left the office outraged and stated that would never barrack this company to anyone. Ramifications As a result of this lack of diversity in the insurance authorization, the agency itself, employees, and capableness customers were impacted. The agency lost a customer and revenue because of a lack of diversity in the office. non only did the company lose one customer but also the potential of future customers that may be recommended from the couple.This issue left the employees upset and stressed about not being able to help a customer. Since the start of business the agency has been a customer- oriented company, and has taken pride in providing the best customer service in the area. This situation left the owner distraught because he lost potential income for his business. To make matters worse, the couple filed a complaint against the agency for not having a bilingual employee in the office. The agency had never received a negative complaint for customer service.Strategies. Diversity in the workplace can help companies avoid unnecessary issues in the workplace. Diversity also gives the company leverage over their competitors. In smaller companies a lack of diversity is almost inevitable, but if approached in the right way it can be avoided. The diversity issue the insurance agency was faced with could have been resolved if the agency had been advised of the influx of the Hispanic population in south Louisiana. In order to stay ahead of the competition, the agency should have kept up on the different types of people moving into the area.In order for the insurance agency to address the lack of diversity for the possibility of future occurrences, the hiring protocol the agency follows will need to be modified. A diverse collection of skills and experiences (e. g. languages, cultural understanding) allows a company to provide service to customers on a global basis (Greenburg, 2004). The possible issue that may arise from this protocol is finding a hooked person with this skill. This approach though would not expediency the agency right away because of the low exercise around of employees and the low number of employees the agency is able to keep employed.Another way to address the issue would be for the insurance agency to pay for at least one, if not all, of the employees to attend a class that teaches the Spanish language. This task may be hard for the insurance agency to complete because of funding and for the employees because of extra time needed to attend the class. For the future, this type of training would benefit the insurance agency by increasing the potential number of customers it can provide a service to. Conclusion Diversity is becoming a compulsion in the workplace in todays global working environment.A multicultural society forces companies to employ a diverse workforce so they can adapt to fluctuating markets and customer demands (Greenburg, 2004). Having a diverse workforce will appeal to a larger diverse customer base that will benefit the growth for any company.ReferencesGreenberg, J. (2004). Diversity in the Workplace Benefits, Challenges and Solutions. The Multicultural Advantage Career Management and employment Info for Professionals from Diverse Backgrounds. Retrieved from http//www. multiculturaladvantage. com/recruit/diversity/Diversity-in-the-Workplace-Benefits-Challenges-Solutions. asp