What are the benefits and disadvantages of a diverse workforce for a company?
There’s a lot of benefits. People have a lot of viewpoints and having people from many backgrounds and places in life brings a lot of those viewpoints into the mix. In some situations, a lot of viewpoints gives us a lot of options. Plus, since there are many different viewpoints and environments in the workers, there are many opportunities for these different viewpoints to come into the planning of strategic initiatives, allowing the firm to serve a wider group of consumers and interests. Of course, there are downsides. Because there are a wider group of people, training is more difficult – languages, types of learning styles, accommodation. There has to be a lot of tolerance taught and practiced in order for the many viewpoints to survive and thrive. It’s difficult, but not impossible. Cultural differences have to be understood and dealt with.
