What does the modern Australian workplace look like? It’s likely that your colleagues come from all across the world: some of them will speak languages other than English; some will wear religious dress; and others will bring delicious, if different, treats for lunch or to the company morning tea.
According to the 2016 Census, 75% of the population identified with an ancestry other than Australian, around 26% of the population were born in another country, and 19% of overseas-born Australians were born in non-English speaking countries. In all, Australians come from over 200 birthplaces.
This ethnic diversity naturally filters into our workplaces, but it’s important to understand that employing a range of people who have different birthplaces and heritages isn’t the only way to achieve a diverse workplace.
What is diversity at work?
In the context of the workplace, the Australian Human Rights Commission says:
“A diverse workforce with a range of different backgrounds and perspectives makes good business sense. A workplace that reflects the Australian community will understand its audience better, which leads to improved service delivery and a more inclusive community for all.”
There are so many other factors that go into creating a diverse workforce than culture, language religion and heritage. The characteristics of diversity are really… Diverse! They can include:
- Age / Generation
- Gender
- Ability
- Education
- Family Unit
- Sexuality
- Location
- Socio-economic status
- Experience
- Health
Having these characteristics and backgrounds at work create a range of benefits for the organisation as a whole (we’ll get to those in a bit), but they also present challenges that may need to be addressed. Let’s look into a few of those.
Age / Generation
Think of all the generations represented at your workplace. Your colleagues around you could have been born from the 1940s right up until the mid-2000s.
The bonus in having members of staff from many generations is that each will have faced unique challenges and have different approaches to overcoming barriers; harnessing this diversity can bring many benefits to your workplace.
A broad range of ages in your workplace creates opportunities for mentoring and learning that go both ways. However, there is also the possibility of conflict at work when younger workers seek to introduce new ideas or older, more senior members of staff become wary of change or adapting to new styles of working. Implementing strategies to manage these tensions is the key to success in an age-diverse workplace.
Culture / Ethnicity
Cultural and religious diversity enriches workplaces by introducing people to new ideas, experiences, perspectives, types of music and even different foods.
While Australia is a harmonious multicultural society, there are still possibilities of differences and these may arise across issues relating to hierarchies, gender, religious reflection at work, diet and alcohol, clothing choices and more. Encouraging dialogue around these issues, and focusing on what unites us, can help to manage conflicts.
Gender
Gender equality is about more than having a 50/50 split between females and males between males and females in your staff.
Today’s discussions around gender involve looking at how women are represented in leadership roles, the pay gap between a male and female who are in similar roles, the ways your organisation addresses work/family or work/life balance for all employees and steps taken to support new parents at work. These policies can also extend to supporting staff members who are transgender or non-binary.
It may be beneficial for your workplace to raise awareness around gender issues and respectful relationships at work. While it may be difficult to do so, it may also be useful to encourage discussions amongst staff to come up with new ways the workplace can address gender inequalities.
Sexuality and gender orientation
This is a very personal issue, however, sexuality has been a topical issue in Australia in recent times. Data from overseas shows that gay men and lesbian women who are open about their sexuality are more likely to advance in their careers compared to those who remain ‘closeted’. Our workplaces should support people with diverse sexuality to feel welcome and included and supported in their relationships.
The benefits of a diverse workplace
When a workplace is diverse and everyone feels supported no matter what their background, gender or sexual orientation may be, an organisation (and the people within it) can enjoy a range of benefits. These include:
- Increased creativity
Bringing together people with different backgrounds, qualifications and experiences mean a significant boost to creativity and innovative approaches to problem-solving. - Higher employment engagement
When your employees come from different backgrounds, they are likely to share personal stories and develop a culture of learning from each other. - Lower levels of staff turnover
Recruiting from a more diverse background of candidates means a wider variety of education and employment experiences among your staff. As a result, staff may be more resilient, flexible, and likely to believe in the company’s ethos, leading to lower levels of employee turnover. - Boosting your workplace profile
Organisations that are seen to promote diversity develop a positive reputation in the market, attract more staff and have happier customers.
How can we celebrate diversity in the workplace?
Your workplace is probably already diverse. But you can celebrate diversity all year by hosting events with some of these activities:
- Waring national costumes
Ask staff members to come to work dressed in clothing/costumes that reflect their background. During a sports event like the soccer or rugby World Cup, ask people to come in wearing their nation’s soccer/rugby shirt for the day. - Food and drink
Everybody loves trying something new and tasty! Host a lunch at work where people bring foods that represent their culture. - Games and recreations
Play popular games from around the world such as chess, card games and dice games. Or, gather around the computer and get people to show videos of popular sports from their homeland. - Decorate your workspace
Displaying photos, arts and crafts and flags from around the world is a great and colourful way to celebrate diversity. - Teach your colleagues ‘basic’ words in a language other than English
The most commonly spoken languages in Australia include Mandarin, Italian, Arabic Cantonese and Greek. - Music, songs and dancing
Bring people together by playing the most popular music from around the world. - Tell stories from different countries and cultures
Many cultures have unique stories, morals, fables and myths. Sharing these tales can help bring new insights and ideas to your workplace.
Celebrating diversity should always be about bringing people together and giving people an opportunity to express their unique background and traditions in a way that’s good fun and inclusive. Everybody loves a celebration, and when recognising and championing diversity at work is enjoyable and engaging, it’s something that all of your staff will enjoy participating in.
