According to Department of Labor projections, diversity will increase dramatically in the coming years. Changes in the labor market are expected to result in a shortage of traditional workers, leading to increased reliance on non-traditional populations. In addition, cultural diversity is becoming more important as the globalization of business makes a diverse workforce essential. The religious diversity of the workforce is also expected to increase. Diversity poses many challenges to employers and as the diversity of the workforce increases, so will the challenges.
Diverse populations bring different attitudes, perceptions, motivations, and needs to the workplace.
Productive work requires that employees have their needs adequately addressed and have effective communication with co-workers. This creates challenges to employers in terms of training, supervision, loyalty, group cohesion, rewards, co-worker and management tolerance, and special support needs. Companies now realize that homogenizing the workforce is not an effective response to workforce diversity. More and more companies are finding that valuing differences and managing diversity minimizes the potential productivity losses which can arise from the challenges that diversity presents, and thereby better harnesses the productivity gains possible from a diverse workforce. Valuing diversity involves recognizing and appreciating the differences of individuals.