Challenges That Diversity at the Workplace Might Bring.

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QUESTION 2: Identify some challenges that diversity at the workplace might bring. ANSWER There are challenges to managing a diverse work population. Managing diversity is more than simply acknowledging differences in people. It involves recognizing the value of differences, combating discrimination, and promoting inclusiveness. Managers may also be challenged with losses in personnel and work productivity due to prejudice and discrimination and complaints and legal actions against the organization (Devoe, 1999). Some of the main challenges of diversity in the workplace include communication barriers, increased tension within the workforce, resistance to change, group cohesiveness and interpersonal conflict, lack of implementation of diversity in workplace policies and lack of efficient management of the diverse workforce. Communication barriers lead to problems in a company attempting to create a diverse workplace. For example, when a U.S. company hires employees of other cultures whose first language is not English, employees and managers may experience difficulties communicating with one another. This can lead to misunderstandings and a decrease in productivity. Even if a manager gives instructions about completing a certain task to an employee who fails to fully comprehend the instructions, the employee may make mistakes if he tries to complete the task without receiving clarity. Ineffective communication of key objectives results in confusion, lack of teamwork, and low morale, therefore, sometimes it helps for companies to hire bilingual employees who can mediate and reduce language and communication barriers. Tension may develop among people from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds because of very different views concerning lifestyle, religion and politics, when these concepts are introduced into a work environment. Because of the different views,

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