Diversity Ability in the work place - Term Paper Example

(Assignment) Diversity and Ability in the Workplace Modern work environment is increasingly diverse for age, cultural, ethnic, and language variance. The tremendous changes occurred since the recent past with regard to workforce diversity can be attributed to globalization. Diversity is a complex issue for the modern organizations to deal with, especially associated with their business expansion to foreign regions. However, organizations today give higher emphasis on maintaining diverse workforce considering it as one of their major competitive advantages.

In developed nations like the United States and UK where diversity is the major facet of democratic setup, the concept of workplace diversity is mandatory. Researchers are deeply at odds regarding the pros and corns of maintaining diversity in workplace. Many are of the opinion that diversity will intensify the organizational issues including conflict of interest, increasing HR costs, and communication barriers. On the other hand, others believe that diversity will enhance the potential of labor force.

For instance, according to the latter concept, a workgroup that consists of senior, experienced individuals would ease the managerial tension as these individuals are familiar with every activity of business operation. In the same way workers from different cultural background can easily identify the potential customer segments of their region or culture. A company can make use this diversity for acquiring knowledge on various legal, ethical, cultural aspects of its business destination. Acquiring diverse workforce will help a firm to preserve a pool of diverse skills too.

For instance, elders with work experience and practical knowledge are equally important to youngsters with creative ideas and higher level of adaptability. As Weightman (25) proposes, diverse workforce would avail potential individuals with a variety of talents who will also have experience and knowledge about wide range of customers. At this juncture, the varying concepts on compulsory retirement also have to be discussed. Unlike the United States’ employment regulations, retirement after 65 is mandatory in UK.

To illustrate, in UK employer has the right to fire employees as they reach 65. However in the US, under such conditions, an employee has the right to file a suit against the employer on the grounds of EEO regulations, specifically relying on Age Discrimination law (Cited in Kerley, 208). If an employee moves against the employer that way, it becomes the responsibility of the employer to prove that the dismissal was not an act of discrimination. The supporters of the mandatory retirement believe that in order to enhance the productivity of the organization, elders have to be replaced with more creative young individuals.

The major reason they point out is that elders are more resistant to organizational changes. Moreover, their low level of adaptability would impinge on the compatibility of the firm in long run. However, the opponents of the above view argue that new recruits always require intense training and motivation which increase the organizational costs. Furthermore, it is a faulty concept that youngsters work better than elders. In short, diversity has become the inevitable feature of multinational organizations, and hence it is advisable for every firm to cope up with the changes of the business environment.

The success of a firm depends on how effectively it aligns the diverse workforce. Works Cited Kerley, Peggy N. Employment Law for the Paralegal. West Thomson Learning, 2001. Print. Weightman, Jane. Managing People. London: Edn.2, CIPD Publishing, 2004. Print.