Embracing Diversity
Technology has tremendously expanded the way we communicate with others in the workplace and has provided many more opportunities for us to stay connected. Due to this expansion, it is inevitable that we will have to communicate with people of different ethnicities, religions, and statuses. The ability to embrace diversity and be non-discriminative towards others will strengthen relationships and help work toward success in the workplace.
Working with teams is increasingly becoming a major component of jobs today, which is why it is so important to be able to work with others who are different from us. Having a diverse workplace provides many benefits. Many different experiences and backgrounds provide insights into many different angles, leading to creativity and innovation. Problems may also be solved faster because of the various types of input provided.
How we view and interact with others affects how they view and interact with us. Our perception of others and how we express those feelings show who we are as a person and ties into the values that are instilled in us. When employees feel as though diversity is supported, they feel a sense of inclusion and belonging with their co-workers and company as a whole.
A fellow classmate, Brian Yiep, also feels strongly about accepting and embracing diversity. In an interview with a co-worker of his, he had found that the organization had put in an effort to diversify the workplace, succeeding his time there. Yiep writes, “interacting with people of different religion and race not only opened doors for us to interact with customers but it also benefited the company because they held skills and experiences that not everyone else had” (2018). This further supports the importance of accepting others and trying to understand the differences between us in order to work together and yield innovative and creative outcomes.
Yiep, B. (2018, September 30). Interview with co-worker. [Blog post]. https://medium.com/diversity-at-work/interview-with-co-worker-6c1f0507670c
