Diversity

Definition

Diversity originally referred to the differences in animal species. The term is now applied to the diversity of race, ethnic, sex, culture, physical ability, age, creed, and sexuality in human society. In recent years, companies have begun recognizing that the role of diversity in workplace can play in improving company competitiveness and performance.

The 2005 European Commission report on "Diversity" found that European companies are adopting workplace diversity strategies not only for ethical and legal reasons but also for the business benefits. Diversity was reported to facilitate recruitment, make available a wider pool of high quality workers, improve corporate image and reputation, promote greater innovation and enable development of new markets. The report indicated that 42% of the responding companies have policies that have been established for more than five years and 27% have policies implemented within the past five years.

One of the main reasons, cited by 42% of respondents, for the rapid introduction of diversity policies is the need to address the labor shortage problems arising from aging populations and the diminishing number of children *1.