Diversity in the workplace

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The average Dutch workplace is becoming increasingly diverse. This is mainly because our society is becoming more multicultural, we are getting older and we are continuing to work longer.

Old-fashioned male/female role divisions within professional groups are also disappearing and as individuals we are increasingly seeing differences in education and life experience.

Last year, the Black Lives Matters movement emerged with the associated discussions that prompted reflection. This trend will only continue this year. A recent study by Harver even showed that various companies perform 35% better than their competitors on average. This is a hot topic worldwide, to which organizations such as Google and Facebook have even adjusted their recruitment policies. Diversity is also a hot topic in the central government.

Several companies outperform their competitors by an average of 35%

-Harver

Nevertheless, in practice this plays a lot less in Dutch companies, which means that many organizations are not yet an optimal reflection of the changing Dutch society. And that is a shame because diversity in the workplace is a positive development. Both organizations and collectives, but also employees can benefit greatly from a diverse team. We list a number of advantages:

Good for personal development

The world of experience is broadened and enriched when you deal with different cultures and different 'types' of people on a daily basis. Employees learn that their prejudices are unjustified. They can learn from different opinions and points of view. This is positive for the employees' own development in the organization.

Recent knowledge and valuable experience

An advantage of younger employees is that they are well informed about the latest developments within their sector. Older employees have years of experience and are therefore automatically a 'mentor' for the younger employees. Not only within their own sector but especially when it comes to creating support, working together and tackling processes. A department consisting of young and old employees is therefore a strong combination.

Advantage in recruiting new employees

Due to the tighter labor market (partly due to the war for talent and more recently the war for skills) a major advantage is that a diverse workplace makes it easier to attract new talent.

A team with a high diversity of employees can use a broader network to bring in new employees. Diverse organizations also fish in a larger pond with potential talent, unlike organizations that only recruit within a specific target group.

Higher turnover

Last but not least.. organizations with a diverse workforce achieve higher revenue on average. Support for this conclusion can be found in a study by McKinseyThis showed that organizations with a higher gender diversity had an average of 21% more turnover and companies with a higher cultural diversity even had 43%.

Differences in age, gender, education level and also culture all offer a different unique perspective on things and way of working. A diverse team is a strong collective that is able to deal with the same situation in different ways. All important reasons why diversity within organizations should not only be embraced but also stimulated.

A team with a high diversity of employees can use a wider network to recruit new employees

Tip for employers

Do not only measure diversity in the entire organization, but also assess it per team or department. Departments with many low-skilled jobs generally have more diversity than departments with high-skilled jobs and at management level.

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