The global workforce is becoming more diverse. For example, the U.S. is in the middle of a huge demographic change that is transforming the workplace.
“From 1980 to 2020, the white working-age population is projected to decline from 82% to 63%…. During the same period, the minority portion of the workforce is projected to double (from 18% to 37%), and the Hispanic/Latino portion is projected to almost triple (from 6% to 17%),” stated Higher Education.
Employers should prepare for these changes to ensure they can keep up with a diversifying employee base.
Baby Boomer Employees Aren’t Going Anywhere
Part of accommodating a more diverse workforce is understanding that many Baby Boomers won’t retire “on time.” According to Gallup, the age for retirement grew from 59 to 62 between 2002 and 2014. We may continue to see an increase in the average age of retirement. You’ll see this trend reflected in the number of Boomers on staff at your company.
How to Keep Up with a Diversifying Workforce
Increased diversity is on the horizon for your workforce. Here are a few workforce diversity tips to help you make the most of the changes your company is experiencing:
1) Create opportunities for collaboration — A key to managing diversity in the workplace is creating opportunities for collaboration. Collaboration unifies employees and improves company culture. Allowing workers to share training experiences is one way to promote collaboration. For example, if there is a training course that both your sales team and your HR team need to take, why not move the course offline and have an instructor teach it in person? This would bring your employees together in a shared space, which would facilitate conversation.
2) Appoint Baby Boomers as SMEs — The fact that more Baby Boomers are joining your staff (and staying there) is beneficial to your company because they are the most seasoned employees of all. Make the most of the generational diversity in your workforce by making Boomers in-house Subject Matter Experts who can assist in employee training sessions and mentor new hires.
3) Improve communication — As your workforce diversifies, organizational communication must increase. Effective communication can prevent misunderstandings, simplifying day-to-day processes and improving productivity. To improve communication, “Give frequent coaching and feedback on how (employees) are doing. The benefit of coaching is building your bench strength, aligning around the same goals, and providing insights to the employee where they could have an even greater impact,” stated Inc.
In what ways is your company becoming more diverse? What workforce diversity tips have you implemented to better manage the changes your organization is experiencing?
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