Introduction:
Diversity in the workplace is natural to Canada with its multicultural population and more than 250,000 newcomers entering the country every year (Government of Canada). One of the distinguished features of Canada’s current workforce is its growing diversity.
As a concept, diversity refers to a broader set of qualities than race and gender. Its dimensions include, but are not limited to, age, ethnicity, educational background, geographic location, income, marital and parental status, religious and moral beliefs, physical abilities, working experiences, and job classifications.
For example, for the first time in history, today’s workplace accommodates four different generations — the Matures, the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Generation Y. Each age group brings different perspectives on life and work; all of them relate differently to the same working environment; all of them bring new ideas that benefit the workplace on different levels.
It is a great challenge for both employers and employees to learn to value and to embrace differences and not get caught up in stereotyping those who look, think and act differently. It is a great need to start learning about diversity by talking to people, asking questions and listening. The more we know about differences, the more we understand them and the more we can appreciate and value their contributions to the workplace.
Employers need to learn how to integrate and manage their diverse workforce; employees need to recognize the challenges diversity brings and to be more flexible and adaptable. It is a process of cooperative efforts where everyone wins while acquiring new knowledge leading to new opportunities. As it is not possible to add fractions without finding a lowest common denominator, it is not possible to find effective workplace solutions without recognizing differences and finding