by Silva Payne

Created on: August 18, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2010

Few, if any, occupations recruit workers exclusively from a specific cultural pool. In many countries, it is illegal to discriminate by means of race or culture. This is a good thing for employers, as the benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace can add an advantageous dimension to the company. Encouraging a wide range of cultures within the workplace has very definite benefits.

There are pros and cons to recruiting from every cultural group, just as there are when recruiting from a specific age range or using any other way of selecting from the available workforce. Looking at the benefits of employing a person outside your own immediate cultural group can often enhance an already good team of workers and make them great.

When we think of culture, we often think of what we are not in order to define other groups. It may be that we use language, race or country of origin as definitions. Equally we could use sub groups such as members of a particular professional body or institution such as those belonging to the British Society of Geographers for example. We could make a selection based on the musical preferences of a groups of individuals, or even based on the types of food they like to each such as Italian, Chinese or Indian. All of these separate definitions can be used to form the concept of a "culture"; it really means a group of socially similar individuals.

Apart from the legal implications of not hiring someone based on their specific cultural make up, having a workforce that consist wholly or predominantly of just one cultural group can be detrimental to the company image. Depending on the nature of the business, it could imply that the products and services that the business is offering are not intended for any other cultural group. This could disengage a whole sector of potential buyers or users.

No matter how much we like to think we are immune, or culture-blind, first impressions really do count. Many people will actively avoid using goods and services if they think that the company is dominated by a single race or culture. Companies should present a range of cultural "faces" in order to appeal to the widest possible customer base.

For the staff already employed in the organisation, cultural diversity can be a real bonus. For businesses that are open 365 days a year, finding staff willing to work through the traditional holiday periods can be difficult. Often workers feel like they have drawn the short straw if they have to sacrifice time with their families when vacation time is handed out on a first come first served basis.

Workers who do not celebrate the traditional holidays may be happy to not take time off at those times, in exchange for using some of their vacation time over their own cultural celebration periods. This can mean a better production output for the company when the staff are not giving their time because they have to, but because they want to.

Learning about other cultures within a safe environment such as the workplace can also help employees overcome their own prejudices and fears. It can be an aid to expanding the business; by employing those of various cultures, it may become obvious that the products and services that the company sell could be marketed in a certain way to other social groups not previously considered. Staff who already have expertise in understanding those particular cultural environments will be invaluable in helping to develop and implement a targeted marketing strategy.

Employing staff from a range of cultures and social backgrounds can in the long-run help to improve the business overall.

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