"Diversity in the workplace" probably means employing people from different ethnic, religious, or social backgrounds, but since I really don't care about someone's ethnic, religious, or social backgrounds, I prefer to focus on what and how a well-managed business can be successful with a diversified staff.

I don't care if someone is white, black, or purple, but I want them to be able to cover jobs other than their own. If the cleaning staff is out with the flu, I want the salespeople to make sure the place is clean. If the sound-mixer is out on maternity leave, I want the audio engineer to cover for her, until the temp arrives, at least.

I don't want the operation to shut down while I'm on vacation, so I immediately begin to train someone to do my job, so I don't have to be there, everyday. Everyone in the business should find what they do best and concentrate on doing that, well, but they should also learn how to cover for their fellow employees, and there is the strength in diversity. As soon as we quite caring about what color they are, the better we will function, so the gay black Christian guy can cover for the straight white Islamic woman, and do the job well; that's functional diversity that makes a company successful.

Learn more about this author, Will Kester.
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