Aim to create an environment where people with diverse backgrounds, skills and perspectives feel valued and can contribute to your organization. Diversity encompasses more than just cultural backgrounds – it also reflects gender, age, marital status and other factors.

As steps are taken to create a more diverse workplace, both existing employees and newcomers may be apprehensive. That’s understandable. They will have questions and concerns and you may find that as people adjust, actions or words may cause misunderstandings. This can be the beginning of an opportunity to build new awareness and understanding.

There are many steps you can take to help ease the transition toward a more diverse workforce:

For current employees:

• Lead by example. Show an interest in other cultures and a respect for differences.
• Offer diversity training. Even a short one or two-hour workshop can help open eyes and replace apprehension and fear with curiosity and respect.
• Seek the help and input of employee groups, rather than mandate changes from the top.
• Celebrate diversity. For example, recognize and accommodate cultural and religious differences.
• Open the lines of communication to allow airing of concerns. If conflicts occur, listen to all views, work to understand the cause and find resolutions that are non-threatening to all parties.

For newcomers:

• Pair a newcomer with a willing and capable employee who can answer questions, show them around and introduce them to other workers.
• Ensure that planning of events and schedules is done with recognition of important holidays for people of different ethnic backgrounds and religions.
• Meet with newcomers to discuss their experiences and find out whether they have run into any difficulties.

Source: Global Talent Guide for Employers, www.globaltalent.ca