8 Types of Diversity: How to Create a Diverse Workplace

In the workplace, establishing diversity initiatives can help you create a workforce of a diverse group of people. This means bringing people together, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, family status, gender identity, religious beliefs, socioeconomic background, political beliefs, and other relevant identifiers.

By focusing on diversity, companies and organizations can draw on a wide array of individual life experiences to create a more open and innovative environment. Different people bring different perspectives—and everyone deserves a seat at the table. In our increasingly globalized world—and thanks to video conferencing technology—you can also now bring in team members virtually from different geographic locations.

Diverse teams help fuel the success of the organizations for which they work. Here are just three of the key benefits of diversity in the workplace:

• Greater innovation. People of different cultures and perspectives will bring different ideas to the table, and ideas lead to inspiring innovations. The more outlooks, the more likelihood of hitting on something appealing to all groups of people. As such, organizational diversity boosts the likelihood of profitability, effective problem-solving, and distinctive, marketable, and actionable ideas.
• A larger talent pool: When you set out to build a diverse workforce, you open yourself up to the widest possible talent pool. Create employment opportunities with the help of your human resources team to bring in as many diverse applicants as possible. Represent the wider world around you with the faces that make up your own team.
• An inclusive workplace: Organizations working to undo unconscious bias and implement authentic DEI initiatives help create an open, hospitable, and inclusive company culture for people of all backgrounds and identities. This has yet another positive side effect of increasing employee engagement—when people see companies celebrating and representing them for who they are, they’re more likely to want to contribute.

There are countless ways to boost the diversity of your workforce. Here are just eight different types of workplace diversity to keep in mind when building your team:

1. 1. Age diversity: As you seek to expand the internal diversity of your organization, remember to build a team reflective of various age brackets. Baby boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, and Gen Zers are all of working age, and they all bring a host of unique experiences to the table.
2. 2. Cultural diversity: People come from different backgrounds culturally, so it stands to reason diverse workforces will encompass a wide swath of cultural demographics. Cultural diversity can intersect with ethnic diversity, as well as a person’s national origins. Ultimately, cultures (like people) are constantly changing definitions and customs—so be unafraid of representing this sort of flux in your workforce.
3. 3. Diversity of physical ability: Make it apparent throughout your hiring process that both physical and mental health conditions will not preclude any given candidate from employment. Aim to increase the level of neurodiversity in your workforce alongside hiring people with physical disabilities, too.
4. 4. Educational diversity: Whether for entry-level or highly experienced jobs, bring in applicants from a broad spectrum of educational backgrounds. Remember a person’s socioeconomic status might serve as a barrier to pursuing traditional avenues of higher education. If a person can perform their potential job functions well, they should feel welcome in your diverse workplace no matter what formalized education they completed.
5. 5. Gender diversity: Strive for gender equality in your workplace. No matter what a person’s gender identity or expression, make them feel welcomed, included, and safe coming to work for you. Make it clear in outward-facing external diversity statements your workplace is open to all people regardless of how they define themselves.
6. 6. Racial diversity: As opposed to ethnicity, race generally refers to a person’s external characteristics. Ensuring your team is racially diverse goes a long way to show your staff you care about representation and inclusion.
7. 7. Sexual orientation diversity: Diverse workplaces welcome job seekers no matter their sexual orientation. Ensure job seekers from the LGBTQIA+ community feel safe applying to your diverse and inclusive workplace.
8. 8. Worldview diversity: Alongside representing the myriad signifiers of identity, bring in different perspectives of thought as well. People, regardless of their backgrounds, all have unique ideas, spiritual beliefs, and opinions that can go a long way to fostering a truly creative and open environment.

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