The seven benefits of cultural diversity in facilities management

World Day for cultural diversity through dialogue and development – also known as Diversity Day – is held on May 21^st each year. It is a day devoted to celebrating the richness of world culture and diversity and to acknowledge the importance that the role of intercultural dialogue has for sustainable development. 

Apleona Ireland recognises the significance of diversity and inclusion. Our focus is to create an environment in facilities management where colleagues can take pride in working for an organisation which promotes diversity, inclusion, and equality. Including and diversifying our workforce creates a culture that allows employees to balance their career goals with their personal lives. 

So, what are the seven benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace? 

1. Wider talent pool 

Employees seek organisations that help with career development as well as a place for personal growth, challenge, and acceptance. A company that welcomes diversity attracts a wider set of candidates who are looking for a constantly growing environment. This in turn benefits not only the candidate but the employer. They have access to a larger talent pool – and embracing diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and ideas are substantial factors to find good hires. 
 

2. Inclusive communication 

Every workplace needs to have a space where everyone feels like they belong. Here, employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas with colleagues. Because when there’s no judgement, employees are happy to receive constructive feedback. 
 

3. Promotes creativity and co-creation 

It’s evident that workplace diversity enables innovation. Employees can share different viewpoints and ideas with each other from different life skills to different skillsets. A new environment or circumstance is known to spark fresh and inspiring ideas – this diversifies the way a team thinks and leads and empowers colleagues to promote and share their innovative ideas and work. 
 

4. Company culture and collaboration 

An organisation that hires candidates from different backgrounds, experiences, and paths of life have a better and more welcoming inclusive workplace. This has a positive impact on how employees perceive the organisation. A sense of belonging not only boosts employees’ sense of belonging, but collaborative thoughts and procedures. 
 

5. Language exposure 

Multilingual employees can help the organisation communicate more effectively and build stronger relationships with clients, which facilitates an overall cultural exchange for the business. Language exposure improves the proficiency of a business and raises social awareness for further business development. Interpersonal interactions at work are also exchanged, which stimulate employee interaction with each other and can encourage mentorship and skill sharing amongst colleagues. 
 

6. Increased employee engagement and performance 

A diverse workforce leads to an environment where employees can feel comfortable being themselves. This then creates employee satisfaction and productivity. Cross-cultural learnings, sharing different experiences, and education leads to the improvement of problem-solving abilities and makes employees better agile thinkers. When employees are comfortable, they’re more inclined to become more open and share thoughts with colleagues – sparking better engagement, collaboration, and performance across the organisation. 
 

7. International opportunities 

Being culturally aware means that organisations can strengthen their business strategy to enter new foreign and global markets. Being able to learn about different country backgrounds and how they practice business etiquette is an important feature when organisations are securing new client relationships. 

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