1) Workforce diversity is not unique to Australia.
Most countries have
elements of diversity in the workplace. Consider diversity issues in other countries you know of and the impact these issues have in the workplace. Diversity in the workplace is generally regarded as a positive factor for companies that manage it effectively. However, a workforce that has significant differences in ethnicity, race, religion, gender and other individual traits can produce negative effects, especially if not well-managed. These negative effects of diversity are understandable if the work culture does not support tolerance and acceptance of differences. According to my experience and observation the few negative impacts diversity has on the work place are as follows: A) Communication problems: A work place with employees from different cultures and countries have a number of communication filters and language barriers that impact internal and external communication process. Work cultures that are more heterogeneous usually find communication easier because employees do not have to work as hard to overcome language and culture issues. B) Resistance to change: This is a very common in workplaces and when the company becomes more diverse, it changes the relationships and nature of the workplace. These changes can cause stress among the employees and lead to a negative workplace relationship between employees. C) Unfair treatment: According to a few cases, when a company becomes more diverse, there is a higher chance of relationships between managers and subordinates and between employees changing. This may lead to employees treating each other unfairly. 2) There are several dimensions to diversity: race, gender, age, etc. What role do you think language related diversity plays in the workplace? Most organizations have a functional language which may be either the language of the majority of the employees or the language of the parent firm (in case of international business). From your experience in Australia or in other parts of the world, suggest some of the challenges second/foreign language speaking employees of the functional language may face Language and communication related diversity plays a very important role in the workplace. Employees in the workplace are constantly communicating with one another and with other professionals outside the workplace. Sometime one word understood differently can change the meaning of the sentence and give a complete different set of instruction. Miscommunication amongst employees can very well lead to major problems for the company. I come from India and some of the challenges I have faced while working for an Austrlian based company are as follows : A) Accent related problems B) Australians talk speak the language faster than Indians C) Slangs or certain words used by Australians are not understood by me D) I have to ask my colleagues to repeat themselves which generally irritates them. E) They have problems in understanding what I am trying to say