Diversity in the workplace can be characterized by the presence of employees of different ethnicities, genders, and personal backgrounds. The article investigates the impact of diversity on employee well-being and differentiates between various workforce diversity types, such as surface diversity and knowledge diversity.
According to the authors, surface diversity is based on apparent demographic features such as gender, age, and religion, while knowledge diversity is related to educational background, organizational tenure, and professional experience. The researchers indicate that the nature of work should be considered in diverse management, as it affects the relationships between diversity and employee well-being. While the authors view diversity as a valuable instrument for competitive advantage, they also mention its drawbacks such as workplace disputes, employee turnover, and a lack of integration.
Well-being is vital for positive organizational outcomes since it improves employee commitment and performance, which increases the business’s net profits. Thus, it is the goal of modern management to create equal opportunities and avoid discrimination to ensure well-being of diverse employees. For the research and sampling, the authors selected the manufacturing sector as it is the main contributor to the Indian economy and job market, providing employment for more than 48 million people.
The sample includes 311 full-time employees from large manufacturing companies demonstrating a high degree of diversity. The diversity was measured using the scale from the most frequent to the least common instances of surface and knowledge diversity. The researchers assessed the nature of work using a similar frequency scale related to four components: ambiguity, independence, variety, and uncertainty.
Finally, employees’ well-being was evaluated with the help of the job characteristics scale measuring the support level of managers and colleagues and the safety scale for working conditions assessment. The control variables represented employees’ gender, age, and organizational tenure diversity. The authors applied the self-report method of measuring for the study, in addition to a series of statistical tests. The study concluded that both surface diversity and knowledge diversity affect well-being of employees.
The nature of work and knowledge diversity contributed to 21.14 percent of the variance in employee well-being. However, the research indicated no significant link between knowledge diversity and well-being in the cases of low complexity work, while high complexity instances demonstrated a strong connection between the aspects. Moreover, surface diversity attributes proved to be effective for well-being enhancement, while low inclusion or integration rates reduced employee well-being.
Since the organizations examined in the study were large and globally recognized, their management treated diversity as a value that is critical for the success of the business. Such an approach to management appreciates diverse employees and encourages various abilities and skills. The authors claim that despite the popularity of social categorization and similarity attraction theories, diversity is still one of the most significant indicators of employee well-being.
The role of diversity management is unique and essential for the well-being of employees because effective management strategies help to promote an inclusive workplace, increasing the efficiency and profitability of a company. The research findings reflect the positive impact of diversity management on employee well-being in contrast to the traditional approach. The study contributes significant implications to the field of management, which might be valuable for future practical and theoretical use.
The limitation of the research is the dynamic nature of workforce composition, which should be accounted for to promote effective diversity management. Moreover, future research is needed to replace outdated theories ignoring the role of diversity for employee well-being and management efficacy. Therefore, to achieve employee well-being and its benefits, management should acknowledge workplace diversity while designing organizational policies and strategies.