- Jun 25 • 4 weeks ago
Why Does Cultural Diversity at the Workplace Matter?
At NetRefer, we believe that a company best functions effectively in a global market by mirroring cultural diversity in its own internal community.
Here at NetRefer, we strive to turn our vision and beliefs into practice, and adopting a culturally diverse approach is one of our methodologies.
Jacqueline Backman, Chief Performance Officer at NetRefer, says;
“the more diversity one has, the greater the perspective they gain. The more perspective, the more opportunities and solutions are brought forth. Sometimes, of course, having a wealth of ideas or options can make things more complex; but that only happens when you are not clear on the final objective, outcome or result.
When purpose and results are clearly defined from the onset and in place, diversity fuels choice and choice is empowering: to have choices is to have freedom. “
How do you bring a diverse range of elements together in the same team? First and foremost, through understanding. In Stephen R. Covey’s classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the 5th habit states that one should first seek to understand, and then to be understood. More specifically, when we strive to listen empathetically and genuinely understand our peers, this inspires them to reciprocate with an equally open mind.
This idea rests on three pillars rooted in Classical Greek thought. 1) Our ‘Ethos’ – personal integrity and credibility, needs to be at the root of 2) our ‘Pathos’ – our empathetic understanding when communicating with someone else, and only then does 3) our ‘Logos’ – logical reasoning of our presentation – follow.
Specifically to business practices, when team members from different backgrounds and walks of life collaborate and interact with one another, empathy is a by-product. Through mutual respect and appreciation for different viewpoints, employees understand how differences contribute positively to both the team’s inputs/outputs and to the enhancement of its individual team members’ working experience.
With such, a synergistic environment is soon in place, and we start to see heightened creativity. A heterogenous team, logically speaking, is more likely to take a broader range of perspectives when dealing with information and ideas. Members can learn more from each other, especially with the inclusion of a variety of working styles.
For companies targeting international markets, a multicultural team means diversified expertise, diversified experience and diversified capabilities. Plus, it enables the team to comprehend more holistically and thereby, better the customer experience, regardless of region and market. And remember, where your client wins, you win.
Diversity also means increased productivity. A report published by The Forbes Global Diversity and Inclusion Fostering Innovation Through a Diverse Workforce showed how 77% of companies sampled found a direct favourable connection between team diversity and their rate of productivity.
In addition, a company’s efforts to be culturally diverse impacts both its reputation in an external and internal sense. Externally, if a company demonstrates active recruiting efforts to go multicultural, while reflecting its ethically fair practices, this demonstrates social responsibility. Something which appeals to more client as well as suppliers who share a similar view.
Internally, it increases its attractiveness in the eyes of potential candidates and recruitment agencies. In turn, this creates a wider pool of talent for the company to choose from.
Having recognised all of this, NetRefer takes a proactive stance towards fostering a diverse and inclusive team atmosphere. Our company values – Clear ∙ Fair ∙ Trusted – apply to all of our practices. In particular, our second value – Fair – amongst other things, embraces equal opportunity for all. Besides, it makes the workplace much more interesting and a lot more fun.
A quick look at the nationalities that make up the NetRefer family shows this:
We don’t let borders get in the way of our talent recruitment. If we find a good fit for the team regardless of their whereabouts, our Human Resource Team makes their landing a soft one by assisting them with all forms of paperwork (work permit, residence permit, bank account, etc.).
The recruitment process for those living far away is carried out remotely. And once you’re in, we also provide you with an onboarding academy and a wealth of information databases about your new life as a NetReferian.
Our diverse community is on the grow and we welcome all like-minded top-calibre talent from all corners of the world. If you think you’ve got what it takes, go ahead and click the link. We’d love to hear from you!
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