Why is diversity a business issue?

Nothing stays the same in the people business. Meeting diverse customer needs through innovative product development and great customer service all depend on making the most of our diverse workforce.

New Zealand's workforce is growing older and more culturally diverse, with an increasing proportion of young workers of Māori and Pacific Island heritage. Families are continuing to shrink and disperse, with implications for employers around flexibility. Migration is an increasingly important component of labour force growth with the main sources predicted to swing away from the UK, Australia and the Pacific to regions where English is not a first language. These migrants will often be more highly qualified than New Zealanders.

People spend the larger part of their lives in the workforce. To bring out the best in diverse individuals and teams we need to cultivate a workplace culture that makes the most of everyone's talents; an approach that values the transmission of valuable knowledge and experience from one generation to another, from one culture to another, and from one team to another. A restrictive, one-dimensional view of what people can contribute to our workplaces is not going to bring out the best in individuals or teams in the years to come.

Organisations that can attract the right mix of skilled employees and engage them so they can contribute their energy and creativity at work will be best placed to compete in the rapidly changing business environment. In New Zealand and globally, effectively managing a diverse workforce has become critical to business success.