Introduction
Diversity and inclusion are fundamental aspects of the formation of a healthy and balanced workplace. These concepts ensure implementation into the workflow and ensure accessibility and equal treatment for representatives of different cultures, nationalities, races, traditions, and faiths. In other words, a workplace in which the studied aspects are successfully applied provides a sense of involvement, equality, and value to the employees of the organization. Moreover, the phenomena of diversity and inclusion are closely interrelated, and their correct application will help significantly improve the environment within the organization and increase productivity and efficiency.
Of particular interest for this study is the introduction and interpretation of the concepts of diversity and inclusion in the context of nursing practice. This is of particular value since their good and successful use ensures an increase in the quality of services provided and contributes to strengthening a favorable environment within the work team and improving the effectiveness of the medical organization. It is also essential to properly implement policies and strategies to ensure the best outcomes and limit possible negative consequences. Thus, the concepts of diversity and inclusion play an essential role in shaping a suitable workplace and play a significant role in the practice of nurses and the results of the provision of medical services.
Diversity
Therefore, this work emphasizes the need to study the phenomena of diversity and inclusion separately in order to gain the best understanding. The first aspect being analyzed will be diversity, which implies hiring employees to work for the company who have different characteristics regarding race, gender, culture, faith, worldview and other human personality traits. Hence, Roberson (2019) shows that currently, “practices for creating more diverse workforces, facilitating productive relationships between members of diverse groups, and building inclusive work environments have been created” (p. 8). This factor emphasizes that this concept is already being implemented in many organizations, which shows a positive trend.
It is worth noting that diversity in the workplace has a large number of advantages for the organization. The dissemination of awareness about this fact is critically important, as it can affect the motivation of organizations to include it in their practice. Thus, one of the main benefits of diversity is the hiring of talented employees. This leads to the involvement of various kinds of professionals, each of whom can make a unique contribution to the development and increase the productivity of the organization. This influence is due to the transfer of valuable experience and qualifications. However, to ensure the sustainability of employees in the workplace, it is essential to provide them with conditions that will ensure career growth, development and a positive working environment. Moreover, the establishment of a full-fledged and well-developed corporate culture is closely related to this aspect. In addition, due to the fact that diversity is a global concept that affects different countries, companies are given the opportunity to choose an employee among a more significant number of candidates. At the same time, it is crucial to develop a recruitment strategy to avoid the inclusion of unskilled specialists in the company’s activities.
Along with increasing diversity in hiring employees, organizations receive an increased number of prospects and opportunities for functioning and development. In addition to bringing in the personal experience of each employee, diversity also brings a fresh perspective on the work of the organization. This contribution can be expressed in the manifestation of initiatives to modernize and improve operations and ways to solve problems related to both company processes and personnel issues.
Innovation is also among the main benefits of diversity in the workplace. This is due to the formation of a team with different backgrounds and views on a particular problem. As a result of such interaction, there is a clash of several opinions that will be able to generate the most profitable and optimal solution for the organization. At the same time, the primary condition is the provision of such an environment that will contribute to the formation of friendly neutral relations that are devoid of prejudice and bias since these two concepts strongly influence people’s perceptions of others. This circumstance becomes key to ensuring that a consensus is reached when solving the task assigned to employees.
The correct, gradual and smooth implementation of diversity postulates in the workplace is of great importance for the well-being of the organization’s employees. Henceforth, a correct policy to attract employees of different cultures, races, worldviews and experiences to the activities can contribute to an overall increase in their performance. This aspect also includes an increased level of motivation and a desire to contribute to the achievement of the goals and objectives of organizations. At the same time, in the absence of awareness of the importance of respect for cultures and the spread of diversity, conflicts may arise in the workplace, employees experience professional burnout and may even leave the workplace. Thus, companies should be interested in retaining staff. Moreover, satisfied and valued employees will help the company to increase its productivity and profit.
Inclusion
Further, this work will focus on an equally important component of the workplace, inclusion. Experts define it as “the degree to which an employee perceives that he or she is an esteemed member of the workgroup through experiencing treatment that satisfies his or her needs for belongingness” (Miller & Manata, 2020, p. 2). Moreover, sources note that inclusion implies the provision of equal opportunities to all people without exception during the workflow. Sources emphasize the connection between inclusion and diversity, as both of these concepts are engaged in creating equal and satisfactory conditions for various representatives of the world’s population. Moreover, as well as diversity, the concept under study helps in resolving conflict situations and issues that directly relate to issues related to the personnel of organizations.
Thus, inclusion can also bring many different benefits to the workplace. It contributes to the formation of not only comfortable conditions but also provides a sense of understanding and respect from both colleagues and managers and managers of organizations. This aspect is formed with the help of various strategies and policies that ensure equality and fair treatment of each employee. In addition, inclusion assists in decision-making and problem-solving, as it implies listening to each proposal and assumption by the issue limitation method, which also gives the company the opportunity to choose or generate a solution.
Thus, inclusion has several principal characteristics that must be observed to improve the efficiency of organizations and their employees. As already mentioned, the basis, in this case, is the provision of a voice and the opportunity to express one’s own opinion without fear of being convicted. Another advantage is the introduction of a sense of involvement and belonging, which is expressed in the desire of employees to influence the development of the company positively.
In addition to providing a sense of belonging, employees in an inclusive workplace gain a sense of uniqueness. It is formed by the power of understanding and awareness of the traits that distinguish each person from others and which are praised, not limited. On this basis, an environment is then formed that promotes an increased level of collaboration and interaction. Individuals will be willing to work together to achieve a common goal that will help organizations become competitive and successful in their field of activity.
Inclusion, by providing access to different backgrounds and characteristics of people, also contributes to the opening of opportunities for learning and development. This circumstance implies that the employer provides employees with courses, training and advanced training programs and competencies. These steps will help increase staff loyalty and significantly improve organizations’ performance and productivity. To ensure these aspects, it is vital that not only employees of the company but also managers, managers and all interested persons have knowledge about inclusion. This will help in the strategic development of organizations since all involved parties will have the same ideas about the work process and the desired results.
Despite all the positive aspects, inclusion can be quite a complex concept to implement into the practice of organizations. This factor makes it necessary to develop a plan that will be included in the company’s activities gradually and smoothly to avoid unrest among employees and other negative consequences. This process includes steps such as training employees in leadership positions, as they will further spread the foundations of equality among other personnel. Moreover, it is crucial for the top management of the company to develop a clear plan for hiring employees and the criteria they must meet. Further, it is necessary to exclude and resolve all possible conflicts that could arise due to resistance on the part of the staff.
Diversity and Inclusion in Nursing
Further, having explored the concepts of diversity and inclusion, it is necessary to proceed to the consideration of these concepts within the framework of the work of nurses. As in any other field of activity, ensuring the inclusion of various people and making them accessible in finding the desired profession plays an important role. At the same time, research shows that “despite its progress, the nursing profession continues to struggle with recruiting and retaining a workforce that represents the cultural diversity of the patient population” (Morrison et al., 2021, p. 311). This expert opinion necessitates the study of diversity and inclusion and their implementation in the strategies of medical organizations. In relation to the work of nurses, this aspect will help bring novelty and efficiency to the decision-making process and optimize the processes of providing health services.
Diversity and inclusion are complex concepts that should be an integral part of workplaces, especially those that involve human interactions. Sources underline that “this process requires continuous commitment and intentionality as well as the flexibility to address unforeseen circumstances” (Cary Jr et al., 2020, p. 687). Thus, the habituation to the studied phenomena should take place even in educational institutions, and medical specialists should come to work with a full understanding and awareness of their importance. Moreover, organizations themselves must modernize the processes of finding, hiring, and internal training employees so that they feel comfortable and work to achieve maximum efficiency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this work dealt with the importance of concepts such as diversity and inclusion in the workplace. In particular, they have value in the provision of medical services and the work of nurses. This fact is supported by the fact that it will help bring in the unique experience of other employees who will contribute to finding successful and practical solutions to problems. Diversity and inclusion imply making work and resources available to all people, regardless of their internal and external characteristics. Their introduction into the practice of organizations will also contribute to increasing loyalty, profits and competitive position, and high staff satisfaction.
Personal Professional Practice
Based on this research, I have become increasingly convinced of the need to introduce practices and strategies to spread awareness about the concepts of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Thus, in my personal and professional practice, I would start by creating training for nurses, which would help to unite the team. One of the main tasks of this action will be familiarization with the culture and worldviews of representatives of various races and nations. Permanent stay in such a team and conducting such training will help reduce prejudice and bias in the team.
I believe that diversity and inclusion are of particular value for improving the quality of medical services provision and employee engagement and retention. Therefore, it is also essential to introduce training and dissemination of knowledge about these concepts. This will help to ensure the proper level of culture within the organization. This initiative can be carried out by conducting separate training or sending staff to outside educational programs.
References
Cary Jr, M. P., Randolph, S. D., Broome, M. E., & Carter, B. M. (2020). Creating a culture that values diversity and inclusion: An action‐oriented framework for schools of nursing. Nursing Forum, 55(4), 687-694.
Miller, M. J., & Manata, B. (2020). The effects of workplace inclusion on employee assimilation outcomes.International Journal of Business Communication.
Morrison, V., Hauch, R. R., Perez, E., Bates, M., Sepe, P., & Dans, M. (2021). Diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing: the pathway to excellence framework alignment.Nursing Administration Quarterly, 45(4), 311-323.
Roberson, Q. M. (2019). Diversity in the workplace: A review, synthesis, and future research agenda. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6, 69-88.