How To Celebrate Global Diversity Awareness Month At Work

Do you know what the best thing about October is? The Global Diversity Awareness Month. If you work in HR, it is the perfect time to promote workplace diversity and inclusion.

We are living in a multicultural society, and we must accept every individual with their unique differences. We see differences in culture, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and much more. What matters is creating a workplace culture that is equal and fair.

To become a leader worth following, you must be open to new ideas and possibilities. You must appreciate cultural diversity and gender differences and embrace a fresh perspective that you might have been missing.

This article will primarily talk about the importance of global diversity awareness month and celebrate it at the workplace. But, first, let us understand the basics:

History of Global Diversity Awareness Month

When the Second World War ended, the United Nations General Assembly adopted The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris. The declaration indicates the global expression of rights to all human beings irrespective of their identity. It is for us to acknowledge that every human being deserves equal human rights.
It was meant to respect every individual regardless of gender, caste, religion, race, sexuality, ethnicity or language, and otherwise.

We must remember that homogenization discounts people’s traditional cultures and unique identities with every bit of globalization.

Accepting cultural diversity, especially at work, can eradicate the issue of monoculturalism. And implementing cultural diversity at work this global diversity awareness month can help you get rid of such homogenization.

Global Diversity Awareness Month is a learning opportunity for your employees to know about various cultures and explore the beauty of unity in diversity.

5 Ways Diversity Makes Us Better Human Beings at Work

1. Diversity prepares you to work in a global society.

Your profession or line of business doesn’t matter when it comes to diversity. You will work with employers, coworkers, and clients from diverse cultures worldwide at one point or the other. When a workplace is diverse and inclusive, you can create a culture of tolerance where people from various backgrounds can interact freely and safely.

2. Enhances your knowledge

It is amazing when we are surrounded by people of various racial and ethnic identities; we get to learn so many new things. We open ourselves to new ideas and perspectives in life. Knowledge is diverse and cannot come from people who are similar to us.

3. Diversity leads you to success.

From America to India to Africa, every workforce has become more diverse and inclusive than ever. Learning to work with people different from you will increase your ability to work cohesively. It teaches tolerance and acceptance. As a result, you tend to show better teamwork skills.

4. Diversity enhances social development.

All you have to do is interact and know people who belong to underrepresented groups, whether racial or sexual, or ethnic. Doing so widens your social reach and expands the opportunity to attract a diverse talent pool from around the world.

5. Diversity improves your self-awareness.

When you work and learn from people who hold various identities and experiences, you enhance your analyzing skills. You tend to learn from their experiences as well. It takes you one step closer to acknowledging every employee who has a story to share.

What is the importance of Global Diversity Awareness Month?

Before we figure out how to celebrate Global Diversity Awareness Month at work, we must understand its importance. Let’s take a look:

1. It is our differences that make us unique.

If one person knows to make pasta and the other knows wine and cheese, wouldn’t it be a great dinner together? The same way people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and identities can come together and make a robust company culture. Employees will benefit from being exposed to new cultures and learning things they were not familiar with.

And that is why embracing Global Diversity Awareness Month at work is important. It spreads knowledge, curiosity, and acceptance.

2. It lets you experience and enjoy the culture.

In school or our neighborhood, we reside with people from various backgrounds whose roots differ from ours. Similarly, workplaces consist of people from every side of the world. And getting to know them and their traditions widens our thought process.

As leaders and employers, you must take some time to know your employees’ culture, tradition, and history. Diversity Month is the ideal time to do so and learn about the roots and heritage of the people you work with. It is a powerful way to foster connection, empathy, and respect.

3. It helps to expand our minds.

Listening is a skill that is necessary for learning and development. Most offices are a melting pot of different personalities, each with its own culture and thoughts. Their views might differ from yours, and accepting them the way they are is one approach to creating a positive work culture.

When we ask questions and listen to different perspectives, we become more grounded, thoughtful, and empathetic as humans. And the same must stand true for our workplace. It will help to normalize the perception that diverse employees are unrelatable. It has the potential to be a great way of fostering inclusion.

How to Celebrate Global Diversity Awareness Month At Work

Now that you’re aware of the history and importance of Global Diversity Awareness Month, it’s time to celebrate. Here are 3 ways to celebrate Global Diversity Awareness Month.

1. Connect with people

October is Global Diversity Awareness Month, and this is the right time to connect with people on the other side of the world. You can encourage your workers to talk to their remote team members or employees from overseas branches.

Workers will get to learn about people’s lives through social media and other communications channels.

2. Learn about various cultures

As an employer, you must focus on workplace equity and provide equal opportunities for the underrepresented groups. And the best way to do this is by providing them with knowledge and learning about various cultures at work.

You can promote diversity and inclusion, and acceptance at work by educating your workers about differences related to sex, caste, gender, race, culture, etc. To make it easier, we have mentioned a few ways to learn about diverse cultures and backgrounds.

• Organize a multicultural poetry event
• Movie night (select movies made by underrepresented people across minority communities)
• Book reading (select books written by black, queer, African, Asian, or Mexican writers)
• Implement a diversity training program
• Hire an expert to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion

3. Keep yourself informed

Keeping yourself informed with the global happenings is crucial while educating your workers about diversity and inclusion. The events might be emotionally tragic sometimes, but they are necessary to keep people aware.

Use such events as examples to emphasize the need for equal rights for every worker irrespective of their identities. It helps our workers feel connected as a team, enhancing employee engagement levels in the company.

Global Diversity Awareness Month- FAQs

What is Global Diversity Awareness Month?

October denotes Global Diversity Awareness Month as a reminder that we must respect every individual irrespective of religion, caste, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, etc. It denotes the positive impact of diversity in society.

What is Global Diversity?

The term ‘Global Diversity simply means accepting the range of differences amongst people in a cross-cultural or multi-national context. As an organization, you must take a positive look and appreciate global diversity as it helps adopt an inclusive work culture.

What is the difference between Global Diversity Awareness Month and Diversity Month?

Well, the difference is not much.

Global Diversity Awareness Month is in October, and Diversity Month (mostly US-centric) is celebrated in April.

The purpose of the former is to share basic awareness about diversity. In comparison, the latter focuses on celebrating the existence of Latinos, Africans, the LGBTQIA community, and every underrepresented group.

Bottom Line

We hope that this article effectively expressed the significance of Global Diversity Awareness Month and how you can celebrate at work.

Diversity makes a company worth working for. When employees receive equal and fair treatment from their employers, they develop a sense of belonging. In 2021 and beyond, it is a must-have employee retention strategy.

So, this diversity month, remember to pay tribute and recognize your diverse workforce to nurture an inclusive work culture.

This article is written by Gautam Gayan. He works as a Content Marketer at Vantage Circle. Apart from being a passionate content creator for HR services and employee engagement, Gautam is a theatre enthusiast, an avid reader and an aspiring poet. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com