The Four Types of Workplace Diversity

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Through researching about diversity and the importance of having diversity in the workplace, I learned that there are actually 4 different aspects of diversity: internal, external, organizational, and worldwide.

Internal diversity is the characteristics we are born with. Generally speaking, internal diversity is what humans are born into and cannot change. Race, age, gender, and ethnicity are all aspects of internal diversity. These internal factors are directly embedded in the 30 rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When hiring in the workplace, it is important that employers do not discriminate based on any aspects of internal diversity.

External diversity is also the characteristics of a person, but these characteristics are not ones that a person is born with, and they can be changed. Some examples of external diversity are interests, education, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic status. However, although these factors can be changed, it takes time and/or effort. For example, changing your education level is not an easy task, and moving up in socioeconomic status takes both time and effort.

Organizational diversity is your position in the workplace. This can include your job title and function, employment status, job location, and union affiliation. Organizational diversity is present regardless of what company you work for. Whether you work for a private company, non-profit, government organization, or you do volunteer work, you are part of an organization and have a specific role in that organization.

Worldview diversity is essentially your view of the outside world. This can include political beliefs, historical knowledge, and your outlook on life. Worldview diversity is easy to change with new experiences and knowledge.