Diversity Affect On Organization’s Work/Life Balance & Associated Ethical Considerations Essays Example

Q. How does diversity affect the organization’s work/life balance and what ethical considerations exist that may drive the organization to have more of a work / life balance?
An organization operating in global market may have different types of diversity such as operational diversity, cultural diversity, workforce diversity etc. Addressing these diversities has become an important part of organizational strategy. Present workforce of different companies is not dominated by local group of people. Companies are operating in different cultures and performing different operations. Therefore, they are ensuring that their workforce reflects good mix of gender, class, culture, religion, and race. Diversity allows companies to serve different target markets efficiently and in brining innovation & flexibility in organization.
It is important for the companies to manage diversity in order to provide work/life balance to its employees. Factors that affect work/life of the employees vary from country to country and operation to operation. For example employees working in America may have different requirements as compare to employees working in China to maintain their work/life. Therefore, companies should develop different strategies keeping in mind the local culture and requirements of the employees (White et al., 2003). Companies should implement different types of work arrangements in different locations to keep a balance between work life and family life.
Work/life imbalance not only negatively impacts employees but organization also. If family life of employees is disturbed, they may not pay full attention to their work. Work/life imbalance sometimes resulted in stress, health problems, absenteeism, and work dissatisfaction. Poor personal relationships can decrease the performance of employees. Long working hours and excessive work pressure does not allow employees to spend time with their family, which may resulted in distorted family relations and poor performance at work (Coffey, 2005). These ethical considerations demand organizations to have different arrangements for diversified work-force not only to maintain work/life balance but also to achieve desired organizational goals in diversified market place.

References

Coffey, C. (2005, July/August). The Bottom-Line for Work/Life Leadership: Linking Diversity and Organizational Culture. Retrieved Feb 27, 2015, from Ivey Business Journal: http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/the-bottom-line-for-worklife-leadership-linking-diversity-and-organizational-culture/
White, M., Hill, S., McGovern, P., Smeaton, D., and Mills, C. (2003). 'High‐performance'Management Practices, Working Hours and Work–Life Balance. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41(2) , 175–195.