Diversity in a Company...
I feel that there is a huge importance in having diversity in a company. By diversity, I mean more than race and gender, although they are equally important. Diversity goes far beyond physical appearance. A company needs people with many different personalities as well. The more diversified a company is, the more appealing it will seem to a whole range of customers. In my opinion, if a customer is completely surrounded by people who are unlike him or her, I think that it would make them feel uncomfortable and intimidated. I don’t mean if they were unlike him or her in their race or gender, but imagine if you’re a really private, reserved person and you go into a company that is saturated with outgoing, touchy-feely, open people. I think that would be uncomfortable for anyone. Diversity is just hugely important for any company. Customers need to feel that they are understood in their needs and wants, and who better to understand that than someone who you feel is similar to you in personality, race and gender aside.
Along with personality, racial, and gender diversity, age and experience should be included, too. Imagine walking into a class full of college seniors and you’re the only freshman in there. Most people would be too intimidated to talk in class because they lack the experience that the seniors do, therefore making them feel uncomfortable. I worked at a place over the summer where it was just me and four adults over the age of 45. Walking in there, I was completely intimidated, and I don’t get intimidated easily. As days went by, I became more and more comfortable, but it took a while to adjust. By hiring me and adding to the diversity of the company, I think that it helped the customers a lot, too. Our primary customers were children. Most of the children, when posed with the choice, chose me over the adults to approach with a question. Personally, I feel that it was because someone who is only ten years older than them is less intimidating than someone who is 40 years older than them. They simply could just relate to me more. On the flip side, when mothers came in with their children, they were drawn to the older women I worked with, who also have children, because they could relate with them more than me. In conclusion, I just think diversity in general is a great asset for a company to have because then your company is more inviting to all different kinds of people, not just one kind.
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