Demographics
There have been changes in the demographic workforce of the world and the United States. The main changes have been on the increasing number of women who are venturing into the employment world. Despite the many changes that have taken place, the gender gap is still an issue even today. In 2018, women's labor participation rate was 48%, while men were 75% (International Labor Organization, 2019). But when compared to the paste, the number of women in the labor force participation is favorable. There has been a decline in labor participation among adults in the world for the past 25 years. The decrease is more rampant among youths between the ages of 15 and 24 (International Labor Organization, 2019). Most of the women who are employed are between the age of 24 and 32 years. The situation is different from the past, and most of the employed women were above 25 years of age. A decrease in the employment age indicates the venture that the females have taken into being career women. In 2018, the working-age population consisting of both men and women was above 15 years. Studies indicate that diversity and inclusion have contributed to the increasing employment rate over the years.
In the United States, the situation is not different, as several workforce advancements have taken place. It is estimated that millennials will make the most considerable portion of the United States workforce in the future. As of 2018, still, a majority of the boomers are active in the force. 5% of the unites states workforce comprises the young generation (Catalyst, 2019). Statistics indicate the presence of 75,978,000 women making up the United States workforce as of 2018. All the women are above 16 years of age, representing 46.9% of the country's entire working population. The figure is an increase from the past years. In the 1990s, the percentage of women working population contributing to the workforce was an average of 22% (Catalyst, 2019). The tremendous increase is due to inclusion and diversity, where discrimination is no longer an issue. There are policies in place against discrimination of employees based on their gender, which has created room for changes. The young have also been beneficiaries of the guidelines as they contribute to the development of an organization.
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Homogenous and Heterogeneous Workforce
National Level
The management of a homogenous workforce differs from a heterogeneous force at the global and national levels. A homogenous workforce has employees who share several things in common such as race and educational status. The management of the homogenous workforce at the global and national levels is different because of the lack of diversity. The similarities that exist in the crew makes employers use the same problem-solving techniques. Management of a homogenous workforce at the national level is different from the control of a heterogeneous force at the same level because of exclusion. There is equality in the employees' access and participation in a homogenous workforce, which reduces the chances of exclusion (Syed &Tariq, 2018). Members of a homogenous team will have less time to comprehend each other as they share a lot in common. The management is east because there is less argument, and the employees easily understand each other as they share everyday experiences. There is a need for the organic development of goals for the heterogeneous workforce. The effect is because there is a variation among the employees in terms of their culture, experiences, and age. At the national level, there is a need to have a well-defined role for the heterogeneous workforce to reduce arguments and misunderstandings for the team's effective and efficient management.
Global Level
At the international level, the management of the two workforces is different because of culture. Each country has a culture that the employees need to adapt to increased levels of operations. The homogenous workforce will be easy to manage as they are likely to adapt to the culture more quickly. Since the homogenous crew members are of the same age and experience, their interaction is more substantial, and they will promptly learn from each other. Team members from the host country can quickly show those who are foreigners how to operate effectively and maintain the organization's culture. The situation is different for the heterogeneous workforce, and the management will be more technical. The is a variation on the needs of all the team members. Thus, learning from each other will be challenging. For instance, older employees will find it challenging to understand some aspects of young employees' organizational culture. While managing the heterogenous workforce at the international level, there is a need to have more coaching and training (Syed &Tariq, 2018). Equally, there is a variation in experience between the employee, and how one person carries out their activities is different from the others.
Strategies
Most organizations find it challenging to manage employees with different backgrounds, perceptions, beliefs, religions, and philosophies. However, with effective management strategies, an organization can take advantage of its employees' differences to be innovative and increase the adaptability rate. The process to effectively manage such employees can take place at the workplace and individual levels. One of the techniques that will be effective in managing such a workforce at the organizational level is having inclusive policies and practices. The strategy aims are for the employees to embrace and acknowledge the differences between them. There is a need to ensure that the company's policies and procedures are inclusive to all the employees. The policymakers will have to consider the effects that their actions in policy crafting will have on each of the employees before implementation Kundu, Bansal & Chawla, 2015). All the employees will have to grasp and understand the company's unwritten rule so that they can maintain a good work relationship with their counterparts who are different. The leaders and managers of the organization need to be ready and willing to take feedback on the policy and practices' level of efficiency.
At a personal level, diversity training will be the most effective strategy. In most instances, employees in a diverse organization are insensitive to their counterparts. The callous nature and appearing to be mean is not because they want to behave that way. Instead, it is because they are not aware of how better to act amid their workmates. When the employees go through training, particularly for those in the various leadership positions, they will understand the differences between them and appreciate them. Through diversity training, the employees become more self-aware, making them better understand their prejudices (Kundu, Bansal & Chawla, 2015). They will know how to behave when they have issues among themselves, and some will even be willing and eager to learn the culture of the others. The training role is to create a holistic working environment where everyone is comfortable to be who they are and not afraid to raise their concerns. Training will equip each of the works with the skills and knowledge. The movement will state what needs them and their limitations and behaviors. The issue of stereotyping and being culture bias will be an issue of the past if the organization takes advantage of the training strategy.
The last strategy that will be effective at the organizational level is to facilitate effective and efficient communication. The primary challenge in managing a diverse workforce is ensuring a transparent and efficient communication protocol. To ensure that all the employees are on the same page, it will be relevant to ensure they all know its procedure and practices. They all need to know and understand the role they have to play in driving the organization towards achieving the set goals and objectives. The corporation's management should ensure that issue of the language barrier, which will primarily affect communication, is not in existence (Kundu, Bansal & Chawla, 2015). Where necessary, the management should employ the use of pictures and images that everyone understands. It is within the expectation that the workers will have different opinions and ideas since they are diverse. While having conversations and meetings, it will be useful to emphasize the importance of turn-taking so that everyone gets an opportunity to air their views. Effective communication channels will encourage interaction among the workers, and they will learn and appreciate their fellow employees' culture. No one will have a fear of saying their points that can contribute to the organization's success.
References
Catalyst. (2019). Women in the Workforce – United States: Quick Take. Retrieved from https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-the-workforce-united- states/#:~:text=Women%20Are%20Nearly%20Half%20the,of%20the%20total%20labor %20force .&text=57.1%25%20of%20women%20participate%20in,compared%20to%2069.1%25% 20of%20men. Accessed 26 September 2020.
International Labor Organization. (2019). World Employment Social Outlook: Trends 2019 . Publication Production Unit, Geneva. Pp. 1-122. Print.
Kundu, S., Bansal, J., & Chawla, A. (2015). Managing Workforce Diversity Through HR Practices: A Review. Emerging Horizons in Business Management, 12 (6), 115-124.
Syed, J., Tariq, M. (2018). Global Diversity Management. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business Management, 1(1), 1-21.
