Answer to Question 1
Answer: From an ethical perspective, workforce diversity and effectively managing diversity is the right thing to do. Although many societies have laws that say it's illegal to treat diverse people unfairly, many cultures also exhibit a strong ethical belief that diverse people should have access to equal opportunities and be treated fairly and justly. Businesses do have an ethical imperative to build relationships that value and enable all employees to be successful. Managers need to view workforce diversity as a way to bring different voices to the table and to build an environment based on trusting relationships.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: The performance benefits that organizations get from workforce diversity include cost savings and improvements in organizational functioning. The cost savings can be significant when organizations that cultivate a diverse workforce reduce employee turnover, absenteeism, and the chance of lawsuits. Organizational performance can be enhanced through workforce diversity because of improved problem-solving abilities and system flexibility. An organization with a diverse workforce can tap into the variety of skills and abilities represented and just the fact that its workforce is diverse requires that processes and procedures be more accommodative and inclusive.