Importance Of Diversity In The Workplace

Diversity in the workplace, especially in the energy sector continues to grow with every passing decade. With that said, the industry still has need for vast improvement. I feel that there are many ways each company, as well as each individual, can contribute to enhancing workplace diversity. It is no surprise that the energy industry has, in my eyes, lacked diversity for many decades. Whether it is because of stereotypes that the industry has work only designed for men or that some races, genders, and nationalities are skeptical to enter a workplace environment that has previously been nearly dominated by white males in the United States, the fact remains that diversity is needed. Diversity in the workplace is vital for many reasons. It provides interaction between people

Diversity creates a larger pool of views and resources that companies can utilize to achieve goals. In a world where connections and personal relationships may be the most important thing, the increased diversity within a company can lead to resources we may not have otherwise. Resources can be relationships with other peers inside or outside the company. A specific example that I have encountered is when I worked for my father's business throughout high school. Although this example is not specific to the oil and gas industry it still shows the need for diversity in the workplace. In the convenience store world, it has been predominately run by middle eastern people since about the mid-2000's. Since he began in 1985 he has seen the change periodically occur. The language barrier as well as the societal differences made it harder to acquire new clients and expand operations. He decided to combat this by hiring a more diverse sales team. He hired a young man named Khan that was from Saudi Arabia. Khan had a large amount of resources in the area that he would utilize. Within months the company had around 50 new accounts. This example has shown a possible financial benefit of diversifying a