Diversity in a workplace improves a company’s reputation and increases productivity. Werner Landman (MBA), a director, lecturer, strategist and consultant, was the guest speaker during a diversity workshop at Southern Sun Emnotweni on Tuesday.

Landman said the benefits of diversity in the workforce also include increased creativity, increased profits due to market share, improved employee engagement, reduced employee turnover, wider range of skills and improved cultural insights.

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He discussed various topics such as a shift in human resource management, much more than just ethnicity, improving performance and satisfying customer needs, and five generations in one workplace.
Landman said in a 21st-century career, an individual and their experiences take centre stage.

“Instead of a steady progression along a job-based pathway, leading organisations are shifting towards a model that empowers individuals to acquire valuable experiences, explore new roles, and continually reinvent themselves. Improvement in this area is essential to attract critical talent, especially as technology shifts the skills landscape,” he said.

Landman also discussed management of diversity and touched on how millennials work differently.
“Millennials get bored very quickly. They multitask. They are on their cellphones, tablet and watch television while playing games. The thing is though, if you can multitask in four or five spaces at the same time, how boring is everything else?

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“That’s why phones these days have a multiplatform. You can have a YouTube channel there and WhatsApp there while doing your work there, because this new generation is multitaskers and we do not know how to manage this.

“Hopefully by the end of today, when you leave here, you will be able to say you know what I know a bit more. I will understand them a bit better and so maybe I can manage them a bit better,” he said.
The guests who attended the event had the opportunity to ask questions and to share their views.