Diversity simply means ‘‘differences in people.’’ It’s not about forced quotas that ensure minority and female workforce participation.
It is, instead, a recognized business objective based on the
premise that a diverse corporate culture positions every company
to more effectively compete in a global economy. By 2005, ethnic
minorities will account for 47 percent of the nation’s population.
Socially responsible employers of choice recognize the strategic advantage of having their workforce mirror their customers’ ethnic
makeup. This ensures not only that the employer is fair but that it
inherently understands the points of view of its clients, customers,
and consumers.

What kinds of individual differences can companies hope to
incorporate into the fabric of their organizational cultures? Employers
with well-defined diversity initiatives look to attract a broad array of candidates with differing backgrounds according to:

Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Race
Sexual orientation
Religion
Military/veteran status
Immigrant status
Language facility

The way such initiatives are pursued and achieved is typically
through a:

Policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity employment
Corporate diversity mission statement
Corporate diversity policy
Performancemanagement appraisal system that considers diversity
hiring and promotion as part of its evaluation metrics
Private/local/civic outreach

Sample wording of a nondiscrimination policy and a corporate
mission statement are provided in Appendix A.

Taken From : The Hiring and Firing Quention and Answer Book