At Oster and Associates, we consider ourselves very fortunate to live in beautiful San Diego, California. San Diego is predominately known for its amazing weather year-around, but what sets us apart from most U.S. cities is our proximity to Mexico. San Diego is a multicultural town and, our company, Oster and Associates, is a multicultural agency. Half of our employees are Latinos. It means that we’re able to offer our clients services in Spanish as well as English.

As an advertising, marketing and public relations (PR) agency, Oster and Associates realized early on the importance of diversity in the work place. According to “The Advantages of Multicultural Labor Force,” by Gregory Harnel, “A multicultural workforce can improve companies’ ability to connect and communicate with customers.” Our clients’ success is everything and, by establishing a diverse workforce, we can provide a better level of customer service than they may have otherwise found accessible.

Here are the top four advantages to working in a multicultural environment:

1. Respect – At our agency, we not only respect our clients but our fellow employees. We encourage open dialogue and free expression of ideas. Being exposed to a diversity of cultures brings new ideas and perspectives that we’re able to offer our clients.
2. Creativity – We understand that business happens across countries and cultures and along with this, comes renewed creativity. Teams that include members from multiple backgrounds and experiences work more creatively to innovate and solve problems.
3. Value – Valued employees make for happier employees and happier employees tend to be more productive. A diverse corporate culture has a direct impact on getting things done well, which is a huge advantage for business owners.
4. Prosperity – Hiring people from various countries means you gain the understanding and use of different languages. Not only do you open yourself up to learn or strengthen a second or third language, you can offer clients services in their native language. Since customers come from all walks of life, communicating globally is key to a business’ success. Not only does it bring about more business, but companies tend to be more innovative, smarter and retain more of their staff.

They call America a melting pot for a reason. This country was built on diversity and drawing from additional experiences, knowledge and backgrounds all of which contributes to new ways of thinking. It’s these different viewpoints that promote innovation and result in greater prosperity for everyone.