{"id":945,"date":"2021-05-25T10:09:25","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T08:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/inspirente.com\/?p=945"},"modified":"2021-11-09T17:53:31","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T16:53:31","slug":"why-make-diversity-inclusion-a-business-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webprod.dev\/horbe-2\/why-make-diversity-inclusion-a-business-priority\/","title":{"rendered":"Why make Diversity & Inclusion a business priority?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Much talk, little action. These words sum up the growing interest in diversity and inclusion in corporate statements, combined with companies\u2019 failure in improving fairness in their governance and structures. As evidenced by statistics, only 15% of companies in Europe treat diversity and inclusion as business and organizational issues. But civil society\u2019s pressing demand towards institutions to better represent it in the decisions that collectively and individually impact citizens, cannot be overlooked. Neither by governments nor by the private sector, which should focus on the proven benefits of diversity and collective intelligence on performance to move forward.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

There is a growing interest in the value of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I).<\/strong> Companies are increasingly taking fairness, respect and inclusion into account in their external communications, as well as in their corporate policy (HR, management, purchasing, etc.). The reasons for it are diverse, ranging from regulatory or social pressures, demographic trends and investor demands to purely commercial motivations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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From a historical perspective, the pledge for D&I has been closely linked to pressures from social groups. With protest movements leading to laws and regulations, companies find themselves in a framework of constant adaptation to ensure compliance. <\/strong>
Back to the 1950s in the US: minority groups\u2019 protests against discrimination probably paved the way to the evolution of diversity models within the workplace. The affirmative action<\/strong> original scheme drew strength from the law\u00a0Civil Rights Act of 1964<\/a>\u00a0that implemented equal opportunity employment objectives<\/strong>. Focus was then made on the idea that any individual academically or physically qualified for a specific job could strive for at obtaining it without being discriminated against based on identity.
As another example, more recently in Europe, several countries have enforced gender quotas<\/strong> in governance bodies, mainly in boards of directors and supervisory boards. (Cop\u00e9-Zimmerman Law in France, 2010, with a 40% minimum of women or men in the boards of directors of medium or large companies; Golgo-Mosca Law, 2011, in Italy with a 30% minimum of women or men in the board of listed and state-controlled companies.; in Germany, for the 108 biggest listed companies, a 30% minimum of women).<\/p>\n

The compliance basis has been a constant driver for corporate policies in the fields of diversity, inclusion and other ethical values. France\u2019s example in gender policy is insightful about this. In the governance bodies submitted to quotas, women now account for 44% of their members, in the top 120 listed companies. At the executive committees of such corporations, where there is no specific diversity obligation yet, women struggle to be a 22%.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Organizations realize that making diversity and fairness a business imperative will help them avoid tarnishing their reputation. Inclusion is seen as a key differentiating factor in retaining and developing talents, or attracting new generations of employees. <\/strong>It is also a mean to grasp changing consumer expectations, as more and more customers expect companies to positively contribute to society. <\/strong>They consequently want companies to take a stand on social, environmental or even political issues.<\/p>\n

Echoing the resounding outrage caused by George Floyd\u2019s killing, many companies have taken action in support of #BlackLivesMatter <\/strong>movement.<\/p>\n

\"BlackA\u00a0list of tech companies<\/a>\u00a0joined protesters in voicing their outcry and sympathy. As noted by Built In tech job board:<\/p>\n