Diversity and inclusion: from words to action.

The topics of diversity and inclusion are more relevant than ever in business. However, in practice, the figures are relatively modest. But let's start by defining the concepts of diversity and inclusion.

According to Thais Compoint , Founder and Managing Director of Déclic International :

Diversity is " the mixture of differences, visible and invisible: differences in gender, age, origin, sexual orientation, religion, different ways of thinking, communicating, education. It's very broad ."

Diversity is not a monolithic concept; there are actually three types:

• Surface or visible diversity (gender, age, physical abilities, ethnic origins, etc.)

• Average or knowledge diversity (CV, experience, career path, etc.)

• Deep or invisible diversity (personality, cognitive style, reasoning abilities, etc.)

Inclusion, on the other hand, is " a new concept, which means a culture in which we are all together with true respect for differences. We feel comfortable being ourselves, which makes diversity work within a company ."

According to Thais Compoint, “ Diversity and inclusion enable companies to better cope with demographic, cultural, and technological changes. They are part of any organization's survival kit .”

Diversity and inclusion would therefore be, beyond an asset in terms of social and societal commitment, a real strength for organizations in terms of economic performance.

But what are the obstacles to their implementation? And what pragmatic and innovative avenues can be developed to optimize their development within organizations?

Inclusion and diversity have been a topic for businesses for over eight years.

Policies surrounding diversity within companies have their primary origins in a regulatory strengthening that took place in the early 2000s, particularly at the European level.

But Caroline Del Torchio , Senior Manager at Identité RH , explains that their implementation actually corresponds to three key motivations for organizations:

• A risk management imperative: companies are subject to legal obligations in terms of diversity, and beyond the financial risk, legal actions taken by employees who believe they are victims of discrimination represent a significant risk to their image and reputation.

• The desire to implement an ethical and civic approach: under external pressure from public authorities and public opinion, companies have developed CSR policies that include a diversity component. Initially, this was intended to play a role in areas where a segment of the population was marginalized, but also to find consistency with the values defended by companies.

  
  

  This phenomenon has grown over time, as public opinion has developed distrust of companies and demanded greater commitment and transparency.

• The quest for economic performance: a diverse team would allow for a better understanding of the expectations of different types of customers, the development of new markets and a capacity for innovation, as well as better adaptation to change. A strong economic development factor for organizations.

Why is the subject becoming particularly crucial today?

In the context of the future of work , society is expressing a strong need to find meaning. This transformation, coupled with the challenge of climate change, is leading companies to go beyond the notion of “Social and Environmental Responsibility” to develop a more assertive societal role, directly integrated into their DNA and their economic project.

In the 21st century, companies will have a " raison d'être that is not reducible to profit ," a notion that invites them to bring CSR closer to real strategy. Economic performance and the common good are now one and the company translates its activity in terms of impact: enough to restore transparency and avoid the risks of greenwashing and socialwashing .

Diversity and inclusion therefore appear as key levers for meeting this challenge. Going beyond simple social commitment, they become economic assets allowing companies to better understand their environment and respond to customer needs, develop a greater capacity for innovation and transformation, and increase employee engagement by better meeting the expectations of new generations.

Note: 57% of 18-34 year olds believe that their companies should increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace according to Glassdoor !

A recent study by the International Labour Organization also showed that inclusive companies were 60% more likely to improve their results and retain talent over time.

And according to HR managers and executives surveyed as part of the latest Deloitte study on the subject, " societal impact, including diversity and inclusion, is now the primary factor in assessing an organization's success and performance ."

What are the pitfalls to avoid when promoting diversity and inclusion?

Despite its obvious benefits, the development of diversity and inclusion faces many obstacles and challenges within organizations. Here are the most common:

• Wanting to go too fast: the weight of stereotypes and prejudices is heavy because they are anchored in the collective unconscious. It is a prism of understanding reality that is difficult to disrupt, so it is necessary to support the change in perception within organizations.

  
  

  Quickly recruiting profiles from diverse backgrounds or those perceived as atypical is not enough; we must encourage their integration, train managers, and raise awareness among teams (about disabilities, for example) so that change takes place in depth and becomes a true corporate culture.

• Think short-term: One of the pitfalls recruiters encounter is focusing on performance indicators. However, meeting quotas by focusing solely on recruitment is far from enough. Diversity and inclusion policies must ensure the development and fulfillment of employees after they are hired.

  
  

  The objective is to retain talent over the long term but also to promote their success internally.

• Using the same recruitment channels: Companies often recruit from the same hiring pools (level of education, diplomas, type of experience, specific university or schools, etc.). However, using the same networks does not promote diversity and inclusion, which are expressed through varied life experiences and backgrounds.

• Forgetting to bring to life the beautiful concepts behind diversity and inclusion: diversity and inclusion must be integrated at all levels of the company and be the subject of a promotion plan carried out over time and across all available communication channels.

  
  

  “ A truly inclusive company is one that has first acquired the conviction that its greatest asset is the individuals who work there, and which explores the full extent of this asset in depth. In particular by working to reveal the “hidden talents ” of each individual,” advises Biliana Todorovic, Director in charge of People, Change & Transformation activities at CGI Business Consulting , in an interview for ADN .

How can we actually get started with this process?

For Laurence Monnet-Vernier , consulting partner at Deloitte , " to initiate an approach that produces results, inclusion must underpin the entire employee experience and policies that structure life in the company: organization and working methods, social policy, HR policies and systems, etc. The companies surveyed are acting on most of these levers while each adopting a specific approach."

Only a cultural and structural transformation at all levels of companies, fostered by strong leadership from top management, can effectively and sustainably promote diversity and inclusion. The company must establish values that will guide all its recruitment and management actions in the direction of open-mindedness, respect, curiosity, and the valuing of differences.

Employees and the organization must be supported in a comprehensive, integrated, and collective approach. It is the duty of a company's management to clearly communicate to its employees that it is essential to be who you are in the workplace.

Who are the stakeholders in diversity and inclusion?

• Leaders , who, as we have just seen, must embody change by recognizing singularity as a key pillar of the company. They must demonstrate leadership in spreading this culture and creating a framework favorable to inclusion and collective intelligence.

• Managers , who must demonstrate open-mindedness and human intelligence to adapt to all types of profiles, but also learn to develop their teams without preconceptions, by taking advantage of all talents.

• Employees , who must break out of the “mold” in which they have been forced to evolve in order to express their uniqueness as an essential contribution to the success of the company project.

• Recruiters , who must be inventive, particularly in terms of recruitment platforms and pools, to attract, develop and recognize talent with atypical profiles and from diverse backgrounds.

To do this, they can use structures dedicated to diversity such as Mozaïk RH to create a different pool, and go beyond a vision of talent based on CVs and "pedigree" to embrace a broader vision based on what we now call " soft skills " such as creativity, resilience and the desire to succeed.

The soft skills that companies are fighting over - Source: Cadremploi

Here are some interesting figures highlighted by Assessfirst to understand where we currently stand on the recruiter side:

• 96% of recruiters believe that diversity is important for a company's success.

• 50% even believe that it is crucial.

• 60% highlight the lack of candidates as a major problem.

• 61% admit to never having recruited atypical profiles (defined by: varied experiences, reorientations, more or less long breaks, unusual educational background, passion for a job).

• 35% have implemented actions in favor of diversity.

• 88% report a lack of budget dedicated to recruiting atypical profiles.

Talents upon hiring , who whatever their identity, background, personality must feel legitimate in applying and joining an organization by highlighting their specificities in the service of the mission.

A telling example: for Inès Seddiki, founder of Ghett'up , an association aiming to revalue working-class neighborhoods among their residents themselves, " young people from the neighborhoods feel illegitimate in everything ."

Here again, the figures from Assessfirst speak for themselves:

• 34% of candidates believe that being atypical may have had a negative impact on their recruitment.

• 50% say that the atypical nature of their profile makes it difficult to find a suitable offer.

• 40% say that the atypical nature of their profile has a negative impact on the interview process, 35% on the desirability of their profile, 35% on the development of their career, and 31% on the response received to applications.

• 64% believe that companies do not want atypical profiles: 54% cite HR's fear of recruitment errors, 42% the company culture, 39% the recruiters' tendency to clone.

• 50% think it's up to the company to play, and 50% that it's up to them to adapt.

HR marketing: cultural transformation within and outside the company must be accompanied by communication and dissemination of the values and commitments made by the organization.

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Diversity, beyond the CSR aspect, is therefore above all a question of leadership. Companies that want to progress and be closer to their customers (by including employees who reflect society) must be involved voluntarily and over the long term.

HR departments, for their part, are concerned with cultural transformation and supporting change at all levels: management, recruitment, development and communication.

However, today, the actions taken are rather timid, and can sometimes resemble marketing or communication. The reasons are a short-term, performance-oriented vision, the pace of corporate life, the psychological and cognitive biases of recruiters or those of application sorting software, the lack of anticipation of HR needs, or the fact that the subject is seen as secondary.

But under the more demanding gaze of the French, the "raison d'être" enshrined in the recent Pacte law can become an accelerator for diversity and inclusion. Similarly, the growing evidence of their effect on performance should encourage business leaders to make valuing differences a priority.

" Before even asking whether it's possible, we have to acknowledge that it's necessary. We no longer have a choice. In a world that is changing rapidly and incessantly, it's impossible to rely on only a small portion of the population that is well-born, well-educated, and has completed all the stages of a traditional path to create wealth ," explains Marie Donzel , consultant and expert in inclusion and social innovation, who has just published "7 icons of pop culture to understand sexism" (Editions Fil Rouge).

I leave you with this Apple “Inclusion & Diversity” spot.