In the frame of our internal protocol against violence on gender, defined in the Equality Plan of Henkel Iberica, the Equality Commission as initiated an important action in order to include one of the groups with special difficulties into the labor market.
Posts Tagged ‘inclusion’
International Ambassadors
Henkel Iberica includes People with special Difficulties
Monday, November 21st, 2011 by Lourdes AbrisquettaDiversity & Inclusion, International Ambassadors
Henkel France signs French “Diversity Charter”
Friday, November 18th, 2011 by Astrid Bosten
For the first Time in January 2004 the idea for a Diversity Charter came up in the report “Les oubliés de l’égalité des chances” (By the Wayside of Equal Opportunity) published by the French think tank Montaigne Institute. Nine month later on 22 October 2004 the Charter was finally launched in France by Claude Bébéar Chairman of the Montaigne Institute, and Yazid Sabeg, Chairman of the Board, CS – Communication & Systèmes France, and journalist Laurence Méhaignerie.
International Ambassadors
Meet The UK and Irelands new D&I Ambassadors
Monday, November 7th, 2011 by Diane HumphreyHenkel is building on its reputation for excellence by adding seven Ambassadors from Henkel UK and Irelands to its Diversity & Inclusion Network.
Their goal is to champion Diversity and Inclusiveness and promote innovative working practices that engage, inspire and enthuse Henkel employees. These include the open sharing of ideas, where honesty and frankness are prized; The aim is to encourage an inclusive culture that becomes a normal way of doing business at Henkel.
Two Diversity & Inclusion Ambassadors took the time to explain their involvement…
Mike Richardson, Global SAP Masterdata Analyst at Henkel Electronics
I heard about the Diversity & Inclusion programme from some colleagues who attended the D&I pilot training in Hemel Hempstead, and thought it sounded really interesting. I like the way Diversity & Inclusion is not just about looking to set quotas or concentrate on one aspect: it’s about getting people in the right places and using the natural diversity that this creates for the benefit of the company. One area The Ambassadors are currently looking at is ways to make working for Henkel easier for people who have special circumstances or requirements, including flexible working schemes, homeworking, flexible hours, job shares and other initiatives. These are all the things that might help fit work around having a family and a life.
Rondi Allan, Purchasing Manager, UK and Ireland
The role of the Ambassadors is to look at how we can role out initiatives and influence the company to be more diverse and inclusive. I believe differences are already being made, maybe in a subtle way, but there is a change.
Since becoming an Ambassador I have learnt a lot about Henkel’s approach o D&I and it is great to talk informally to my colleagues to communicate and promote the D&I initiatives. Equally, it has been fascinating to learn about the perceptions and opinions of my colleagues.
I believe that greater Diversity and Inclusion will result in greater innovation, market understanding and therefore better decision-making and is essential to achieving our aspiration to be a ’Winning Team’.
Diversity & Inclusion
Respect! / Respekt!
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 by Astrid Bosten
Everyone wants to be treated respectfully. But not just in his or her private life, also at work it is an important aspect. This finding was already shown in the study of the University of Hamburg in 2006. In a first survey, 590 employees were asked about values and conditions that are important for them at work. 2nd place in the study was “a boss, who treats you with respect”. Honoring and recognizing the work you have done placed 4th. The second survey of the university, however, showed the huge difference between the employees’ wishful thinking and reality. Thus, respectful bosses were rather rare.
Respect is still a timely and important topic, as the May edition of the German journal brand eins and the recently published book by René Borbonus “Respect! How you can gain reputation among friend and foe” (“Respekt! Wie Sie Ansehen bei Freund und Feind gewinnen.”) illustrate.
Prestige, dignity and recognition seem to be missing values for many employees at work. If you want to retain young leaders in today’s economic and demographic situation, more than just money has to be offered. “Those who do not respect them, will either never get their full power or will loose them” as the researcher Niels van Quaquebeke (RespectResearchGroup, Hamburg) stated in the brand eins May edition.
In his book René Borbonus says that respect first of all starts with us. You will not earn respect by just insisting on others respecting you. Rather you will earn respect by showing it yourself. As Borbonus writes in his book, respect is not only a prerequisite for a society that works but it is the key to our whole personal success. For anyone who wants to achieve something on a long-term perspective in business and personal life, a selfish and arrogant behavior will lead you nowhere. Only when we have learned to deal respectfully with others, we will receive respect and recognition in return.
A respectful, appreciative and inclusive behavior is the core of Henkel’s Diversity & Inclusion initiative. Only a corporate culture that treats the different ones as open as the homogeneous ones releases the full potential of each of our employees. This openness and appreciation can be found in the term “inclusion”. Inclusion is a prerequisite for the diversity of our employees to leverage their full potential.
But what shows and gives you respect? Personality coach Roland Kopp-Wichmann points to some practical approaches in one of his blog posts: Respect is not a question of value, but a question of appreciation.
What does respect mean to you? (more…)
International Ambassadors
What Diversity and Inclusion means for us…
Monday, July 25th, 2011 by Diane HumphreyHere five people, from Henkel UK and Ireland, give their personal statements about what Diversity and Inclusion means for them.
For me Diversity and Inclusion is about being truly opened minded to embrace the talents and capabilities that everyone has. By doing this we are able to recognise what people are really able to contribute, irrespective of their level or function.
The real challenge for D&I, is the ability to move beyond our preconceptions and allow people to show their true value.
Matthew Hayward, North West European Sales Manager AE
Diversity is everywhere, it is all around us and it is what makes us unique.
Inclusion is about bringing all this together – through our mutual diverse individuality we can achieve great things together.
Anne-Sophie Pavan, Intern Legal Department.
What Diversity mean to me: different people, different views, different perspectives, all of these things make for a stronger and more successful team.
For me inclusion is about respecting the views, mindsets and behaviours of others whilst working together to achieve a common goal.
Lisa Vardy, Compliance Manager UK and Ireland.
What does Diversity & Inclusion mean to me? It’s about being fair to people, however different they are to you or the others around you.
By employing people from different backgrounds and with differing experiences the company reaps huge rewards in terms of creativity, cross-pollination of ideas and sharing of viewpoints.
In promoting Diversity and Inclusion, Henkel demonstrates it’s commitment to equality and fairness and is able to call on the full range of talent, ability and experience that is available to it.
Mike Richardson, Industrialisation Information Manager
For me Inclusion and Diversity is the correct way to say it, for I believe that if we are truly inclusive in our behaviour and actions towards each other then diversity will automatically follow.
To be successful we must look beyond the constraints of the traditional working environment and focus on achievements and outputs rather than inputs. In this way we will ensure that all of our talents are used to their full potential.
Rondi Allan, Purchasing Manager
Diversity & Inclusion
Generation Y and the Workplace – Implications for office design (3) / Generation Y und ihr Arbeitsplatz – wie sollte er gestaltet und ausgestattet sein? (3)
Monday, May 30th, 2011 by Anke Meier
We learned who Generation Y is and how they want to work. Today we close our series with the huge implications in designing the office space for our future or actual colleagues.
Even though this Gen Y is highly connected and fluent in the virtual world, the virtual office will not work. As many companies believed, that increasing home office and providing only hot desks to their employees will save space and money; this concept might not fully work in reality. The survey clearly showed that Gen Y has a desire for a personalized work place in the office. This contradicts with the wish to work anytime – anywhere. However, the workspace can and should be designed flexibly to allow for different teams settings when needed.
Of great importance also is the establishment of informal meeting areas, so that networking and communication are possible. This of course requires a different understanding of “work”, which must not necessarily be bound to the workplace as such. This might be a challenge within the company, where different working styles have to come together and be mutually accepted.
In relation to the desire for work-life Balance, other services should be accessible within the workplace; such as laundry services, canteen, gym, hairdresser, etc.
In terms of the technology to be provided, a mobile phone and a laptop are seen to be the natural ingredients for a work space, as everybody has one privately. The “status” function of these devices is no longer true. Additional productivity should offset the cost. Enterprise networks can release the wisdom of the crowd, leading to more innovation and better results.
Finally, we can conclude that there is a highly qualified and motivated workforce out there. We have to make sure that we embrace those new ways of thinking and working with an inclusive working environment. Because lastly, that´s what everybody – independent of the generation – expects: Valuation and appreciation of performance and a motivating working atmosphere.
What do you think? Wouldn´t that be nice?
Diversity & Inclusion
Generation Y and the Workplace – Challenges and opportunities for Employers (2)/Generation Y und ihr Arbeitsplatz – Chance und Herausforderung für Arbeitgeber (2)
Friday, May 27th, 2011 by Anke Meier
We already introduced Gen Y in our first edition. Today we want to have a look on their preferences for their future workplace.
If it comes to choosing a company, Generation Y has the highest priority on Opportunities for learning, Quality of Life and Work Colleagues. If it comes to other generations, Quality of Life is as well important to the ones in the midst respectively towards the end of their careers (Baby Boomers) and Generation X. Interestingly, in this group, the cohort of 36-45 year olds (which usually make up the biggest group of decision makers in companies), have different preferences: Meaningful work, Compensation and Corporate Values are most important to them. So, no wonder, why measures for work-life balance are so difficult to implement and being fully accepted in companies?
Not very surprisingly are the answers to the preferred location of a company. Most of the generations prefer an urban or slightly urban location with good public or other infrastructure to reach the workplace. I think this goes hand-in-hand with the desire to a Quality of Life, thus not spending hours in commuting from one place to another.
More interesting are the answers if it comes to the means of transportation to reach the workplace: even though the car is the most common way to commute, walking and cycling are as well desired means to commute. This combines in my opinion two three aspect: going green, physical well being (combing the way to work with exercise) and the answer to the increasing cost of energy and petrol. However this differs regionally: in India and the US the car is the preferred vehicle, whereas in China public transport is on top of the list. So, if companies seek their location, they should bear in mind, that not only wide car spaces and public transport but as well a safe infrastructure for walking and cycling should be provided.
Last but not least; the way of working is very important to GenY but not only to them: more than 55% of all respondents expect flexible work patterns (compared to conventional patterns like 8-6, 9-5 or 7-3). But regionally, the desire for flexibility is higher in Europe and the US, than in India or China. Here, conventional patterns are highly valued.
And how should the office look like to promote creativity and productivity? For most employees, the people around and the atmosphere trigger creativity, whereas productivity is triggered by technology in the office. So, it seems to be a rather human desire to be welcomed and work in a good team supported by sufficient technology to be productive.
What is your dream workplace? Please share your thoughts with us…
International Ambassadors
First Diversity & Inclusion Workshop at Henkel UK
Friday, May 20th, 2011 by Diane Humphrey
Fourteen delegates attended the first Diversity and Inclusion Workshop which took place on 19 May at the Hemel site. Following the success of this pilot a series of workshops are planned throughout the UK and Ireland.
The idea behind the workshop is to provide an open and friendly learning environment to promote understanding of Diversity and Inclusion within the Company. In addition to learning about the legal framework, and behavioural styles attendee’s were encouraged to ask all the ‘difficult’ questions that people sometimes feel too awkward or embarrassed to ask, and they certainly did that! The facilitator, Sneha Kilhay, was a good match for them though and always had practical and sensible answers.
One delegate thought that the session was a ‘must for all’ while others commented that the workshop was ‘informative and interesting’, ‘thought provoking’, and ‘eye-opening’ and left several of them wanting more!
Diane Humphrey, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, said ‘We had a great team of people at this event, they were eager to learn and participate and we had some fun whilst we were doing it. It was a great morning’s work’.
Diversity & Inclusion
New Head of Diversity Management at Henkel / Diversity Management bei Henkel mit neuer Leitung
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 by Astrid Bosten
Markus Dinslacken is Henkel’s new Head of Global Diversity & Inclusion. Dinslacken follows Anke Meier who, after three years of successfully heading this unit, will take up new responsibilities in the company.
The 42-year-old Dinslacken has over ten years’ international experience in various functions in IT and HR management at Henkel in both Germany and the USA.
“Diversity is a key driver of our business success”, says Kasper Rorsted, Chairman of the Henkel Management Board. “We are convinced that diverse teams, that is teams of different nationalities, gender and experience, contribute substantially to better understanding our different markets and further improving our performance.”
Diversity management at Henkel
As expressed in both its Code of Conduct and its Code of Teamwork and Leadership, Henkel is dedicated to diversity and inclusion and is keen to harness the benefits of such an approach for the good of the company. Alongside corporate guidelines that define the framework for all measures implemented in this field worldwide, Henkel has developed a Diversity Cockpit that monitors developments in internationality, gender and age in Henkel’s global structure. Henkel also signed Germany’s “Charta der Vielfalt” (Diversity Charter) in 2007, as a public expression of its commitment in this domain.
Henkel employs around 48,000 people from over 110 nations. More than 80 percent of these work outside of Germany and more than half in emerging countries. Henkel is thus one of the most internationally aligned German companies. In addition, almost 30 percent of the managing positions at Henkel are held by women. In light of this, diversity management has always been an important issue for Henkel and is overseen globally by a centrally managed organizational unit. [DE]
Diversity & Inclusion
Dream Team instead of Quota: Why companies cannot afford to do without modern Diversity & Inclusion concepts. Dreamteam statt Quote- Warum Firmen heute nicht mehr an einem modernen Diversity Management vorbeikommen.
Friday, May 13th, 2011 by Anke Meier
Dreamteam statt Quote- Warum Firmen heute nicht mehr an einem modernen Diversity Management vorbeikommen.
Es wird die These aufgestellt, dass die gegenwärtige Diskussion um eine Frauenquote für verschiedene Führungsebenen nicht weit genug greift: Nur umfassende Vielfalt von Mitarbeitern in allen Ausprägungen (Alter, Geschlecht, Nationalität, Ausbildung, sexuelle Ausrichtung, private Lebensumstände, Religion, etc) ermöglicht es, als Wunscharbeitgeber wahrgenommen zu werden, die passenden Mitarbeiter zu finden und diese auch langfristig zu binden.
Ein wesentliches Problem bei der Einführung von Diversity & Inclusion ist das mangelnde Bewusstsein der Führungskräfte dafür. Es gibt bei der Einstellung neuer Mitarbeiter das Phänomen des „Self-Cloning“, welches echte Vielfalt verhindert. Während man früher immer diejenigen Mitarbeiter bevorzugt hat, bei denen man ein gutes „Bauchgefühl“ hatte und sich somit sicher fühlte, sollte heutzutage eher das Gefühl der Unsicherheit ein Parameter sein, um mehr Vielfalt anzustreben. Dies natürlich nur unter der Bedingung, dass die Qualifikationskriterien voll erfüllt sind. Vielfalt auf Kosten der Qualität bringt keinen Nutzen. In diesem Punkt ist es wichtig, die Prozesse im Unternehmen kritisch zu beleuchten. So ist es zum Beispiel wichtig, dass Entscheidungen zur Einstellung oder Beförderung von Mitarbeitern von einem möglichst vielfältig besetzten Gremium getroffen werden, um self-cloning so weit wie möglich zu vermeiden.
Ein anderes wichtiges Element für mehr Vielfalt ist die Unternehmenskultur: Obwohl viele Firmen umfassende Angebote zur Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf haben, ist deren Nutzung häufig gering, oder diese Angebote sind implizit für Frauen mit Kindern gedacht. Andere Arbeitnehmergruppen befürchten berufliche Nachteile, wenn sie diese Angebote in Anspruch nehmen. So ist in vielen Firmen der Anteil von Männern mit Teilzeit sehr gering, obwohl diese genauso familiäre Verpflichtung haben und diesen auch gerne nachkommen würden. Hier gilt es , mit umfangreicher interner und externe Kommunikation und vor allem durch Vorbilder, einen Kulturwandel herbeizuführen. Die nachfolgenden Generationen von Mitarbeitern, die sogenannte Generation Y, fordert solche Rahmenbedingungen und will sie auch nutzen. Darauf sollten Firmen sich rechtzeitig einstellen; vor allem müssen auch die Mitarbeiter berücksichtigt werden, die ihre Karrieren noch im Rahmen der klassischen Aufgabenteilung zwischen Mann und Frau gemacht haben. Die impliziten Widerstände können sehr stark sein und einen echten Kulturwandel verhindern.
Durch diese und andere Maßnahmen können Firmen den Talentpool für sich gewinnen und die Mitarbeiter länger bei sich halten. Die Studie rechnet Einsparungen von rd. 10.000 Euro pro Mitarbeiter in dessen gesamten Lebenszyklus vor.
Dream Team instead of Quota: Why companies cannot afford to do without modern Diversity & Inclusion concepts.
It is said, that the actual discussion around a women´s quota in management positions does not release the full potential of Diversity: only a comprehensive definition of Diversity, including Gender, Age, Nationality, sexual orientation, Education, Religion and much more), helps to become the “employer of choice” , to attract the best employees and to retain them long-term.
One essential problem in realizing true Diversity & Inclusion is the unconscious bias of managers, leading to the phenomena of “self-cloning”, when hiring new employees. In former times it was good to hire those people, when we felt comfortable with them. Nowadays we should come out of our comfort zone and hire those, where we do not feel so comfortable, of course only, when the required qualification criteria are fully met. Diversity on cost of quality is no choice. However, this concept requires having a critical look on our processes inside the company. It is important for example, that hiring or promotion decisions are made by a true diverse committee to avoid self-cloning as far as possible.
Another important measure to benefit from Diversity is the company culture. Even though a lot of companies offer family friendly arrangements, their usage is low, or these offers are targeted implicitly at women with children. This excludes all other employees, who might fear disadvantages in their careers when asking for these offers too. The share of men working part-time is very low in companies. But these men are often fathers too and would like to fulfill their share of family work as well. To achieve this cultural change, internal and external communication is essential and most importantly role models. The future generations of employees, the so-called Generation Y, wants these offers and uses them. But it is important too, to look at those employees, who made their careers in more traditional sharing of family work between men and women. Their resistance can make it very hard to change the culture.
Companies, who take these and other measures, have a better chance to use the talent pool and retain their employees longer. The study shows savings of 10.000 Euro per employee during its life cycle within a company.
