DEI: Now personal responsibility is required

Multiple crises and AI transformation – there is currently a lot of pressure on companies that can have a negative impact on the promotion of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). It may take a while until the legislature sets appropriate guardrails against anti-discrimination and for more inclusion in the labor market, or until there is more budget for DEI again. Waiting would slow down previous efforts.

The approximately 200 guests at this year’s Corporate Diversity Summit agreed that this should be counteracted. For the fifth time, the FAZ Institute invited corporates and consultants from the DEI sector to the FAZ Tower in Frankfurt am Main to exchange ideas about the latest developments and challenges.

IKEA and Henkel: Don’t wait for the legislator when it comes to DEI

It became clear: companies that are pioneers in DEI do not wait for lawmakers to introduce regulations. Instead, they develop concepts for their own organization that offer more than the previous minimum that is prescribed by law or loudly demanded by the majority of society. It’s about moving forward courageously, especially in this day and age.

An example of this is Henkel. The group has already introduced a global eight-week paid gender-neutral parental leave at the beginning of 2024. A very complex and expensive organizational process, but still worth it. Since then, far more people – especially men – have taken parental leave, reported Andrea Becher, Global Head of Talent Acquisition, Leadership, Learning and Culture, Henkel, at the event. Applications have also increased significantly since its introduction. Meanwhile, the draft law on family start time is still lying idle in the government – with which a similar concept should be introduced throughout Germany. “We have the opportunity to change something systemically,” said Becher.

IKEA also tries to provide the best possible support to talented people where they are more likely to be let down by politics or face challenges. The company has developed a seven-week program for refugee women to enable them to enter the job market. To make this possible, IKEA helps women to deal with the bureaucracy that was previously necessary, said Jenny Ärlemalm, project manager at ED&I, IKEA Holding Germany, in a panel. The aim is to then get the women into employment.

It is more common for women to lose their residence status and work permit in the meantime. Then IKEA tries to keep her position available for her, which is not always easy due to personnel planning. The bureaucracy and legal regulations severely hindered the integration of refugee women into the labor market. “I don’t understand it,” says Ärlemalm.

DEI: Individuals must be role models

In addition to Ärlemalm, Selmin H. Çalışkan was also part of the panel. She has been working as a consultant and executive coach for the advancement of women in companies for years. She criticizes the fact that there is currently more and more defunding of funding measures. “We have to put pressure on financial support,” says Çalışkan. It is now up to each and every one of us to speak up loudly for DEI, even if we are afraid of the reactions.

Many managers also worry about misbehaving in certain situations. But they are exactly the ones who can significantly promote DEI in the teams. “What counts is what we set an example,” said Siegfried Ehlert, Managing Director IT at Union Investment and Chairman of the Diversity Council there, in his keynote speech. He also reported that Union Investment wants to increase the proportion of women in the IT sector – for example through inclusive recruiting, visibility of female role models and appropriate networks. At the same time, we want to promote intercultural teams. There were awareness-raising events for managers for this purpose.

What influences his work is that he grew up on a farm. There it was completely normal for all employees to sit at the family table while eating, everyone was treated equally and belonged.

What creates belonging in the company?

The fact that values ​​such as DEI cannot be exemplified according to a blueprint was made clear, among other things, by the statements of Sven Nagelsdiek, company social worker and inclusion officer at Afb social & green IT. He talked about an employee with autism who had a long absence due to illness during his probationary period. Afb could have let him go. However, in close communication with him, they decided to find a solution so that he could do his job in the best possible way.

It should not be underestimated what a difference it makes when your employer believes in you, says Nagelsdiek. Today, the employee in question is one of the company’s best talents. Close support from him as an inclusion officer and the manager, but also support from management in the event of a case, would have made the crucial difference.

Nagelsdiek appeared as a speaker in the panel on the topic of “Belonging”, moderated by human resources editor Lena Onderka. Stephanie Höfer, co-founder & CEO of HeyParents – a provider of a parental leave management system – sat next to him on stage. She said: “We need leaders who have a genuine interest in people.” You would have to convey to the team: No matter what life situation you find yourself in, we will take it into account. Belonging arises from the employer’s behavior in exceptional situations. This could be done systematically, for example through good parental leave management, or through individual exchange.

Think about DEI in AI transformation

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), companies should also think about DEI right from the start of the transformation – those present at the Diversity Summit agreed on this. But there is still a lot of uncertainty here – perhaps also because the legal guidelines in this regard are still being developed. Although the EU AI Act already exists, many of the regulations contained therein will only apply from 2027. Until then, AI may unintentionally be used in a way that discriminates.

The cosmetics company Cosnova is already active. First of all, the team around Rebecca Schaber, Senior Manager GenAI, explains to the workforce that algorithms and interfaces are currently mostly written by men and that AI lacks inclusive training material. This leads to distortions and discrimination in the AI’s answers.

As a result, companies would have to pay attention to the data base of the software they work with and check it thoroughly for discrimination before using it. At the same time, Schaber teaches all employees in training how to be inclusive and how to check the results for possible discrimination. It is also important that all employees have equal access to AI tools and learn how to use them.

When it comes to pay transparency, many companies currently have to wait for the legislature and specific guidelines. Here too, however, it is advisable to set up the compensation structures accordingly and to take responsibility for ensuring fair compensation. This was the conclusion of the stage discussion with Alexander Insam, labor law attorney and partner at the Görg law firm. You can read more about the planned pay transparency law here:

Lena Onderka is editorially responsible for the Employee Experience & Retention area – which also includes, for example, the topics of BGM and employee surveys. She also looks after the topic of diversity. She is also the editorial contact for the German Human Resources Summit and the HR Forum Banking.