Diversity Charter
| Diversity Charter | |
|---|---|
|
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| legal form | eV |
| founding | September 10, 2010 |
| founder | BASF , Bayer AG , BP Europa SE , Daimler AG , Deutsche Bahn , Deutsche Bank , Deutsche Telekom , E.ON , Ford-Werke GmbH , Henkel AG and McDonald's Germany |
| Seat | Berlin ( ⊙ ) |
| main emphasis | Diversity |
| Managing directors | Aletta Countess von Hardenberg |
| Website | charta-der-vielfalt.de |
The Diversity Charter is a voluntary commitment published in 2006 and an association under the patronage of the Federal Chancellor , which advocates a working environment free of prejudice. By signing the Diversity Charter, employers declare that they will create or promote equal opportunities for their employees. In 2018 there were 3,000 signatories (as of September 2018), in addition to well-known large corporations, small and medium-sized companies, academic and social institutions and authorities.
overview
Important projects of the Diversity Charter are the annually recurring nationwide German Diversity Day in spring, as well as the diversity conference in Berlin in November, in cooperation with Tagesspiegel.
The “Diversity Charter” is a voluntary commitment that advocates “ Diversity Management ”. The Diversity Charter declares that the German economy as a result of globalization and demographic change can only be successful if the variety ( diversity uses) of employees. Diversity is understood to mean the different personal characteristics and abilities of every single person within a workforce.
The aim of the Diversity Charter is to create a working environment in which all employees experience the same appreciation and support, regardless of nationality , ethnic origin, religion or belief , disability , age, sexual orientation and identity . Successful diversity management has advantages and opportunities for companies and institutions: A diverse environment promotes economic success and increases the ability of organizations to adapt to external circumstances, such as global markets or international customers.
By signing the Diversity Charter, companies and institutions undertake to create and maintain a suitable organizational culture ; HR processes are to be checked and adapted if necessary in accordance with the Diversity Charter. The signatories declare that they fundamentally recognize and want to use the diversity of society. In addition, they undertake to communicate the goals of the Diversity Charter internally and externally, to report annually on their progress and to involve employees in the implementation.
Critics accuse various signatories of using the Diversity Charter solely to improve their image rather than for the sincere recognition and appreciation of diversity within organizations. In fact, the Diversity Charter eV does not check whether the signatory organizations implement the standards of self-commitment. Even the federal government, which through the Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, countersigns every Charter document of the signatory companies and organizations, does not check whether they are actually implementing the Charter standards. The Diversity Charter, in turn, only requires the “active participation of the signatories in the German Diversity Day and the publication of examples of implementation from diversity management that are worth emulating”.
The charter ends with the sentence: "We are convinced: lived diversity and appreciation of this diversity has a positive impact on society in Germany."
History and organization
The Diversity Charter was initiated in December 2006 by four companies. Chancellor Angela Merkel took over the patronage from the beginning . From 2007 to 2010 the initiative was overseen by Maria Böhmer , at that time Minister of State in the Federal Chancellery and Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration .
On September 10, 2010, eleven companies founded the Charter of Diversity Association . based in Berlin . From this point on, the association took over the content-related work to promote the topic of diversity management in Germany. The Federal Government continued to be represented by the Migration and Integration Commissioner (since 2013 Aydan Özoğuz) as a board member.
Board members since 2017 are:
- Allianz Germany, Ana-Cristina Grohnert (CEO)
- Deutsche Bank AG, Gernot Sendowski (Deputy CEO)
- Boehringer Ingelheim Germany, Denise Hottmann
- Ernst & Young, Oliver Simon
- The Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, represented by Bernd Knopf
The association had 24 institutional members in 2017: Adidas , Allianz , BASF , Bayer , Boehringer Ingelheim , BMW , BP Europa , Commerzbank , Daimler , Deutsche Bahn , Deutsche Bank , Deutsche Post , Deutsche Telekom , Ernst & Young , GE Germany , Henkel , Innogy , Metro , Osram , Novartis , Sanofi , SAP , Siemens and Volkswagen .
Projects
The association “Charter of Diversity” organizes various projects.
The German Diversity Day
The "German Diversity Day" or "Diversity Day" is an annual, nationwide day of action that calls on organizations to stand up for diversity and to create social awareness of diversity. It first took place on June 11, 2013. Around 240 companies and other organizations took part with 360 activities.
On May 30, 2017, the “5th German Diversity Day ”, with the participation of around 440 organizations with over 1,300 activities. Various federal authorities also took part on the day of action. The 6th German Diversity Day took place on June 5, 2018, with over 600 companies and institutions and over 2,000 campaigns. The 7th German Diversity Day took place on May 28, 2019, the date for the 8th Diversity Day is May 26, 2020.
Diversity conference
In addition to social commitment to diversity, the aim of the Diversity Charter is to promote professional exchange on the topic. At the annual diversity conference in cooperation with Tagesspiegel, experts will discuss new challenges and trends in diversity management for two days. The conference took place for the first time under the title "DIVERSITY 2012" on November 8th and 9th, 2012 in Berlin.
In 2017 the conference took place on November 16 and 17. In 2016, alongside Ana-Cristina Grohnert, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Diversity Charter, and Managing Partner Talent, Ernst & Young GmbH, Federal Minister Manuela Schwesig, Armin von Buttlar, Board Member of Aktion Mensch e. V., Christina Schulte-Kutsch, Vice President Leadership Development at Deutsche Telekom AG and Stephan Schwarz, President of the Berlin Chamber of Crafts.
In 2018 it took place on November 22 and 23, 2018, the 2019 conference took place on November 14 and 15.
Study on the 10 year charter: Diversity in Germany
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Diversity Charter, the study “Diversity in Germany” was published by Ernest & Young and the Diversity Charter in November 2016. For the first time, a comparison was made between the cross-section of companies in Germany and the companies and institutions that have signed the Diversity Charter.
It is interesting that the ranking of the implemented measures differs little between the signatories and the national cross-section. For the third of the companies and institutions that practice active diversity management, measures to make working hours and place of work more flexible, as well as measures to recruit and develop personnel are in the foreground. However, Charter signatories implement the measures twice as often as the national comparison group. The diversity measures also differ: while charter signatories see anchoring diversity in their strategy and addressing target groups as important priorities, classic diversity instruments such as mentoring and networks rank first among those who have not signed . Finally, 29% of the charter signatories state that they have responsibility for diversity management in their organization. In the national cross-section this is only 4%.
The study creates a typology of four different clusters, each representing a different approach to diversity: skeptics, pragmatists, communicators and strategies. On a national average, there are more skeptics than signatories. With 31% and 30%, the charter signatories mostly belong to the group of communicators and strategists. The latter approach diversity comprehensively, while communicators see diversity as the organization's bridge to the world.
“Overall, Germany is a diverse country, and we derive a large part of our productivity from this diversity. We have to see them as an opportunity to use their potential. ” Patron Angela Merkel in the foreword of the study
“Diversity management is not a project and not a series of individual measures. It's a journey and should be taken into account in every decision. ” Aletta Gräfin von Hardenberg, Managing Director of the Diversity Charter in the foreword of the study
Diversity workshops in the anniversary year: “10 years. 10 cities. The Diversity Charter on Tour. "
For the 10th anniversary, the Diversity Charter organized a “workshop tour” through Germany in order to take stock of diversity nationwide and to bring the topic of diversity more strongly into the regions. Workshops on the topic of diversity were offered by nine different hosts in 10 cities. In this context, companies and institutions exchanged views with experts on the current status of diversity, discussed trends, challenges and opportunities and asked the following questions: Where do we stand after ten years of the Diversity Charter? How is diversity integrated into everyday work? Which trends for the future can be read from this?
The results of the diversity workshops were compiled and serve the Diversity Charter e. V. to understand a status of diversity management in the regions and were presented during the diversity conference in November 2016.
Round table of the Diversity Charter on Refugee Aid
With the support of Ernest & Young, the Diversity Charter set up a round table in 2015 , in which, among other things, representatives of companies participate in order to coordinate the further action of the economy in refugee aid. The kick-off took place in Berlin in November 2015. Three more meetings followed in 2016, at which specific solutions to the challenges of refugee integration were developed.
On October 9, 2017, the 5th round table meeting on refugee aid took place in order to "hand over the baton to initiatives such as" We together "and the network" Companies integrate refugees ", or to local associations" .
Media coverage: criticism and reactions
criticism
One year after the start of the initiative in 2006, Der Spiegel spoke of “nebulous content” in the article “Nice bill for free” and doubted that any concrete success had been achieved. Above all, it was criticized that the company initiative did not make clear demands on companies and organizations to become signatories. In this way, companies can keep up appearances without improving the opportunities for refugees, people with disabilities and other employees in practice. The Manager Magazine presented the 2010 Charter co-founder BP as an example for businesses that give responsibly to the outside, but the sustainability neglected in business operations. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung stated in 2011 that the German Football Association had signed the charter with publicity, but had not appointed a single woman to the executive committee. Eight of the then thirteen members of the Charter Association had no women on the board. In 2016, of the 19 association members, over half of the association members (12 companies) had women on the board.
At the beginning of 2016, Deutschland Radio Kultur published an article on the status of the Diversity Charter after ten years and on the position of the Verdi union , which criticized the employer approach of the Diversity Charter. One of the union’s main arguments has been that the Diversity Charter emphasizes the economic benefits of diversity rather than humanity.
One counter-argument put forward addresses the structure of the Diversity Charter. As a corporate initiative, she has the task of u. a. to make diversity management publicly known and to advance the topic within the organizations instead of using external instruments such as legislation and quotas to bring about changes.
Further coverage
There was positive media coverage of the work of the corporate initiative in 2008 in the Handelsblatt, which spoke of a “positive interim balance sheet for the Diversity Charter”, and in the following years in the WirtschaftsWoche , Tagesspiegel and other specialist magazines. In these contributions, the approach of changing corporate culture was placed in the foreground. The work in recent years has shown that diversity management is most successful in bringing about a change in corporate culture when it is a matter of "top management". It is particularly important to found a company initiative that addresses and activates the management floors of companies. In addition, the approach could be disputed. Nevertheless, initiatives that advocate more appreciation, tolerance and respect in working life are an advantage for everyone - employees and employers.
For the 10th anniversary of the Diversity Charter in 2016, further media reports were published that dealt with the work of the last ten years, on the 4th German Diversity Day and the status of diversity in Germany. The media also reported on diversity workshops, for example in an interview with the managing director of the Diversity Charter and the President of Werder Bremen .
The study “Diversity in Germany” published in November 2016 by Ernest & Young and the Diversity Charter also received media attention. The Tagesspiegel headlined "For the development of each individual". The TIME led to the CEOs of the Diversity Charter, Ana Cristina Grohnert, an interview was received in the results of the study.
Other / trivia
The Diversity Charter is part of the “EU Diversity Charter” network. The European Commission set up this platform so that national initiatives can be better coordinated across Europe. There are similarly structured charter initiatives in 16 other European countries. a. in Poland, Austria, Italy and France.
The Diversity Charter e. V. was nominated in 2015 and 2016 for the "Digital Communication Awards" for press and public relations work relating to the German Diversity Day. In 2014, the Diversity Charter received the HR Excellence Award in the category of equal opportunities at work.
Web links
- Official website of the Diversity Charter
- Study "Diversity in Germany" published by EY, November 2016 (PDF), 2016
- Diversity Charter e. V., Factbook Diversity 2017 (PDF), 2017
Individual evidence
- ↑ rbb signs “Diversity Charter”. In: charta-der-vielfalt.de. Retrieved December 23, 2018 .
- ↑ Diversity Charter: Signatories. Retrieved September 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Diversity Charter: German Diversity Day. Diversity Charter, accessed September 28, 2017 .
- ^ Der Tagesspiegel: Website of the DIVERSITY conference. Retrieved September 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Diversity Charter: The full text of the Charter. Retrieved September 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Diversity - diversity labels instead of diversity labels. Retrieved May 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Patronage of the Diversity Charter eV / Countersigned documents by the Federal Chancellery. Retrieved December 13, 2017 .
- ↑ Diversity Charter eV: FAQ on signing Diversity Charter. (PDF) Retrieved September 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Diversity Charter: The full text of the Charter. Retrieved September 28, 2017 .
- ↑ About the charter at www.charta-der-vielfalt.de, accessed on September 28, 2017.
- ↑ Diversity as Opportunity 2008. ( Memento from October 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) at www.charta-der-vielfalt.de, accessed on June 30, 2014.
- ↑ Press release from the integration officer ( memento of the original from February 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at www.bundesregierung.de, September 23, 2010, accessed on February 17, 2016.
- ↑ Board of Directors at www.charta-der-vielfalt.de, accessed on September 26, 2017.
- ^ Association members at www.charta-der-vielfalt.de, accessed on September 26, 2017.
- ↑ Diversity day? Diversity Day?
- ↑ Diversity Charter eV: Diversity Actions. (PDF) Retrieved September 26, 2017 .
- ↑ German Diversity Day. Diversity Charter eV, accessed on September 26, 2017 .
- ↑ 6th German Diversity Day - Diversity Companies June 5, 2018. (PDF; 351 kB) Diversity Charter eV, June 5, 2018, accessed on February 22, 2019 .
- ↑ 7th German Diversity Day: We show the flag for diversity! In: Results presentation 2019. Retrieved on October 26, 2019 .
- ↑ German Diversity Day. Diversity Charter eV, accessed on October 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Diversity Charter - Diversity Conference. In: humanresourcesmanager.de. Retrieved February 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Save the Date: The leading conference for diversity in the working world, November 14th and 15th, 2019 in Berlin. Diversity Charter eV, accessed on February 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Diversity study in Germany. (PDF) EY, accessed September 26, 2017 .
- ↑ Study “Diversity in Germany”. (PDF) EY, accessed September 26, 2017 .
- ↑ EY: EY wants to better coordinate economic refugee aid with other companies. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 22, 2016 ; accessed on November 21, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Diversity Charter eV: Companies are committed to refugees - Second working meeting of the "Round Table of the Diversity Charter on Refugee Aid". (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 22, 2016 ; accessed on September 26, 2017 .
- ↑ Breaking new ground: 5th meeting of the round table on refugee aid. Diversity Charter eV, October 10, 2017, accessed on February 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Anna Reimann: “Charter of Diversity”: Nice bill for free. at www.spiegel.de, December 5, 2007, accessed June 30, 2014.
- ↑ More appearance than being at www.manager-magazin.de, October 26, 2010, accessed on July 1, 2014.
- ↑ “Diversity Charter” - a bit more colorful, please go to www.faz.net, August 19, 2011, accessed on July 1, 2014.
- ↑ Ten years after the corporate offensive: What happened to the "Diversity Charter"? DeutschlandRadio Kultur, accessed on November 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Positive interim results for the “Diversity Charter”. Handelsblatt, accessed on November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Diversity means above all understanding the customer. WirtschaftsWoche, accessed on November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Diversity. Tagesspiegel, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Continuously busy with diversity. Tagesspiegel, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Ten years of the Diversity Charter: "Much has been achieved - but more needs to be done". Heise.de, accessed on November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Study “Diversity in Germany”. (PDF) (No longer available online.) EY, archived from the original on December 22, 2016 ; accessed on December 22, 2016 .
- ↑ With diversity to success. Detector FM, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Ten years of the Diversity Charter: "Much has been achieved - but more needs to be done". Haufe, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ "Mixed teams are not successful per se". Weser Kurier, accessed on November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ For the development of each individual. Tagesspiegel, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ "A tolerant corporate culture is not a question of company size". ZEIT Online, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Diversity Charters across the EU. European Commission, accessed November 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Karta Różnorodności. Retrieved November 21, 2016 .
- ↑ WKO: Charter of Diversity. WKO.at, accessed on September 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Carta per le pari opportunitá è l'uguaglianza sul lavoro. Sodalitas.it, accessed on November 21, 2016 .
- ^ Charte de la Diversité. Retrieved November 21, 2016 .
- ^ Digital Communication Awards. Retrieved November 21, 2016 .
- ↑ HR Excellence Awards 2014. Accessed November 21, 2016 .
