in the last few days I read a lot about diversity dashboards as a new instrument to improve diversity and inclusion in work environments.
This may work in the UK or in the US.
But in Germany, it is culturally unimaginable just to ask employees about their race or ethnic origin, their religion (beyond what is necessary to do pay role/or if the employer is a church) or belief, their sexual orientation or identity, or any other potentially diverse attribute. It is strictly forbidden to record and evaluate this in personnel information systems. Interestingly, gender has always been recorded and evaluated. Probably because it was needed in the past to address the employee formally in German.
The General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) prohibits discrimination against people on the basis of gender, pregnancy, age, disability, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, and sexual orientation or identity. In job interviews, it is permissible to lie with impunity in response to questions about this.
„Lying in response to an inadmissible question is permissible and often more convincing than simply not answering. Nevertheless, a lie, if it becomes known later, can strain the relationship of trust in the employment relationship.“
Serious employers in Germany do not ask such questions anytime.
This does not mean that employees cannot be open and honest so that colleagues and/or the employer knows about these factors. But the employer must not record and cannot report.
Positive discrimination is allowed in principle and as far as I know, it happens only based on gender officially.
„But a quota system involving an automatic, absolute, and unconditional preference for women in order to counteract their under-representation is not compatible with European law (because it constituted discrimination against men). Furthermore, a general preference for female applicants with the same qualifications in a field in which women are underrepresented does not constitute discrimination if it can be guaranteed that in each individual case an objective assessment of the criteria is carried out and the priority given to female applicants ceases to exist if the criteria prevail in favor of the male applicant.“
The latest legislation is the Second Management Positions Act (FüPoG II) from January. At least one member must be a woman and one a man on the executive boards of listed companies that have 2,000+ employees and 3+ members. This will affect about 70 companies, of which about 30 currently have no women on the board yet.
That’s where we are over here. Nevertheless, all serious companies are trying to become more diverse. Because they know that diverse teams work better. And, of course, because customers demand it.
In my eyes, the so German-sounding approach (measuring, counting and weighing of facts) of the Anglo-American sphere is not helpful here. In reality it is a mindset.
“There can be 12 white, blue-eyed, blonde men in a room, and they’re going to be diverse too because they’re going to bring a different life experience and life perspective to the conversation.”
Denise Young Smith, Apple’s first VP of inclusion and diversity, departed just a month after she made this at that time surprising and controversial comments on diversity while speaking at a conference in Bogota. She was under fire.
I think that she was not wrong in saying so. It is nonsensical to conclude attitude and mindset from external characteristics. It’s the same as thinking that women can’t work in technical jobs or men can’t work in nursing. That’s silly, isn’t it?
Diversity and inclusion is much more than that. It is enriching for me to work with people from all over the world, German, British, French, Turkish, Syrian, Persian, South Tyrolean, Chinese, Indian or Argentine, with different skin tones, hair and eye colors, straight, gay, lesbian or asexual, old or young, thin, medium or strong, Catholic, Muslim, non-religious, agnostic or atheist, with beards, with tattoos, with piercings or without, highly educated academically or practitioners, married, partnered or divorced, with or without children, vegetarians, vegans or beef eaters, lawyers, programmers, librarians, translators, secretaries or cooks, nearsighted, farsighted or blind. .. for what they can do and how they can do it, how they see the world, that we share the same issues, challenges, problems, because they try to solve them, make the difference, are open or not about everything, share and care, be honest, friendly and humorous.
We’re here to help.