An interview with Sandra Schengen, psychologist at Spuerkeess.
Sandra, how do you define diversity and inclusion, and why are they important in the workplace?
Diversity refers to the presence of a wide range of human differences within a group, organisation, or society. It encompasses various dimensions, including but not limited to race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and socioeconomic background. Inclusion, on the other hand, involves creating an environment where all individuals feel welcomed, respected, and valued for their unique contributions and perspectives.
Diversity and inclusion are crucial in the workplace for several reasons:
• Different perspectives and experiences lead to fresh and unique ideas, promoting creativity and driving innovation.
• A diverse workforce can bring various approaches and solutions to challenges, improving decision-making processes.
• When employees feel included, they tend to be more engaged, motivated, and satisfied with their work.
• A diverse workforce can better understand and cater to the needs of a diverse customer base.
Can you share your experience in creating a diverse and inclusive team?
At Spuerkeess, we have implemented an unbiased recruitment process and we engage in ongoing diversity training and awareness programmes. We believe in fostering a healthy working environment based on respect for each other. For this reason, we encourage our employees to take part in a professional development programme based on their level of leadership. We provide support for underrepresented groups within our Bank and ensure equitable opportunities for career advancement.
How do you ensure that diversity and inclusion efforts are integrated into your recruitment?
No discrimination based on age, gender, religion, ethnic origin, or any other personal characteristic is tolerated. In fact, our recruitment team is trained in unconscious bias and the selection of our candidates is based on a skills repository that underpins all our HR processes. In addition, we try to 'standardise' several questions to create a level playing field during the recruitment interview.
How do you handle situations where there may be resistance to diversity and inclusion efforts?
At Spuerkeess, we aim to foster a culture of respect. Thus, we encourage dialogue and engage in awareness campaigns by emphasising the strength that team diversity can bring. We believe that we must lead by example and, thus, encourage our managers to actively support diversity and inclusion, emphasising its value and ensuring accountability. Our team leaders play a crucial part in creating a healthy work environment. In the event of conflict, the HR department acts as a mediator and tries to find solutions that are acceptable to the parties involved.
Can you provide examples of specific actions you have taken to support underrepresented or marginalised groups within your organisation?
We actively seek diverse candidates for leadership positions to provide role models and drive institutional change. We believe that encouraging diverse leadership is a real strength in supporting teams. To create this openness to diverse leadership, we organise regular leadership events, such as conferences, surveys, round tables, and image campaigns, as well as setting up a mentoring system and offering internal coaching for employees that are preparing their next career step. To conclude, we have implemented policies that set clear guidelines and procedures to address any forms of discrimination or harassment within the workplace.
How do you address unconscious bias within the workplace and how do you promote a culture of inclusion?
We educate our employees about common biases and their impact on promotions and evaluations. To ensure fairness, we regularly evaluate our recruitment and promotion processes to minimise potential biases. To conclude, we recently signed the "Pacte Entreprise et droits de l'homme" to develop our working environment and ensure that it is as fair and inclusive as possible.
To conclude, I would like to point out that we are still at the very beginning of our journey and that we are aware of how challenging change can be, especially when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Still, we are determined to take the first steps forward in the near future.
Read also:
Spuerkeess: Ethics and how we ensure integrity throughout our organisation
