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Seminar ‘’Diversity & Inclusion : its impact on the well-being in the workplace’’
31 mai 2023
We would like to thank you for attending our seminar ‘’Diversity and Inclusion : its impact on the well-being in the workplace’’ which was held at CIRCL on 31 May 2023.
What an afternoon rich in exchanges and encounters around this important topic!
Divided into several key moments with lots of interaction between the speakers and the audience, the format allowed for a very open, free and constructive discussion.
Our seminar started with a presentation of Stefan Twigt from Sia Partners on the importance of DEIB.
The presentation can be found > here <.
Later on, Stefan also gave another presentation on how to write an inclusive job offer so that everyone can identify. Consequence : Your pool of candidates will also be more diverse.
Simple things such as having a good balance between Masculine & Feminine coded words can already make a difference. His presentation can be found > here <.
During the first session, we focused on three companies which have already concrete projects and examples to share. Our guests speakers were:
- Thomas Hullegie from Sanofi
- Iulia Brehuescu from Sanofi
- Cunera Vlaar from Sodexo
- Soyana Mooren from Publicis
Each of them shared examples of the new standards they have put in place and their positive impact on employees.
While some progresses have been made, there is still a long road ahead to reach a place where everyone feels they belong!
Very committed to creating an inclusive workspace where everyone feels at home, their advice was : Communication is key. Know your employees and their needs and then, start implementing as the well-being of your employees will improve and consequently, their commitments towards your company will too.
Before our second panel, we had the chance to welcome on stage Mirjam Koornneef and Marloes de Bloeme from Equal Recruitment. A company that works and recruits inclusively.
The recruiters being visually impaired, they really look at who the candidates are without judging their appearance. Only knowledge and skills are considered.
For more info click > here <
For the second session, we had the pleasure to listen to:
- Anne-Claire Lacroix from Under Armour
- Mark van Lieshout from Geodis
- Helen Demosthenous from KLM
They discussed with us on how to adapt the company’s culture to have all the employees on board.
There is, unfortunately, no magical recipe but to reach that goal, it is mandatory to set yourself some targets. Without KPI’s, you will not know if you are going the right direction! And again COMMUNICATION!
Our seminar ended with our Keynote speaker, Dr. Marcia Goddard, who brilliantly explained how our brains are biased.
Examples such as : Hurricanes are being named in turns with female or male names.
But did you know that hurricanes with female names are deadlier than hurricanes with male names? Indeed, they are being perceived less dangerous (obviously not ! as all hurricanes can be dangerous! ) and therefore, people are being less cautious!
How can we counterpart your biased brain?
- Appoint a devil’s advocate to challenge each other’s biases
- Add diverse perspectives whenever possible
- Use socratic questions to facilitate conversations about bias
To know more, check Dr. Goddard’s presentation > here <.
We ended this insightful afternoon with a networking cocktail where everyone could dive deeper into D&I while having a drink and eating some delicious vegetarian bites.
Please visit our photo gallery below to view some of our favorite pictures from this event.