fining “diversity and inclusion” is a Herculean task when it comes to reaching consensus. But destiny mixes with the path, and in the path there is a shared will: to build something bigger and better.
These are priorities of many companies and the numbers point to the positive impact on culture, development and even business growth. “Diversity” and “inclusion” have become popular expressions when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, even more so in the age of the global market. But this does not make the meaning of the terms consensual in the business context.
For Rebeca Venâncio, Head of PR & Comms at Microsoft Portugal, although the definition is not common, the “goal is, more or less, the same”. “Companies are clearly aware that any organisation that has diversity and inclusion as a major theme or part of its culture, mission and values, will always be a company that manages to ensure that its teams guarantee better products because they are more representative of the reality that we have in the world”, she pointed out in ReFLEXions by Coverflex on the theme “Diversity and inclusion, differentiating factors?”.
For Rebeca Venâncio, Head of PR & Comms at Microsoft Portugal, although the definition is not common, the “goal is, more or less, the same”. “Companies are clearly aware that any organisation that has diversity and inclusion as a major theme or part of its culture, mission and values, will always be a company that manages to guarantee that its teams assure better products because they are more representative of the reality that we have in the world”, she pointed out in ReFLEXions by Coverflex on the theme “Diversity and inclusion, differentiating factors?”.
For Sara Almeida, Recruitment Excellence Manager at Remote, the issue is also not seen in the same way. She underlines the great “evolution” that has taken place since 2014-15 on the subject. “The definition of diversity is not the same, and that not only brings more complexity but also legal work for companies to make sure they are dealing with the issue and solving it”. For the specialist, this universe has four parameters that cannot live without each other: diversity, inclusion, a sense of belonging and equity. “These four parameters cannot live without each other, and they are all encompassed. It is also important to understand that it is not just the issue of diversity but what you do with the issue of diversity. We are keeping an eye on the part of creating opportunities that are fair for everyone.”
In the search for the best talent, it is necessary, more than defining the terms, to apply theory in practice. At Jerónimo Martins, Teresa Santos, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, directs a department linked to the hiring of people with disabilities. The company has a training school that trains new employees and, at the same time, gives the existing team the tools to integrate colleagues. The specialist sees an opportunity for progress in this area. “Without diversity and inclusion there is no evolution”, she pointed out in the debate. “At the rate we grow annually, we notice a difference. And without that diversity, it would be impossible”, she explained, reinforcing that most of the time when diversity is mentioned, this reference is restricted to gender issues, which is reductive. “The projects I work on are very focused on people with disabilities, refugees and people in social situations at risk. And despite the fact that Jerónimo Martins has been hiring people with disabilities for more than 20 years, because we created this department, the projects accelerated immensely. It makes a big difference in teams: it's that initial feeling of fear of not knowing how to deal with hearing impaired people and then asking us to learn sign language. This changes the entire organisation,” she underlined.
In the search for the best talent, it is necessary, more than defining the terms, to apply theory in practice. At Jerónimo Martins, Teresa Santos, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, directs a department linked to the hiring of people with disabilities. The company has a training school that trains new employees and, at the same time, gives the existing team the tools to integrate colleagues. The specialist sees an opportunity for progress in this area. “Without diversity and inclusion there is no evolution”, she pointed out in the debate. “At the rate we grow annually, we notice a difference. And without that diversity, it would be impossible”, she explained, reinforcing that most of the time when diversity is mentioned, this reference is restricted to gender issues, which is reductive. “The projects I work on are very focused on people with disabilities, refugees and people in social situations at risk. And despite the fact that Jerónimo Martins has been hiring people with disabilities for more than 20 years, because we created this department, the projects accelerated immensely. It makes a big difference in teams: it's that initial feeling of fear of not knowing how to deal with hearing impaired people and then asking us to learn sign language. This changes the entire organisation,” she underlined.
Where to start?
The growing awareness that “diversity and inclusion” are topics that are increasingly relevant to culture and business development is evident. At Microsoft, diversity and inclusion are not only worked from the bottom up or from the top down, but in a “cross-cutting way”. “We look at diversity and inclusion the same way we look at cybersecurity: assuming the flaw, the bias”, she acknowledges. Not being afraid of “hard conversations” takes many forms, but it also brings another level of thinking. “We can no longer - and aren't able to - conceive of things without this layer, despite adding complexity. In fact, we recognise it, and it adds a layer to what could be more basic or elementary tasks. In fact, we welcome this need to have these values engrained in this culture so well that this is a greater good”, she pointed out.
But what if a business project starts and grows with diversity and inclusion as a foundation? “It is very important to understand that the success of Remote's product is due to the fact that it is a product of diversity and inclusion: we are creating opportunities for companies to look for talent in other geographies where their legal entities are not originally located, and make their teams more diverse. For this reason, it is already, in itself, a mechanism for diversity and inclusion”, points out Sara Almeida.
In just two years, the Remote team has grown from two to more than 1,000 people: at its base, the “law” of diversity and inclusion. Practical examples of this effort are, for example, not following a business calendar – for example, explains Sara, it makes no sense to mark Christmas because, as we are so diverse, there are people who do not celebrate it” –, work asynchronously – “this means there is flexibility in working hours and that is reflected in the inclusion of time zones” – or the existence of a bot in Slack that alerts the sender of the message to the use of non-inclusive language. “Maybe you want to change this”, warns the bot when faced with words less suited to the multiplicity of voices.
In just two years, the Remote team has grown from two to more than 1,000 people: at its base, the “law” of diversity and inclusion. Practical examples of this effort are, for example, not following a business calendar – for example, explains Sara, it makes no sense to mark Christmas because, as we are so diverse, there are people who do not celebrate it” –, work asynchronously – “this means there is flexibility in working hours and that is reflected in the inclusion of time zones” – or the existence of a bot in Slack that alerts the sender of the message to the use of non-inclusive language. “Maybe you want to change this”, warns the bot when faced with words less suited to the multiplicity of voices.
“These are things that don't just happen. At Remote, we've been lucky in the sense that we're a scaleup, we're a unicorn, and we've had that awareness from the start: we're almost at 50-50, but this isn't a random thing or something that just happened. There was effort to achieve this. And this is not just the responsibility of the leadership team, it is the responsibility of all Remote employees. And that mentality is very present in us”, said Sara Almeida.
And if the principle can be the North Star, ensuring the continuity of these practices is often another challenge. “It's very easy to interview, recruit and put a person to work. The difficult thing is to keep the person motivated, happy, especially when it is the first job”, warns Teresa Santos, about her experiences at Jerónimo Martins.
It is also to continue this awareness and construction that, at Microsoft and Remote, there are “ERGs ”, informal groups made up of volunteers representing certain communities, who manage an agenda around the themes of the groups to which they belong.
It is also to continue this awareness and construction that, at Microsoft and Remote, there are “ERGs ”, informal groups made up of volunteers representing certain communities, who manage an agenda around the themes of the groups to which they belong.
“In recent years, we have been looking at diversity and inclusion as a journey that has essentially three steps: compliance - a kind of regulatory measure along the lines of 'this is what we do'; conviction - the 'why we do'; and culture - 'this is who we are'", concluded Rebeca Venâncio.
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