Diversity as a Chance – The Corporate Charter of Diversity for Germany

With society becoming more interconnected and globalized, we should continuously critically question our efforts in being a fair and inclusive company.

By signing the "Charter of Diversity" and committing to its values, we are taking another step toward embracing diversity.

Under the motto “showing colors for diversity" the Corporate Charter of Diversity for Germany aims to achieve exactly that. With over 3,000 companies having signed, the charter furthers the appreciation and integration of diversity in the working environment. Or as the charter's patroness, German chancellor Angela Merkel, puts it:

"What distinguishes a vivid society that is also stable? How can we assert ourselves in future international competition? Indicative answers can only be found in mutual ideals. It's about recognizing and appreciating diversity, experiences, talents, and needs and then fostering and utilizing them."

But what does diversity actually mean?

In their model “Four Layers of Diversity”, internationally recognized speakers and trainers in diversity, Gardenswartz and Rowe, establish it as a filter system through which all of us process information. This sets the tone for inclusion by reflecting each person’s reality within the organization.

To introduce companies to this topic, the charter initiated German Diversity Day. Each year on May 28, companies from across Germany use the opportunity to bring awareness to their staff with an internal event or public campaign. Additionally, subscribers commit to the Charter’s framework, as we happily did:

1. Fostering a corporate culture characterized by the mutual respect and appreciation of every single individual.We seek to create conditions such that everyone (superiors and co-workers) respects, practices, and acknowledges these values. This will require explicit support from leaders and superiors.
2. Validating and ensuring that our human resource processes are compatible with the diverse competencies,abilities, and talents of our employees, as well as with our own performance standards.
3. Recognizing the diversity of society both inside and outside our organization, appreciating the intrinsic potentialresiding in it, and endeavoring to utilize it profitably for our business or organization.
4. Ensuring that the implementation of the charter will be a subject of internal and external communication.
5. Publicizing our own activities and progress in promoting diversity on an annual basis.
6. And keeping our own employees and colleagues both informed about diversity as well as actively involved in implementing the charter.

We are convinced that accepting and appreciating diversity positively affects German society and we fully support the organization’s initiative.

Read next: Check out these two impactful initiatives!

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