Image by Evangeline Shaw on Unsplash
Effort: ⚒
Cost: ＄
Timeframe: ⏲
Participants: Communication managers, experts & executives
Approach
Employees or managers who represent their organization at internal and external events, such as panel discussions, recruiting events or trade fairs, should be selected as broadly as possible in terms of various diversity characteristics such as gender, generational affiliation and origin. As individuals, they potentially provide opportunities for identification for women and members of diverse groups that are underrepresented in a professional field or industry. They also point out that career paths are open to everybody in the company.
Innovation areas with few women or a relatively low diversity in the workforce can use their influence to indirectly contribute to a specific appearance. At the same time, the absence of events with an overly unbalanced workforce can send a clear signal for diversity.
Effect
The presence of women and other diversity groups in an organization provides visibility and a voice for different diversity groups and lesser-known characters. Diverse representation sends an important signal to existing and potential new employees and contributes in a convincing way to inclusive employer branding. Especially for members of diversity groups underrepresented in a field or industry, diverse representation at events can lower the barrier to get in touch with an organization, making it more accessible to new talent and attracting new potential for innovation.