Companies that value Diversity and Inclusion have better business and productivity results

More and more companies are seeking to develop and apply initiatives that bring Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) to the workplace. According to a study by the Brazilian Identity Institute (IDBR), diversity today is synonymous with innovation, better results, empathy, psychological safety, inclusion, equality and greater productivity. Because of this, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Brazil (AHK Parana) created the Diversity & Inclusion Committee that allows the exchange of experiences, in addition to disseminate the strategies that associated companies are adopting in combating gender stereotypes and discrimination.

Stimulating a work environment that values and respects all people, promoting both the success of employees and the organization itself, is the desire of companies. According to IDBR, every 10% of increase in ethnic-racial diversity, there is a jump of almost 4% in the productivity of companies. The same was also recorded with gender diversity. This increase also reflects in the economic sector of the company. The study evaluated that for every 1 percentage point in the increase of ethnic-racial diversity in service companies, business productivity increased 0.19%.In commercial entities the increase was 0.16T.

The Committee created by the Chamber is coordinated by associates Melina Fachin, lawyer at Fachin Advogados Associados, Claudia Cadenas, CEO of Via Humana Consultoria and the coordinator of Human Resources at Schwan Cosmetics in Brazil, Carla Grolla, who will promote meetings periodically to discuss ageism in the workplace, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, racism and inclusion of people with disabilities (PCD’s).

“The themes will be guided so that people can understand the needs of different groups and welcome relevant guidelines that bring more knowledge and information to break with machismo, racism, homophobia and other forms of prejudice rooted in society. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion in which all voices are heard and respected, feel valued and have the same opportunities within the companies”, explains Claudia Cadenas.

Applying measures to make an inclusive company is not simple, it is necessary that leaders have a genuine commitment to equality and inclusion, because according to Melina Fachin, creating a truly inclusive environment will bring changes in all company processes, from hiring to the daily interaction of workers.

“It is necessary to implement practices that ensure the hiring of people from various social groups, eliminating prejudices and barriers. In addition to offering regular training on diversity and inclusion for all employees, to increase awareness and reduce prejudices to thus create an environment where all employees feel valued and respected, regardless of their differences. The company also needs to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities for growth and development and establish metrics to monitor progress in terms of diversity and inclusion and adjust strategies as necessary”, says the lawyer.

For Carla Grolla, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of AHK Parana allows members to analyze the opinion of several people from different areas and with different cases, allowing the exchange and work in favor of the development process. In addition to promoting the theme in companies that do not yet have the subject addressed in their context. “The work of the AHK Committee is to promote meetings with latent themes in the scope of diversity to members and thus achieve that this multiplies in companies, so that it is possible to build a more just and inclusive society”.

Created in early 2024, the Committee has already held two meetings: one to discuss gender equality within companies and another to discuss the inclusion of PCD’s, which had a great participation of AHK Parana members. The idea of the coordinators is to hold two more meetings in 2024, which still has no predefined themes.