Every day more companies are seeking to develop and implement initiatives that bring Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) to the workplace. According to a study conducted by the Institute of Identities of Brazil (IDBR), diversity, today, is synonymous with innovation, best results, empathy, psychological safety, inclusion, equality and greater productivity. Because of this, the Brazil Chamber of Commerce and Industry – The Germany of Paraná (AHK Paraná) created the Diversity & Inclusion Committee that allows for the exchange of experiences, in addition to disseminating the strategies that member companies are adopting to combat gender stereotypes and discrimination
Encourage a work environment that values and respects all people, promoting both the success of employees and that of the organization itself, it is the desire of companies. According to the IDBR, for every 10% increase in ethnic-racial diversity, there is an increase of almost 4% in the productivity of companies. The same was also recorded with gender diversity. This increase also reflects in the company's economic sector. The study evaluated that for each 1 percentage point increase in ethnic-racial diversity in service companies, business productivity increased 0,19%. In commercial entities, the increase was 0,16%
The committee created by the Chamber is coordinated by the associates Melina Fachin, lawyer at Fachin Advogados Associados, Claudia Cadenas, CEO of Via Humana Consulting and the Human Resources coordinator of Schwan Cosmetics Brazil, Carla Grolla, that will promote meetings periodically to discuss ageism in the workplace, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, racism and inclusion of people with disabilities (PWDs)
"The themes will be outlined so that people can understand the needs of different groups and embrace relevant agendas 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 companies, explain Claudia Cadenas
Implementing measures to make a company inclusive is not simple, it is necessary for leaders to have a genuine commitment to equality and inclusion, according to Melina Fachin, creating a truly inclusive environment will bring changes to all processes of the company, since the hiring, up to the daily interaction of workers
It is necessary to implement practices that ensure the hiring of people from diverse social groups, eliminating prejudices and barriers. In addition to offering regular training on diversity and inclusion for all employees, to raise awareness and reduce prejudices in order to 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 needed, affirms the lawyer
For Carla Grolla, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of AHK Paraná allows members to analyze the opinions of various people from different areas and with diverse cases, allowing exchange and work in favor of the development process. In addition to promoting the topic in companies that do not yet address it in their context.The work of the AHK Committee is to promote meetings on latent themes in the field of diversity to its members and thus ensure that this multiplies in companies, to make it possible to build a fairer and more 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 people with disabilities, that had a significant participation from AHK Paraná members. The coordinators' idea is to hold two more meetings in 2024, that still does not have predefined themes
