- Diversity-Advisor Simone Domke: 'I wish that many more people, who are not affected, would engage in the topic of diversity'
An inclusive workplace, an ethnically diverse team, a team half of which is female-led - these things sound morally good at first, things that most people would welcome. But when it comes to making money, many CEOs turn a blind eye. There are more important things to consider. Studies have already shown that diversity and inclusion can increase a company's success. A McKinsey analysis from 2020 calculated that companies with high gender diversity have a 25% greater likelihood of above-average profitability. When ethnic diversity is added, the probability increases to 36%.
Simone Domke has already recognized this. Two years ago, she founded a personnel consulting agency called "Dear Human Agency - Agency for Humans, not Resources" with Fabienne Braun-Haffani. For her, the human being in all his diversity is in the spotlight. The agency based in Hamburg wants to show companies how they can successfully and sustainably economic with diversity and equal opportunities. More and more companies are becoming interested in the topic. But not all have understood what diversity really means.
In the stern podcast "Die Boss," Multi-Supervisory Board member and host Simone Menne talks to Simone Domke about how companies can avoid "Diversity Washing" and how we can break unconscious patterns to live authentic diversity. After all, we all have prejudices, even if we don't want to admit it. Recognizing and acknowledging this can be the first step towards creating a sustainable and diverse corporate culture, explains the consultant. From Simone Domke's perspective, companies have no other choice. After all, the labor market shortage will make it difficult for many companies to find enough personnel.
Innovation through Diversity
For Domke, it is important to first sensitize the corporate management to diversity before pursuing further goals. Many HR managers think they just have to hire diversely and have thus achieved their goal. However, the prerequisites for lived diversity in the company are often not yet in place. Bringing someone with a diverse background on board is not effective.
''It doesn't help if we have the candidates in the company and then find out: The conditions in the company are not yet there. That means we start from scratch again.'' Good employees are therefore more likely to be discouraged. This is evident, for example, in job advertisements that emphasize openness to people with disabilities without explaining how inclusive the workplace really is.
''I hardly know any company that is barrier-free - and the toilets don't even suffice. My goal would be to be able to enable diversity here at all,'' explains Domke.
What further practical tips the personnel consultant has for inclusive job advertisements and conscious recruitment processes and why women in male teams "Codeswitching" practice, listen to the new episode of the stern podcast "Die Boss - Power is Female".
Note from the Editors: stern belongs to RTL Germany.
[In "Die Boss – Power is Female," top women talk to each other: Host and Multi-Supervisory Board member Simone Menne (among others BMW, Deutsche Post DHL, Henkel) meets female executives from all areas of society to talk about their lives and careers. "Die Boss" appears every two weeks on stern.de and the stern YouTube channel, as well as on RTL+ and all common podcast platforms.]
- Despite the moral appeal of an inclusive economy with a diverse workforce, many CEOs prioritize profitability over diversity, overlooked by studies showing companies with high gender (Simone Domke mentioned) and ethnic diversity have a 25% and 36% higher likelihood of above-average profitability respectively.
- Simone Menne, a Multi-Supervisory Board member and host of the stern podcast "Die Boss," emphasizes the importance of recognizing and acknowledging unconscious biases as the first step towards creating a sustainable and diverse corporate culture.
- Simone Domke, the founder of "Dear Human Agency," stresses the need for companies to first sensitize their corporate management to diversity before pursuing further goals, as hiring diversely without preparing the necessary conditions for lived diversity within the company may lead to disappointments and discourage potential employees.
- In her stern podcast episode "Die Boss - Power is Female," Simone Menne discusses practical tips for inclusive job advertisements, conscious recruitment processes, and the concept of "Codeswitching" for women in male-dominated teams, highlighting the need to break preconceived notions about diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
