The Strength Of Difference – How we foster diversity & inclusion in our corporate culture

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities,” said American educator, author, and businessperson Stephen R. Covey. This quote is especially true in a globalized world.

According to a McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) study Diversity Matters, gender-diverse companies perform 15% better and ethnically diverse companies 35%.

Being able to integrate different worldviews is a tremendous advantage that companies should not neglect. At the end of the day, organizations are a reflection of society. That's why at CWT we strive to create an environment that promotes diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities for all, regardless of our ethnic and cultural backgrounds, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

This is how we do it:

1. We adhere to international standards

The Human Rights and Labor Principles of the UN Global Compact and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are the main sources of our policies. We are also a signatory of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and, in accordance with the UK Modern Slavery Act (2015), where we have published our global statement against slavery and human trafficking.

2. We put it in writing

Having an official document strengthens the importance given to a topic. Our Code of Business Ethics and Conduct underlines our commitment to recognizing and respecting the diversity and inclusion of people and ideas globally. It also ensures and promotes equal opportunities.

3. We have strong governance

Clear governance is essential to succeed, and key leaders are the most effective advocates. The Chief Human Resources Officer and the Chief Customer Officer sponsor the global diversity and inclusion taskforce I lead.

4. We promote extensively

We use every opportunity to organize training, events, and conferences within our organization to promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion. We celebrate the UN Cultural Diversity Day for Dialogue and Development, run several campaigns throughout the year and foster various local initiatives around the globe: from empowering Chief Millennial Officers to leading intergenerational cooperation in Asia Pacific, to embracing Employee Partnership Networks that champion LGBTQA rights in the US.

5. We train recruiters

Recruiters play a key role in ensuring that equality is respected in our talent acquisition processes, so they get trained to select candidates on a nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and by competency basis.

Our commitment to diversity is reflected in our recruitment processes. In the US, for instance, we actively monitor the diversity of our hiring and set goals annually that are reviewed at the highest local levels to monitor our progress through affirmative action planning. We also collaborate with external agencies that share our focus on diverse hiring and placement. One example is Canada, where we have specific language in our job postings offering accommodation to individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment and onboarding process.

I hope you find these useful.

We believe people will only give 100% of their potential at work if they are free to be 100% themselves; that is why we fiercely support diversity and inclusion in our organization.

To find out more about Responsible Business at CWT, please feel free to read our latest Annual Responsible Business Report – June 2018.

Blog author: Françoise Grumberg, Vice-President, Global Responsible Business, Carlson Wagonlit Travel