“The more diversity the company welcomes, the result will be reflected in more camaraderie, more commitment, as well as a better attitude and resistance of the workforce”. With these words, Paloma Segrelles, president of CEIM's Ethics, Equality and Diversity Committee, welcomed the event Diversity as a hallmark of the company, organized by EL MUNDO and Expansión and sponsored by Inditex and Port Aventura World. In addition, Segrelles criticized the “social stereotype that places women in certain jobs”, which, in turn, “conditions the statistics and reflects a lower salary.”
To this he added the urgent need to encourage girls to opt for scientific and technical careers, since, in his opinion, that will mean that, in the future, they will have “more pay and more social recognition”.. In addition, the president pointed out with concern the great inequality that still reflects our social, labor and economic reality. Specifically, he alluded to the fact that women lead the statistics for the majority of part-time contracts or reductions in working hours. “It would be convenient not to make the protection of maternity and family fall on the company and women,” he said.
After the president's welcome speech, Laura Tardón, editor of EL MUNDO, moderated the discussion table that brought together experts in the matter. Ana Sainz, general director of the Seres Foundation; Sonia Río, general director of the Foundation for diversity; Montse Pichot, general director of Senior Talent; Albert Sanantón, director of People & Culture, Portaventura World; and Camino San Millán, global manager of diversity and inclusion at Acciona.
“Diversity made visible and identified is anecdotal, interesting, very rich and builds better organizations; managed diversity allows inclusion through equity and that is a brutal difference,” said Montse Pichot. For her, despite the fact that diversity is “natural” and “has always existed”, many people perhaps did not dare to express themselves in their field of work, an issue that has changed over time. Thus, he opted to highlight the importance of companies agreeing on the “explicit recognition of all forms of diversity”.
reflection of society
But beyond that, Albert Sanantón pointed out that “companies are a reflection of society and society is yes or yes diverse. Losing that wealth in organizations is a mistake and translates into being less competitive”. For the director, the equation is simple: “Where do the most recognized people feel? Where they can be themselves,” he said.
And in this sense, for Ana Sainz, diversity management is key, but it must also be recognized that bias exists and is a barrier that still needs to be overcome. “We all tend to have people similar to us in the world of work or in our environment”. In relation to this bias, Sonia Río pointed towards artificial intelligence. “If all artificial intelligence is designed by white and Catholic men, the rest of us are not going to feel recognized, that is a reality with which we must be careful,” he warned.
On the other hand, Sainz insisted that “being diverse is not just meeting a quota, it is having it on the agenda and, above all, it implies a transformation”. On the other hand, Sainz emphasized how to manage generational diversity in Spain, one of the oldest countries in the world. “We are generating a fight between young talent and senior talent, when in reality we should take advantage of it and anticipate and set an example.”
Thus, from Acciona, Camino San Millán shared some of the company's recipes on the matter. “Diversity and inclusion must be on the agenda of the company's leaders”, as well as “promoting an inclusive culture that guarantees the participation of all employees and that includes training and awareness to break down barriers and end stereotypes”. For the expert, it is also essential to identify internal networks, ambassadors or key people who will make it possible for diversity initiatives to spread in the organization, as well as rely on external networks such as organizations or the public sector.. The event ended with a musical performance by La Fundación Sifu, under the art of Johann Sebastian Salvatori and Pol Oñate.