COMPANIES AND DIVERSITY: WHY DOES IT (SOMETIMES) GET STUCK?

Gender, disability, age, appearance, origins... Born in the United States at the end of the 1960s, the issue of diversity in the professional world only really appeared in the French public debate in the 2000s. Eighteen years after the creation of the Charter for Diversity in the Workplace, which has now been signed by more than 4,000 organisations, where do we stand? What limits do companies face? Gouri Mohan, a teacher and researcher at IÉSEG, takes stock of the situation.

48 % OF FRENCH EMPLOYEES SAY THEY HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF DISCRIMINATION IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREER*. WHY ARE COMPANIES STRUGGLING TO TRANSLATE THEIR DIVERSITY POLICIES INTO ACTION?

The initiatives taken by companies do not always go beyond the stage of talk. Many do not really seek to dismantle the ways in which some groups are disproportionately favoured over others, whether in terms of recruitment, selection, promotion or pay.

WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR THIS RESISTANCE?

There is not one but several reasons. The first is that achieving real change requires a sustained effort over a long period of time. This means creating and maintaining practices that may not be cost-effective in the short term. Most organisations are preoccupied with their image, without wanting to face the costs of sustainable transformation. The second reason is structural. The organisation of power favours majority groups and, consciously or unconsciously, these groups are not always ready to open the way for minorities to achieve more influence and decision-making power within the company. The third reason is our own prejudices. We are all susceptible to personal stereotypes based on our perception of certain characteristics: age, gender, ethnic origin, language... Deconstructing these prejudices requires changes at the collective and individual levels, through training on self-awareness, communication, cultural differences...

WHAT CAN REALLY HELP WITH EXPRESSING THE NOTION OF DIVERSITY?

It is imperative that leaders are prepared to bear the costs associated with transforming their business. Their greatest challenge is to be convincing within the company, demonstrating internally that their initiatives are justified and that they are not only being implemented in order to be like everyone else. If they feel strongly about the need for change and are able to make the rest of the organisation see that it is in its best interests, it makes a big difference. The purely economic argument for diversity is not sufficiently emphasised. By affecting employee acceptation, this can lead to the erosion of these initiatives over time.

IS THERE A FORM OF ANXIETY IN SOME ORGANISATIONS SURROUNDING DIVERSITY? DO SOME MANAGERS FEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THEY WILL LOSE SOME KIND OF COMMON IDENTITY, A CORPORATE CULTURE?

Research shows that mandatory diversity training often provokes negative reactions, sometimes to the extent of reinforcing prejudices against minority groups. Added to this is the fact that informal social networks between employees are an important resource in organisations. As most people tend to build most of their social relationships within their own demographic groups, they may interpret diversity as a threat to the status quo, to the way things have been done until now.

DO SOME COMPANIES FEAR A «QUOTA EFFECT» BY PROMOTING PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE SEEN AS ILLEGITIMATE BY

THEIR COLLEAGUES?

This is particularly true in the case of hiring women: the recruitment of a new female candidate can be quickly qualified as a “diversity hire”, to the detriment of the candidate’s own qualities. For HR teams, demonstrating that a candidate is truly legitimate in terms of skills and experience to occupy a position identified as «diversity policy» is even more delicate than within the framework of classic recruitment. And if the person recruited lacks credibility, the choice may indeed be costly in the long run. There is another side to this phenomenon, the ‘glass cliff’. Women are hired for highrisk positions, more often than men, where they are more likely to fail...

48 % OF FRENCH EMPLOYEES SAY THEY HAVE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN THEIR CAREER.

BIG COMPANIES: ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Are large companies leading the way in diversity and inclusion?

Yes and no. Although most have long since deployed dedicated or thematic programmes (equal pay, better integration of employees with disabilities, inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees, etc.), their effects are felt slowly. In terms of gender equality, only a small third of the 120 largest French groups have 30% women in management positions, thus implementing in advance the representation quota set by the legislator for 2027*. As far as gender diversity is concerned, the situation is even more worrying: 3.5% of the heads of executive committees and 4.2% of the members of boards of directors are from so-called visible minorities.