A renewed focus on Diversity and Inclusion

As a spotlight was shone on several racial injustices during 2020, it appears that people, businesses, and governments alike have been motivated to engage wholeheartedly on the topics of diversity and inclusion (D&I). While these words are often used collectively and interchangeably, they individually require a unique approach to be reflected in society and in organisations. Where diversity focuses on the representation of our inherent characteristics such as race, gender, ethnicity and disability; inclusion is defined by the behaviours which embrace and value diverse groups of people. Thus, a diverse and inclusive culture is one where everyone, regardless of their differences, is treated fairly and with respect and is equally valued across the business.

The opportunity

As a diverse and inclusive culture rises in importance for today’s workforce, organisations must respond accordingly. This is evident in recent studies which show that 67% of workers consider employee diversity as a significant factor when searching for a job[1] and, for 83% of millennials, an inclusive culture is vital for establishing active employee engagement[2]. Yet, it’s not just employees who stand to benefit. There is substantial evidence that demonstrates valuing D&I leads to significant advantages for organisations in the form of higher revenue, creativity, engagement, and innovation as well as enhanced employee attraction and retention. For example, companies with more diverse management teams have higher revenues of almost 20% due to innovation according to a study by the Boston Consulting Group[3]. In addition, companies performing in the top 25% on gender diversity are almost 30% more likely to outperform their peers financially[4] and closing the gender gap is estimated to result in an additional $28 trillion in value for the global economy by 20253. However, despite the clear benefits, most organisations have been falling short on this agenda. We all have a responsibility to do more to ensure that each employee is valued for their unique perspective and experience, and that everyone has equal opportunities to contribute to the best of their ability. 

How organisations are responding

Besides the responsibility to ensure that all people are treated equally, there is a clear push from society for companies to be more engaged and open on this issue. LinkedIn data shows that, in June 2020, diversity posts received almost double the engagements of other company posts on average[5]. This implies that employees and potential employees are eager to hear how companies are responding in this space and below are a few examples of what organisations are doing.

For many corporates, simply increasing the transparency surrounding what they plan to do has been an important step in holding them publicly to account. One example is Glossier, a beauty company, which has shared its plans on social media including engaging with former employees who can share insight and ideas, on-going training on anti-racism, equity and inclusion, and screening for extensive experience in people-management of diverse and inclusive teams for people hired into management positions[6].

Some organisations have taken public action, for example, General Motors have pledged $10 million towards organisations working towards racial justice and inclusion. Internally, they have created an Inclusive Advisory Board which brings together leaders from within the business and externally to advise the company on the steps it needs to take to overcome the systemic barriers to inclusivity and social injustices within the business and beyond[7].

Embedding a diverse and inclusive culture at Majid Al Futtaim

We see embedding diversity and inclusion at Majid Al Futtaim as our responsibility and an opportunity to grow our competitive advantage through the bringing together of diverse ideas, perspectives, and experiences. All our 43,000 employees who represent more than 100 nationalities are valued for their unique differences and individual contribution to our business. Through our new Diversity and Inclusion Policy, we’ve strengthened our commitment and roadmap to embedding these values throughout our corporate culture as well as in our workplace and communities.

We’ve made significant progress through our Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee and Task Force who help ensure we support employees with their individual needs. For example, in consultation with our female colleagues and with the aim to support mothers returning to work, we created dedicated nursing rooms at some of our offices. We also created the MENA region’s first People of Determination Advisory Panel with the aim to contribute to the UAE’s efforts to make society more inclusive and work with our stakeholders to improve our services, ensuring they are accessible for all members of the community.

We continually work to enhance our hiring practices so that they are fair and inclusive which includes having diverse candidate pools and training hiring managers on best practice for inclusive hiring and unconscious bias. During 2020, we sought to increase the representation of People of Determination, recruiting 42 employees across our retail business, an increase of 20% since 2019. Partnerships are a vital part of our approach, for example, with the National Coalition Against Hunger and Malnutrition (NAJMAH), Carrefour Jordan provided 65 six-month paid internships for young Jordanians from disadvantaged backgrounds, conducting on-the-job training to assist them in building their careers. Once the training is complete, all trainees will be offered the opportunity to become an employee and begin their careers at Majid Al Futtaim.

The path to a genuinely diverse and inclusive society will require open dialogue, transparency, and wide-spread collaboration to ensure that no one is left behind. For our business, this topic has risen greatly in importance over the past year along with our desire to be an ally for all who work for and with our business and beyond.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2020/03/24/why-a-global-mindset-is-essential-to-attracting-and-retaining-top-talent/?sh=43c4fa227070#164634977070

[2] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/us-inclus-millennial-influence-120215.pdf

[3] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/business-case-for-diversity-in-the-workplace/

[4] https://www.spglobal.com/esg/csa/yearbook/articles/gender-equality-workplace-going-beyond-women-on-the-board

[5] https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/trends-and-research/2020/linkedin-data-shows-people-paying-attention-to-companies-talking-about-diversity

[6] https://www.glossier.com/blog/retail-experience

[7] https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/inspiration-for-ramping-up-diversity-inclusion-efforts/