BIBB / Promoting diversity in the workplace and making such diversity visible - the example of an employee survey on migrant background

Promoting diversity in the workplace and making such diversity visible - the example of an employee survey on migrant background

Jessica Erbe; Gerburg Benneker

Translated by: Marin Kelsey (Global-Sprachteam)

Academic research assistant at the JOBSTARTER /KAUSA Programme Office at BIBB; member of the Diversity Working Group
It is useful for both private sector companies and public sector institutions to address the issue of the diversity of their staff. An initial step in this direction is for companies to ascertain where they actually stand. The present paper illustrates the specific approach adopted by BIBB as an example. The Institute recently polled its employees on their own migrant background. The main thing required for such a process to run successfully is good communication.

Benefiting from Diversity

Both companies and public sector institutions benefit from staff diversity. The dimensions of diversity may encompass aspects such as age, gender, disability, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and identity. Companies believe that the benefits of promoting diversity include improved human resources and loyalty and a higher level of staff satisfaction (cf. KANSCHAT 2009). In a survey carried out by the European Commission, 83 percent of all companies stated that their endeavours to promote the diversity of their employees had assisted in improving business success (cf. European Commission 2005). A second investigation showed that this topic was of just as much importance to small and medium-sized firms as to major companies (cf. European Commission 2008). The significance of cultural diversity is becoming increasingly apparent in Germany, where the "Diversity Charter" company initiative has now collected an impressive number of signatories. These have risen from 32 in 2006, the year in which the Charter was established, to reach 1,250 companies and institutions in 2012. The signatories have committed to fairness and tolerance and set themselves the goal of promoting the cultural diversity of their workforce. Public sector institutions are also increasingly recognising the need to take action. In instigating its 2010 National Action Plan, the Federal Government has also entered into a self-imposed commitment to increase the proportion of public sector employees from a migrant background and has adopted 30 specific measures (cf. Federal Government 2012, pp. 140 ff.).

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Oportunities for specific implementation taking BIBB as an example

In 2007, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training became one of the first federal authorities to sign the Diversity Charter. The President of BIBB set up a working group under his own lead management to implement this commitment. The first objective was to increase the number of trainees from a migrant background, a figure which had hitherto been very low. In order to raise awareness of training opportunities at BIBB amongst young people from a migrant background, the institute concluded cooperation agreements with schools particularly attended by children from immigrant families (cf. BENNEKER 2011). The number of pupil work experience placements trebled from ten in 2009 to 32 in 2011. At the end of 2010, more than 14 percent of trainees at BIBB were from a migrant background. The second aim was to achieve appropriate representation of persons with a migrant background across the workforce as a whole. The first step here was to carry out a survey of the actual situation.

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Results of a staff survey on origin

In November 2010, BIBB conducted a survey of the origin of its employees. Staff numbers at the time were just under 600. Participation in the survey was voluntary and anonymous. Results were surprising. The proportion of the workforce from a migrant background is around 13 percent. Employees have family roots in 17 different nations or cultures. One in ten has a mother tongue which is not German or another mother language besides German. This means that the proportion of employees from a migrant background at BIBB exceeds the public sector average of 9.9 percent, despite the fact that the latter figure covers federal state and local government authorities and may also be taken to include municipal companies (cf. Federal Government 2011, pp. 132 f.). The highest proportions of staff from a migrant background are to be found amongst staff with higher qualifications (17%) and in certain sections of the institute which deal with international topics or with heterogeneous target groups (20%). In the latter case, greater use is obviously being made of the potential of staff diversity already. However, the proportion of persons from a migrant background in the general population is far higher. In the 18-65 age group, the figure for the whole of Germany is 20 percent and for North Rhine-Westphalia, the region where the institute is located, 25 percent¹.
How is migrant background surveyed?

Unlike the characteristics of age and gender, it is not possible to enquire clearly about migrant background by means of a single simple question. Migrant background is a construct. It is a characteristic which is derived via a combination of other characteristics which are easier to determine (cf. SETTELMEYER / ERBE 2010).

In order to obtain statements which are comparable with other important data sources², the anonymous BIBB staff survey assumes a migrant background if at least one of three criteria apply to respondents:

they themselves were born abroad
they have at least one parent who was born abroad and/or
they do not have German citizenship.

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Comprehensive information produced a high paticipation rate

The rate of response to the voluntary survey was 71 percent, well above average. This pleasing rate of participation was achieved by the way in which the survey was implemented and by broad internal involvement beforehand. For this reason, companies and other institutions seeking to identify the representative proportion of staff from a migrant background are recommended to undertake similarly extensive preparations. The main success factors were as follows.

Agreement with the Employee Council and data protection representatives as well as the choice of a paper-based questionnaire secured trust in the anonymity of information provided.
Management and staff were informed of the objectives of the survey in advance, and suggestions emerging from internal debate and a pre-test were used to inform the design of the questionnaire.
Questions were answered on the intranet (FAQ).
The appreciation of diversity took precedence over the determination of a figure at all times.
A large circle of persons including trainees were involved in the implementation of the survey.

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Conclusion: An initial raising of awareness and a benchmark for further action

The survey provided many employees with their first chance to address the significance of cultural diversity in their own workplace. Some respondents found it interesting to relate their own family's migration history. Others thought it would be good to move beyond this raising of awareness of diversity of origin. Additionally, they suggested appreciating other aspects of diversity such as single-sex partnerships or patchwork families. Knowledge of the proportion of employees from a migrant background facilitates later monitoring of desired developments and comparison with other institutions . Diversity activities are also instigating structural changes which will benefit the institute beyond the actual objective pursued. The school cooperation agreements launched by the Diversity Working Group are one example where this is clearly apparent. In overall terms, there is now greater awareness of BIBB as a provider of training within the region, something which will be of benefit in light of the predicted shortage of skilled workers.

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Literature

BENNEKER, G.: Umsetzung der Charta der Vielfalt [Implementation of the Diversity Charter]. In: Bildung für Europa [Education for Europe] (2011) 17, pp. 14 - URL: www.na-bibb.de/uploads/tx_ttproducts/datasheet/journal_17.pdf (Consulted 8 August 2012)
BUNDESREGIERUNG (FEDERAL GOVERNMENT): Zweiter Integrationsindikatorenbericht [Second Integration Indicators Report]. Prepared for the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration. Berlin 2011
BUNDESREGIERUNG (FEDERAL GOVERNMENT): National Integration Action Plan. Zusammenhalt stärken - Teilhabe verwirklichen [Strengthening cohesion - making participation a reality]. Berlin 2012
EUROPEAN COMMISSION: The Business Case for Diversity. Good Practices in the Workplace. Luxembourg 2005 - URL: http://www.ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=666&langId=en (Consulted 8 August 2012)
EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Continuing the Diversity Journey - Business Practices, Perspectives and Benefits. Luxembourg 2008
KANSCHAT, K.: Diversity - Erfolgsfaktor in Unternehmen. Die Charta der Vielfalt [Diversity - a success factor in companies. The Diversity Charter]. In: Vocational Training in Research and Practice, BWP 38 (2009) 1, pp. 20-21 URL: www.bibb.de/veroeffentlichungen/de/publication/show/id/1529 (Consulted 8 August 2012)
SETTELMEYER, A.; ERBE, J.: Migrationshintergrund. Zur Operationalisierung des Begriffs in der Berufsbildungsforschung [Migrant background. On the operationalisation of the term in VET research]. BIBB Academic Research Discussion Paper No. 112, Bonn 2010 - URL: www.bibb.de/dokumente/pdf/wd_112_migrationshintergrund.pdf (Consulted 8 August 2012)

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footnotes:

¹ Results from the Microcensus, special analysis by IT.NRW on 8 March 2011 in accordance with the criteria of the BIBB survey.

² In particular with the Federal Employment Agency Ordinance on Surveying Migrant Background Characteristics - URL: www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/mighev/gesamt.pdf (consulted 8 August 2012).