The power of diversity: Brunel's Passion for People means All People

Hello Soedhanand and Romy! Since the beginning of 2023, you have been members of the DIB Council at Brunel Netherlands and International. Could you share with us how you became engaged with the DIB Council and what personally motivated you to join?

Romy Dacier (Sales Consultant Engineering): “Yes, of course. Brunel organized a series of roundtable discussions where all employees were invited to talk about diversity, get informed and share their initial thoughts about diversity within the company. 

“After the roundtable, all participants were invited to nominate themselves to take part in the council and continue to work on the topics that came up during the discussions. During my academic journey, I was briefly introduced to the diversity subject, and it had already sparked my curiosity back then. However, my understanding of DIB remained limited, and I believe many others share a similar experience. Additionally, in my daily role at Brunel, a significant portion of those under my supervision are expatriates. As they engage with clients, they occasionally encounter situations that don't align with the DIB principles. This prompted me to seek a role in the council, aiming to drive positive transformations for both them and our organization. 

And what about you Soedhanand?

Soedhanand (Senior UX Visual designer): “A bit different, actually. As  I have been quite proactive on the diversity topic already, I was invited to join the council which means I didn’t apply myself. For instance, as a UX designer, I pay attention to the images we use on our website and social media and make encourage that we use pictures that depict a range of diverse-looking people. 

“Every year, Brunel is doing a survey to ask its employees what could be improved, what goes well and what one finds important. The final question was: What would you change if you were CEO? I answered that I saw room for improvement when it comes to diversity.”

“I feel very comfortable in my department and I have great colleagues. But if I step into the Amsterdam office I personally do not perceive it as a reflection of the city we work in. I addressed that.”

Soedhanand discussed the topic with his manager, who then connected him to CEO Jilko Andringa. During a lunch, they talked about diversity and inclusion. Soedhanand: “I could tell that he really has a passion for this topic and  looking for the right approach to DIB. What are the needs of Brunellers and what can we do? We exchanged thoughts on this and he was interested in my point of view.”

Hello Soedhanand and Romy! Since the beginning of 2023, you have been members of the DIB Council at Brunel Netherlands and International. Could you share with us how you became engaged with the DIB Council and what personally motivated you to join?

Romy Dacier (Sales Consultant Engineering): “Yes, of course. Brunel organized a series of roundtable discussions where all employees were invited to talk about diversity, get informed and share their initial thoughts about diversity within the company. 

“After the roundtable, all participants were invited to nominate themselves to take part in the council and continue to work on the topics that came up during the discussions. During my academic journey, I was briefly introduced to the diversity subject, and it had already sparked my curiosity back then. However, my understanding of DIB remained limited, and I believe many others share a similar experience. Additionally, in my daily role at Brunel, a significant portion of those under my supervision are expatriates. As they engage with clients, they occasionally encounter situations that don't align with the DIB principles. This prompted me to seek a role in the council, aiming to drive positive transformations for both them and our organization. 

And what about you Soedhanand?

Soedhanand (Senior UX Visual designer): “A bit different, actually. As  I have been quite proactive on the diversity topic already, I was invited to join the council which means I didn’t apply myself. For instance, as a UX designer, I pay attention to the images we use on our website and social media and make encourage that we use pictures that depict a range of diverse-looking people. 

“Every year, Brunel is doing a survey to ask its employees what could be improved, what goes well and what one finds important. The final question was: What would you change if you were CEO? I answered that I saw room for improvement when it comes to diversity.”

“I feel very comfortable in my department and I have great colleagues. But if I step into the Amsterdam office I personally do not perceive it as a reflection of the city we work in. I addressed that.”

Soedhanand discussed the topic with his manager, who then connected him to CEO Jilko Andringa. During a lunch, they talked about diversity and inclusion. Soedhanand: “I could tell that he really has a passion for this topic and  looking for the right approach to DIB. What are the needs of Brunellers and what can we do? We exchanged thoughts on this and he was interested in my point of view.”

Could you please elaborate on the purpose behind the establishment of DIB councils and share the objectives?

Soedhanand: As members of the various DIB councils, our goal is to actively foster an inclusive and diverse organizational culture. We are committed to serving as a dedicated advisory resource for all Brunel employees and management, offering guidance on cultivating an environment that champions diversity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging for our clients, specialists, and the community.

Romy: “We are currently in the startup phase, defining our role within the organization and establishing our collaboration with HR and management. Our primary focus is on shaping our mission and vision. During this initial phase, we dive deeper into a range of topics that emerged during the round table discussions. For instance, the option of creating a prayer and silence room at offices and flexibility in holiday choices. Not all national and public holidays are equally important to everybody. Some companies, for example, have the option to change Whit Monday for the Sugar Feast. We are taking the first steps on these matters.

Do you see any similarities and differences with the other regional councils?
Soedhanand: “If we speak to the councils in other regions, we see a lot of similarities in topics. Our American organization was the first to start a DIB council, about three years ago. The combined Dutch/International one is relatively new, so they are ahead of us. That gives us the opportunity to exchange ideas and share approaches, struggles and best practices. It’s good that we have different regional councils so we can see what the local needs are, identify them and act upon them”

“A difference would be that we have an advisory role, while the councils in America and Australia also have a role in the implementation. We do research and advise to HR and management. For example in the case of a silence and prayer room. We talk to people who make use of such a facility, for example at a clients site. How do they experience that? What did or didn’t they like? In this way, we aim to create a more inclusive working environment.

Next to advising management and communicating the needs of Brunellers, the councils wants to create awareness. Soedhanand: “We are here now. A single round table session is not enough to make a change. It’s not easy to clear cut measure the benefits of DIB, but we need to engage people and dig a little deeper. As a council, we can come up with ideas on how to improve, but the everyday commitment and support from our specialists is key. We want to hear the voice of Brunellers.”

Let’s talk about the abbreviations. DIB, D&I, DIE… all these terms are in use. Is there a difference?
Romy: “We also struggled with these abbreviations. Different companies and organizations use different terms in relation to their efforts towards a more equitable workplace. Brunel decided to use the term DIB (Diversity, Inclusion and Beloning)."

Soedhanand: "However, it is good to take a moment and consciously think about what these abbreviations actually stand for, no matter the chosen combination of letters. How do we support all parts and not just one of the components? To give an example: a company might have a diverse workforce, but that doesn't mean the feeling of inclusion of its employees is high. It's important to differentiate and not throw all into a big bucket."

Why should DIB be on the radar of every company?
Soedhanand: “There is a lot more to gain than just creating a good and friendly atmosphere. Your results will benefit from it as well. Research shows that it’s beneficial for companies to be diverse and have an inclusive work environment. It’s a way to retain people and it enriches your organization with different perspectives.”

Research indeed shows that a diverse company is usually a more successful company. Diversity helps companies be more profitable, innovative and respected. 

Research by Harvard Business School on the impact of diversity shows a direct correlation between a diverse leadership team and increased profits. For example, business in the male dominated sector of venture capital that boosted the share of female partners by 10% also increased revenues by 10%. Some more statistics: a 2018 McKinsey report shows that companies in the top-quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 21% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile. Firms in the top-quartile for cultural and ethnic diversity were 33% more likely to outperform on profitability.

Next to a positive impact om financial results, a successful DIB strategy also improves hiring and retention. Hiring more female leaders for instance leads to better employee retention rates. Research by Glassdoor reports that more than 3 out of 4 job seekers and employees report that a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers. When already working at a company, an inclusive workplace culture positively impacts the decision to stay at a company. 

On top of that, research shows that diverse and inclusive teams make better and faster business decisions, with better results.