Dutch companies are not yet doing much to encourage diversity in the workplace. Although there is a desire in human resources departments to hire more women or employees with a migration background, the majority does not act on this. That is the opinion of consultancy Berenschot, publisher Performa and AFAS Software on the basis of a survey among almost two thousand HR employees.
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In the survey, 66 percent of the respondents indicated that they do not actively manage diversity. Of these companies or organizations without an active diversity policy, more than a third indicate that they should.
The research results contrast with the many announcements of stricter diversity policies by large companies in the United States. These followed the anti-racism protests after the death of black American George Floyd by police brutality.
For example, Adidas announced that at least 30 percent of all new staff hired by the sportswear manufacturer in the United States will be black or of Hispanic background. Tech giant Apple promised to do more business with companies owned by black entrepreneurs. Jeans brand Levi Strauss plans to appoint a chief for diversity and aims to appoint a black board member, the company’s chief executive told business magazine Fast Company.
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According to the researchers, there are many differences between sectors in the Netherlands. Within public administration, for example, 44 percent of companies indicated that they actively encourage diversity in the workplace. In the industry and manufacturing sector this was 15 percent. Incidentally, this says nothing about the actual diversity in the workforce of these companies.