The Award Diversity in Business 2020 has been awarded to ABN AMRO and the Art Museum The Hague. This was announced by Harry van de Kraats, Chairman of the Advisory Board for Diversity in Business, on Diversity Day (October 6). This Award is presented annually to an SME and a large company that have signed the Diversity Charter. The winners show that they have an innovative, effective and for other companies interesting best practice that promotes diversity and inclusion in their workplace. The winners will be invited to participate in the annual Diversity in Business Awards.
Flowthrough culturally diverse talent
In March 2019, ABN AMRO launched the ‘Future Proof’ curriculum to encourage the flow of talent from a migrant background into the subtop. “Up to job level ten, we see that hard work pays off. To progress to a higher level, you need soft skills. For example: how do you present yourself? And how do you communicate your ambitions?” says Nazha Rustom, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant at ABN AMRO. Twenty employees received training, personal coaching and took part in intervision meetings. Seventy percent of them eventually progressed to the subtop. “It’s great that the apprenticeship enables a career move within the bank, but also beyond,” says Rustom.
Between 2018 and 2019, at ABN AMRO the proportion of employees with a non-Western migration background in the subtop rose from 4.7 to 5.9 percent. The ambition is that 7 percent of employees in the subtop will have such a background by the end of this year.
Broader view of applicant
To attract more cultural diversity, the Kunstmuseum Den Haag applies the ‘Rooney Rule’. This rule originates from American Football and means that at least one person with a multicultural background is invited for job applications.
“At first, we experienced resistance, but now our colleagues see the added value of this rule,” says Anne de Haij, strategic advisor to management. “The Rooney Rule makes us look more broadly at potential candidates and has resulted in half of the job openings being filled by a woman or someone with a bicultural identity.” De Haij continues that it is important to have someone at the top of the organization who can initiate these types of initiatives. For example, the museum has a very diverse Advisory Board based on expertise, cultural diversity and age.
The NOS paid attention to the best practice of the Kunstmuseum Den Haag for which they received the Award Diversity in Business during the 6 o’clock news on October 6. Watch the item here back.
