A publication marking two years of Romanian Diversity Charter
The publication is a collaborative effort of the Romanian Diversity Charter and our signatories and explores the concept of diversity management in the workplace, with particular emphasis on Romanian companies. Its main objactive was to develop a more structured and conceptualised view of diversity initiatives in the Romanian working environement and to examine why business leaders perceive diversity management as being an important contributor to their competitive advantage in today’s economic and social environment. It brings together key findings of the first local research on diversity management, diversity & inclusion initiatives in Romania, opinions and interviews with Romanian and international experts, as well as a series of messages of support by business and institutional leaders for promoting the principles of equality and non-discrimination in Romanian society.
With the goal to inspire, support, encourage and motivate organizations in their efforts to move forward the diversity and inclusion agenda, this publication offers at the same time a quick-to-read and practical guide based on successful initiatives implemented in diversity management by Romanian organisations. 15 D&I practical examples for achieving workforce diversity were selected from our signatories with the aim to inspire other organisations in their D&I efforts. We encourage all bussinesses, NGOs and public institutions to use the best practices highlighted in this publication as a starting point for developing their own D&I programmes.
According to the research presented in this publication, teams and organisations in all sectors of society perform better and make better decisions when they embrace diversity and inclusion in their culture and, particularly, among their leadership. Having a diverse workforce is increasingly being recognized as instrumental in improving the company’s performance, and also an imperative that organizations can no longer choose to ignore.
While most companies today recognize the critical importance of diversity and inclusion to their competitiveness, there are various stages of evolution to diversity and inclusion work. Therefore, it is important to understand the status of D&I work in Romania, in order to articulate what measures are necessary in order to close the gap between aspiration and reality.
The study, conducted by MKOR Research between August 2019 and December 2019, questioned 77 entrepreneurs, managers and HR specialists who are in charge with diversity and inclusion principles in Romanian organisations. The main aim of the study was to develop a first conceptualised view of diversity initiatives in the Romanian working environment while also establishing what the main driving forces behind these initiatives are. The study offers in our view valuable insights into how Romanian organizations relate to diversity and inclusion principles and how they measure their D&I progress.
Over the last years, more and more companies have already taken diversity on board as a social fact and as an asset in terms of their activities. More and more companies have developed diversity management strategies and have teamed up with other organisations to make diversity management part of their business strategy. But we must also acknowledge that other companies have still a long way to go. This publication also explores some key challenges to inclusion from an organizational diversity and inclusion perspective.
This project could not have been completed without the support of numerous other individuals. I wish to express my gratitude to all the colleagues who believed in the idea of this editorial effort – partners of this publication, researchers, signatories, ambassadors, the big family of the European Diversity Platform, and of course our enthusiastic editorialists and contributors. Although I cannot name each of the authors individually, I do want to acknowledge their efforts to contribute with perspectives that I believe are insightful, informative and forward looking. My gratitude is also directed to Eugen Crai, one of the Charter’s ambassadors, for supporting and encouraging me in all states of this project. Thanks are also due to the signatories for allowing us to include their D&I programmes in this publication.
Finally, I express gratitude to all those who work for a more diverse, inclusive and equal working environment, promoting actively the principles of equality and non-discrimination in the Romanian society.
Link download: https://www.cartadiversitatii.ro/images/diversity/resurse/Diversity_Management_Romanian_Organisations.pdf
Dana Oancea, Project Manager, Romanian Diversity Charter
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The official launch of Romanian Diversity Charter took place on 18 April 2018, Romania thus becoming the 21st country in the European Union with a Diversity Charter and benefiting from the membership in the European Diversity Platform. Created by a local consortium after a consultation process and involving a wide range of stakeholders, inspired by the European diversity movement and endorsed by various types of organizations, the Charter seeks to establish a multi-stakeholders platform and provide a new framework for thinking about and addressing diversity and inclusion issues.
Today, Romanian Diversity Charter brings together 110 signatories, covering cca. 157,000 employees from companies, public institutions and NGOs, who have publicly assumed the principles of the Charter, so that diversity, equal opportunities and social inclusion become values acknowledged and respected in Romania. Signing the Charter represents a valuable starting point for organisations wishing to embark on their diversity journey and also provides a framework for companies to develop existing policies.
Contact:
Dana Oancea
Project Manager
Romanian Diversity Charter
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