SOCIAL CHALLENGES

Women make up half of the population, yet the labor participation rate among women in China has been decreasing. According to data from the World Bank, the rate dropped from 73.2% in 1990 to 60.5% in 2019. This indicates the growing challenges professional women face in China, as they struggle to balance work and family life, and might deepen the country’s gender gap.

PROJECT APPROACH

Henkel promotes diversity and inclusion as a core aspect of its corporate culture. The company values its employees as its strongest asset. A commitment to an inclusive culture is deeply embedded in Henkel’s strategic framework, values and leadership commitments. In 2020, Henkel paid special attention to gender inequality in the workplace, striving to improve its company culture through the “Diversity Talk” series. Led internally by senior staff, the talks are a part of a two-pronged approach to change company culture for the better. In the short term, the company hopes to inspire its employees with the “Diversity Talk” series and in the long term, to change its policies and launch other initiatives to ensure diversity and inclusion.

As of August 2020, Henkel holds diversity talks on a quarterly basis. The Head of HR and the President of Henkel China act as event ambassadors. Corporate communication efforts strongly support the “Diversity Talks” series promotion as well. So far, Henkel has arranged three talks, with eleven senior leaders and over 4,000 employees participating.

VALUE ADDED

Employees have gained a better understanding of the importance of a diverse culture. Concurrently, the company has also launched an unconscious bias training series that is attended by all employees. By hearing the experiences of senior leaders and receiving training to embrace diversity, the entire organization benefits from a more inclusive workplace culture.

LESSONS LEARNED

Henkel inspired its employees to care about inclusivity as an integral part of company culture. The series covered topics such  as   “Women in leadership” and “Why Diversity Matters,” focusing on combating gender stereotypes and explaining the power of diverse teams.

IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE

Since Henkel China’s “Diversity Talks” proved successful, the company plans to expand the program to include all branches in the APAC region. The second round of “Diver- sity Talks” will incorporate employee feedback for future topics, focusing on addressing bias at the workplace through their e-learning series “Hack Your Bias.” This increased focus will serve to strengthen employee engagement. In other diversity and inclusion topics, there are currently eight People with Disabilities (PwDs) working at Henkel, yet the company understands that there is more to be done and will prioritize the inclusion of PwDs.

Source: More Than A Market Booklet 2021