Written in collaboration with the Diversity & Inclusion Chair at EDHEC, established in 2016 with the aim of inspiring, raising awareness, and supporting individuals and organizations to cultivate inclusive and non-discriminatory behaviors and environments.
What is at stake?
Why is it important?
There is no longer any question that a diverse team will be more efficient than a homogenous one. As highlighted in the McKinsey report (2020), organizations that demonstrate inclusion enjoy better financial performance and greater ability to attract and retain top talent. And this begins from the recruitment phase!
Being "responsible by design" means that from the start of a project and a team, we bring together diverse perspectives: different backgrounds, diverse ages, various genders, and multiple nationalities... We can't tick all the boxes, of course, but the goal is to avoid homogeneity of profiles from the beginning of the project, with individuals who have followed the same courses, shared the same experiences, and laugh at the same jokes.
Hager Jemel-Fornetty, Director of the EDHEC Business School's Diversity & Inclusion Chair
Three actions to take right now
1️⃣ Raise awareness about biases
2️⃣ Ensure diversity and inclusivity in the composition and advertising of job offers and job descriptions
3️⃣ Reduce biases and prejudices in the analysis of applications
We created Qweeko with a perfect gender parity since there are two co-founders, Martin and me. Since then, we have been committed to growing the team while maintaining this parity!
Marie Voyer, CPO & Co-founder of Qweeko, EDHEC Entrepreneurs Alumni & Future 40 (2022)
📚 For further reading
🔍 Use case: Team Jolokia's secret to building inclusive organizations from the recruitment phase
📖 Diverse and Inclusive Hiring in Tech: A Practical Guidebook for Entrepreneurs
📖 Seven Practical Ways to Reduce Bias in Your Hiring Process (Harvard Business Review)
📖 How to Take the Bias Out of Interviews (Harvard Business Review, 2016)
✍️ Contributors to this document
The Diversity and Inclusion Chair at EDHEC was established in 2016. Since then, it has undertaken various initiatives and actions to inspire, to raise awareness, and to support individuals and organizations in cultivating inclusive and non-discriminatory behaviours and environments.