The EMCC (Euroopa Struktuurimuutuste Jälgimise Keskus) wishes to inform you of the forthcoming Company Network Seminar to be held in Rueil-Malmaison (near Paris, France). The event will take place on 14-15 June 2007 and will deal with:

Managing diversity in the workplace: competitive advantages for companies

The first Company Network Seminar of 2007 will be held in the headquarters of Schneider Electric in Paris on June 14-15, 2007. This event aims to analyse how companies are managing diversity, both internally and externally, as part of their daily operations. Five European companies will present their corporate practices in order to illustrate the business benefits of diversity initiatives in the workplace.

What is the context?
In recent years, the EU has issued important legislation aimed at guaranteeing equal treatment in employment. European directives have covered direct and indirect discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, religion, belief, disability, age and sexual orientation. In many countries, these have acted as catalysts for deeper and wider legislative initiatives and debates in the field of equal opportunities.

Against this backdrop, 2007 has been designated as the European Year of ‘Equal Opportunities for all’, with a special key action dedicated to raising awareness about the business benefits of diversity in the workforce.

Diversity in today’s societies is increasingly reflected inside the workplace, with more companies realising the direct and indirect benefits that come with a wider variety of thoughts, ideas, backgrounds and beliefs. In this context, the development of initiatives to recruit, develop and leverage the potential of diverse workforces is regarded by many firms as a way of gaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Furthermore, diversity policies also have an important external component. As firms compete for new markets and pools of more informed and demanding customers, the capacity to understand and internally mirror the diversity of the external marketplace is regarded as a key factor in business success. Such practices can also foster higher levels of creativity and innovation, as well as a greater balance of skills and competencies among staff. Moreover, these policies may ultimately translate into the development of new products and services, hence contributing to employment creation and business growth.

Seminar focus
For an increasing number of companies, diversity has gone beyond a mere HR function to become a comprehensive strategy which includes communication, education, recruitment and vendor/supplier relationships. In this context, the seminar will invite five European companies to present their diversity policies before a select European audience.

The focus of the presentations and subsequent debates will be on the following issues:

Realising the importance of diversity policies in today’s workplace;
Exploring the factors that can enable a wider uptake of corporate diversity practices;
Identifying the skills and management competencies needed from diversity managers;
Analysing the means and ways of integrating diversity into the business strategy;
Considering the social and economic enterprise benefits of building diverse workforces;
Examining whether a demonstrable link between business benefits and investment in diversity can be established – tangible and/or intangible;
Reflecting on the impact that demographic changes will have for company diversity practices

Programme
For further details on the format and topics of this seminar, please download the provisional programme (pdf file, 161KB).

Please note that the deadline for registrations is 25 April 2007. EMCC will reimburse travel costs and pay a daily subsistence allowance for a limited number of participants. Places are fixed at 45 and registrations will be screened upon receipt, with the applicant receiving notification of his/her acceptance shortly afterwards.

Lisainfo ja osalemissoovist teatamine:

Seminari töökeeled on inglise ja prantsuse. Reisikulud kompenseeritakse. Kuna osalejate arv on piiratud, siis on osalemissoovid oodatud - mida varem seda parem, kuid mitte hiljem kui 25. aprilliks 2007: kristi@ettk.ee või telefonil 6999302. Huvilistel palutakse seejärel täita taotlusvorm.