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Description
The European Commission promotes pluralism among employers and in the public sphere, in response to migration and the changing needs of increasingly diverse societies. In this area, the Diversity Charter is an important initiative. This is an undertaking made in writing to take measures to counter discrimination and promote pluralism in the workplace. In Poland, at the moment only 275 institutions have signed the charter - local government authorities, organisations, institutions of higher education, and businesses. Unfortunately, the measures these organisations take are insufficient, often superficial, and are for publicity purposes only. The project aims to develop, describe, and apply Diversity Officer (DO) standards as a model solution for three specific areas: public administration at local authority level, business (employers), and institutions of higher education to bring about efficient, inclusive, and egalitarian measures and to devise and implement a complete range of policies to promote pluralism in those areas. Based on public consultations, research, and expert opinions, a description will be provided step by step of who the Diversity Officer is, what they do, the kind of support they provide, and what qualifications they have, so that local government authorities, institutions of higher education, and businesses can make use of a complete and thorough model, and implement it in their organisations. There is a pilot version for the project. The project is intended for organisations in Lublin, while the universal nature and gravity of the issue lends it to be adapted for broader application. During the pilot stage, the devised standards will be adopted in three organisations.
Summary of project results
The project responds to the problem of discrimination in the workplace and the need for inclusive policies to promote diversity in Poland. Since 2003. The European Commission has been promoting diversity policies among employers and employers; one important initiative is the Diversity Charter, which is a written pledge - signed by companies, local governments, universities and organizations - to counter discrimination and promote diversity in the workplace. In Poland, only 275 institutions have so far signed the Charter, mainly companies, but also local governments, organizations and universities. Unfortunately, the actions of these entities are inadequate, often facade and perform more of an image function. Institutions lack the knowledge, tools and practical solutions to act pro-diversity and be able to do so effectively.
The project developed the concept of the so-called Diversity Officer as a model solution for three selected sectors: local government, business understood in terms of the workplace, and universities. Research was conducted, based on which a report was written, and design thinking workshops, expert panel meetings and community consultations were organized. Subsequently, a Diversity Officer model was developed with a description of qualifications, tasks, goals. Pilots of the implementation of standards/policies were carried out in three places (Department of Culture of the Lublin City Hall, Higher School of Entrepreneurship and Administration, Lubelski Węgiel Bogdanka). After the piloting, based on the experience gathered, a recommendation charter was created, consisting of several areas: organizational, communication, implementation and content. Videos promoting diversity standards were also prepared.
The project had a pilot charter and was aimed at institutions in Lublin, but the universality and importance of the topic make it possible to adapt it more widely. The three institutions have implemented new standards to counter discrimination and promote diversity in the workplace. The project filled a gap, giving companies, universities and local governments the knowledge and tools to become inclusive, act pro-diversity and be able to do so effectively.