The German Diversity Day takes place every year and is a initiative of Charta der Vielfalt e.V.. Companies and organizations across Germany participate with a wide range of online and offline activities on diversity – whether for their own employees or the general public. The aim is to bring diversity in all its dimensions into focus in the workplace. This year, the 9th German Diversity Day (#DDT21) will take place on May 18 and all actions will be collected digitally under the hashtag #VielfaltVerbindet. All further information about the day of action can be found on the website of Charta der Vielfalt e.V..

We are in!

We will guide you through our seven HOW TO guides for #DDT21 on our website and social media. The guides highlight social changes from a business perspective. They show options for action that put companies and organizations on the safe side while also taking into account the needs of employees. Gain insights into topics such as “Same-sex marriage” “The third gender option” or learn something about gender-inclusive language with our “Sprechen Sie LGBT*IQ” guide.

HOW TO – our lgbt*iq guides

HOW TO NO. 1 | GERMAN

Same-sex Marriage and What it Means for Businesses

Dear businesspeople and other interested parties, we would like to provide you below with a short guide regarding the changes you can expect in everyday business life as a result of marriage equality and how you can respond to them.

HOW TO NO. 2 | GERMAN & English

UN LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business


A theoretical overview of the UN LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business and practical suggestions for implementation in everyday business life.

HOW TO NO. 3 | GERMAN

Do You Speak LGBT*IQ?

Language is much more than just a way to express ourselves – it’s also a mirror to our society. It tells us who is truly considered a full member and who is only included as a footnote. If you want to know how everyone can be included linguistically, you will find practical everyday answers and examples in this guide.

HOW TO No. 4 | GERMAN & ENGLISH

LGBT*IQ FOR BEGINNERS. WHY DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE PAYS OFF. A GUIDE FOR EMPLOYERS.

The perfect piece of reading for all employers who have understood that they will meet LGBT*IQ topics all over their company. A beginner’s guide from A as in acronym (what does LGBT*IQ actually mean?) to Z as in zero disturbances concerning personnel development. It will then be clear why the commitment to equal opportunities in the workplace is financially and culturally worthwhile and how diversity can materialize into minds and structures.

HOW TO No. 5 | GERMAN & ENGLISH

LGBT*IQ FOR EMPLOYEES. LGBT*IQ – AND YOU? COMING OUT FOR INSIDERS.

With this guide, we primarily address members of the LGBT*IQ community who wish to appear with their whole self in their everyday work. The guide provides answers to important questions and practical tips for coming out at the workplace.

HOW TO No. 6 | GERMAN & ENGLISH

ALLYSHIP. ALLIES AT WORK. A GUIDE FOR LGBT*IQ ALLIES IN EVERDAY WORKING LIFE

Anyone can be a LGBT*IQ ally anytime and anywhere – that is the ideal case! This guide is primarily aimed at the situation of employees. We show, where they can find other LGBT*IQ allies in their company and give them concrete recommendations for successful cooperation.

HOW TO No. 7 | german

THE THIRD OPTION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN COMPANIES.

What does gender mean? What is the introduction of a third gender option all about? And what does it mean for employees and employers? In this guide, we have collected answers – as well as measures to implement the law in companies and create an open work culture.

Campaign #QueerAtWork for IDAHOBIT

The International Day against Homophobia, Bi-, Inter- and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) has been celebrated annually on May 17 since 2005 to highlight discrimination against the LGBT*IQ community, to raise awareness of existing inequality structures and to take a united stand for diversity and tolerance. May 17 marks the day in 1990 when the WHO removed homosexuality from the diagnostic code for diseases. For this year’s IDAHOBIT, we are calling on all LGBTIQ employees, regardless of their company, to post a portrait photo on their social media channels with the hashtag #QueerAtWork.

How can i participate in the Campaign?
  • Inform and approach LGBT*IQ people from your own network and beyond to make them aware of the campaign
  • Create a portrait photo using the templates, whether printed out or digitally using a tablet. (Be sure to clarify in advance whether you may use the employer’s company logo along with the template. Instead, you can use the company name or use the template without company information.)
  • Send us your photo and signed consent form to use your photo as part of the campaign until May 13.
  • Post your own campaign photo along with the statement on May 17 2021, 9:00 am (CEST) with the respective hashtags and taggings on whatever social media channels you use

All the information, including the statement and template for the action, as well as the consent form, can be found summarized here as a download.

Hashtags

#IDAHOBIT2021
#QueerAtWork
#ProutAtWork
#FlaggeFürVielfalt
#LGBT
#[Diversity-Hashtag of your company]
#[Diversity-Hashtag of your corporate network]

Taggings

PROUT AT WORK
Facebook: @PrOut@Work
Instagram: @proutatwork
LinkedIn: @PROUT AT WORK-Foundation
Twitter: @proutatwork

If applicable, own company

Position yourself and your company as a supporter of the campaign and call on employees and executives to participate. Use the campaign to effectively advocate against LGBT*IQ discrimination internally and externally. The campaign is based on an idea by Magenta Pride, Deutsche Telekom’s LGBT*IQ employee network, and is supported by it.

We look forward to a successful campaign!

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Campaign: #theLworksout for Lesbian Visibility Day

In contrast to many gay people, lesbian persons and also bisexual women are often not perceived, one speaks of Lesbian Invisibility. To this day, there are few visible lesbian role models – especially in the business context. In many networks lesbian persons are in the minority. As a result, there is a lack of role models for new and younger colleagues. Through the cross-network and cross-sector campaign #theLworksout on April 26, we can empower openly lesbian people and together create visibility through a large number of participants, as well as highlight the diversity of lesbian people.

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE IN THE campaign?
  • Inform lesbian people from your own network and beyond to make them aware of the action.
  • Create a portrait photo using the templates, whether printed or digitally with the tablet. You are also welcome to use the template in grayscale, for example. (Make sure to clarify in advance whether you are allowed to use the employer’s company logo together with the template. Instead, you can use the company name or use the template without the company name).
  • Post your own campaign photo on 26.04.2021 from 10:00 am with the respective hashtags and taggings on the social media channels you use
Hashtags

#theLworksout
#LesbianVisibilityDay
#LesbianVisibility
#LesbischeSichtbarkeit
#LGBTIQBusinessLadies
#ProutAtWork
#LGBTIQRoleModels
#FlaggeFürVielfalt

Taggings

PROUT AT WORK
Facebook: @PrOut@Work
Instagram: @proutatwork
LinkedIn: @PROUT AT WORK-Foundation
Twitter: @proutatwork

If applicable, own company

Position yourself and your company as a supporter of the campaign and for lesbian visibility and call on employees to participate.
The campaign was initiated jointly by the PROUT AT WORK-Foundation and LGBT*IQ business networks. The Lesbian and Gay Association (LSVD) and Wirtschaftsweiber e.V. support the campaign.

We look forward to a successful campaign!

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regularily, our board member Albert Kehrer invites an inspiring role model of the LGBT*IQ community or an LGBT*IQ Ally for a chat. You can look forward to an interesting exchange about role models and visibility in the LGBT*IQ community.

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GUEST OF THE DAY
.

© Dr. Ernesto Marinelli, SAP SE

Dr. Ernesto Marinelli
Senior Vice President, Head of Human Resources for Global Customer Success at SAP
Ranked 10th on the TOP 100 OUT EXECUTIVES list 2019

Ernesto has over 15 years of human resources experience He is currently the global head of HR for SAP’s Customer Success organization. Passionate about transformation and the impact of leadership on people, Ernesto is a seasoned, goal oriented global HR Senior Executive with broad experience in supporting the Sales and Services organization as well as Development Groups. Accustomed to work in an international environment, Ernesto is strong in transformational work and possesses in depth expertise in all relevant HR processes with a strong ability in creating long term partnerships He speaks Italian and German, is fluent in English and has good knowledge of French and Spanish. He joined SAP in 2005 as a recruiter and had several roles within the HRBP Organization. Ernesto earned a Master Degree in General Linguistics and a PHD in German Linguistics at the University of Würzburg in Germany.

Regularily, our board member Albert Kehrer invites an inspiring role model of the LGBT*IQ community or an LGBT*IQ Ally for a chat. You can look forward to an interesting exchange about role models and visibility in the LGBT*IQ community.

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GUEST OF THE DAY

© Lichtbildatelier Eva Speith, Darmstadt

Philip Heßen
Head of HR Strategy & Transformation bei Merck
Ranked 6th on the TOP 100 OUT EXECUTIVES list 2020

Philip Heßen joined Merck KGaA, a leading science and technology company based in Germany, in 2014. Initially Philip held the position of Head of Global Rewards, followed by his role as Head of HR Germany and is currently responsible for the Global People and HR Strategy, acting as Head of HR Strategy & Transformation.  

Philips professional career started with Siemens, where he was responsible for the initiation of a share-based incentive and establishing an employee-share-culture. In 2011, he transitioned to the high-tech company OSRAM as Global Rewards and Executive HR Manager and, among other things, supported the company’s flotation (IPO) and Divesture from the parent company Siemens.

Since the publication of the joint position paper on blood donation in April 2020 with the co-initiator METRO AG and 15 other signatories, PROUT AT WORK has been publicly campaigning for a change in the hemotherapy guideline. Companies bear social responsibility: In this context, many provide premises for blood donation and call on employees to donate blood. An amended guideline will enable companies to offer a non-discriminatory working environment and at the same time fulfill their social responsibility.

On March 24, the Health Committee held a hearing on the topic of blood donation, at which PROUT AT WORK-board member Albert Kehrer was invited as an expert, among others. In the Live Talk he reported on his experiences and Nikita Baranov, Executive Assistant to CHRO at METRO AG picked you up with his impulse lecture on the topic of blood donation. He explained why it is important to advocate for policy change right now and how companies can contribute. Unfortunately, the video is only available in German.

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Go directly to the hearing “Expertenstreit über die Zulassung zur Blutspende” here:

Regularily, our board member Albert Kehrer invites an inspiring role model of the LGBT*IQ community or an LGBT*IQ Ally for a chat. You can look forward to an interesting exchange about role models and visibility in the LGBT*IQ community.

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Guest Of the day

© Claudia Brind-Woody

Claudia Brind-Woody
Managing Director, Walgreens Boots Alliance at IBM
Global Co-Chair for the IBM LGBT+ Executive Taskforce
Part of INvolve’s Role Model Hall of Fame

Claudia Brind-Woody is currently the IBM Managing Director for the Walgreens Boots Alliance Integrated Account where she leads the IBM team in both Europe in North America.  Prior to this role, she was the Vice President and Managing Director for IBM Global Intellectual Property Licensing where she delivered more than $3 Billion of profit to IBM through IP Partnerships.   She also led the two large divestitures of IBM Software in 2019 – one was $1.77 Billion and the other was $545M.  Claudia has been with IBM since 1996, and has held multiple global roles during her tenure including work in Finland and the United Kingdom.

Claudia is an accomplished speaker who has done keynote speeches on LGBT Diversity throughout the world.   She has also contributed to the books: Out & Equal at Work: From Closet to Corner Office (2013) and The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out is Good for Business (2014).  She is featured in the book Pride and Joy: LGBTQ Artists, Icons and Everyday Heroes (2017).

Claudia serves on the Advisory Boards of WorkPlace Pride in Amsterdam, and The GayStar News.  She has also served on the Board of Directors of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, and Lambda Legal.

In 2011, Claudia received the Out & Equal Trailblazer Award and was listed in GO Magazine’s “100 Women We Love.”  In 2012 she was included in The Guardian’s WorldPride Power List Top 100.  In 2013, she was listed as #6 on The Financial Times LGBT Role Models, in 2014 was #10  on their list, and in 2015 was #5.  In 2015, she was also listed as #2 on the Telegraph Media Group’s Out at Work LGBT Top 50 Executives.  Most recently, she was included in the Diva Power List and named to the Financial Times LGBT Role Models Hall of Fame for 2016.

Before joining IBM in 1996, Claudia worked for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, as an executive for CenturyLink, and as the Assistant Dean of the College & Graduate School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.  She also served as the Assistant Athletics Director at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Tennessee.  She was also an Assistant Basketball Coach under Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee.

Claudia holds a J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Georgia State University, an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.S. from the University of Tennessee.  She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Mary Baldwin College where she earned her B. A. summa cum laude.  She is admitted to practice law by the State Bar of Georgia.   

Regularily, our board member Albert Kehrer invites an inspiring role model of the LGBT*IQ community or an LGBT*IQ Ally for a chat. You can look forward to an interesting exchange about role models and visibility in the LGBT*IQ community.

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Guest Of The Day

© Kieran Harnett

Margot Slattery
Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Sodexo Group

As the Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the Sodexo Group, a world leader in integrated facilities services, Margot has responsibility for the strategic direction, implementation and alignment of its integrated global diversity and inclusion initiatives.  

Limerick-born Margot joined Sodexo Ireland in the early 1990s and prior to her current role, was country president of Sodexo Ireland from 2015-2019.   For her work in championing successful inclusive leadership in Ireland, Margot was regularly listed on the Financial Times’ Top 100 LGBT Business Leaders and was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite by the French Ambassador to Ireland. She has also been the recipient of many other business and professional awards in Ireland and abroad.

Sodexo delivers services that improve the quality of life to clients in business and industry, education, financial, pharma and healthcare. These include food services, infrastructure build, facilities and estate management, optimising the workplace experience, wellness experiences, personal and homecare services.

LGBT*IQ people are still not protected by Article 3 in the German Constitution. Many people from the LGBT*IQ community experience discrimination, exclusion and hate violence. We feel that a protection by the Constitution is indispensable and thus PROUT AT WORK is one of the first signatories of the appeal “A Basic Law for All”.

Federal government and Bundestag are currently negotiating the deletion of the term “race” in Article 3 of the Constitution. Let’s join together to send a strong message to politicians that sexual orientation and gender identity must be added to the article as well.

Our board member Albert Kehrer talked with Tagesgespräch host Christine Krueger about the question “Why is Coming Out still difficult”. The conversation can now be listened to online.