Pride and Prejudice: how to be yourself at work

The conference will focus on the economic and, most importantly, human costs of workplace discrimination. About 200 business leaders, policymakers, and civil society representatives will attend the conference, which aims to incite the various stakeholders to further the debate while sharing best practices.

What are the obstacles to companies becoming more inclusive?

Employers should not underestimate the challenges employees face when adapting their behavior to some workplaces that are not fully inclusive, especially if they feel that the company is not working hard enough to allow all individuals to be themselves. Any company can pretend to be inclusive, but without genuine commitment, no change management can be successfully carried out. It is therefore vital for top management, and managers in general, to be involved in translating this strategy into concrete initiatives. Working together with local teams is also essential, to factor in the unique cultural features and dynamics of each Group entity.

Four focus areas for greater inclusion of all employees

Increasing the number of women in key positions, creating dedicated employee resource groups, and setting up awareness workshops are a few examples of the progress made and initiatives taken by AXA in the past five years to strengthen diversity and inclusion, while focusing on four areas:

• Getting more women to the top
• Being yourself at work
• Ability rather than disability
• Building intergenerational bridges

Denis Duverne will participate, starting at 12:45 pm (Paris time), in a round table discussion on the importance of a diverse and inclusive work environment.

The 24h event will be webcasted on The Economist's Facebook page.