BASF

Caitlin Inwards

In 2020, in both Canada and the U.S.A., organizations and individuals alike experienced a year of reckoning. During this time, painful parts of both countries- histories were propelled into the limelight, causing many to grapple with ongoing social and systemic injustices and how to impact positive change today.

In recent years, we have seen a large spike in organizations taking action related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The need for change could no longer be ignored as the public and employees demanded meaningful action from government and private organizations.

However, as the global economy slowdown began, we’ve witnessed many organizations subtly pulling back on their DEI commitments. While it can sometimes be difficult to tie DEI to a business return, DEI efforts have shown long-term business success. According to data, DEI strategies and efforts improve the overall employee experience, which translates to:

• Increased financial performance

• Greater innovation

• Improved business and team performance

• Reduced turnover

• Enhanced brand reputation

As an HR professional with over 13 years of experience, I have witnessed the harmful effects of exclusionary behaviors and toxic work environments on the well-being, engagement, and productivity of employees. In particular, when these behaviors go unaddressed at the senior leadership level, the impact can be even more severe. Since work is essential to our livelihoods and a fundamental need, prioritizing the creation of psychologically safe workplaces should be imperative.

"All DEI efforts should be inspired by a greater purpose of creating a better, more equitable society for our current and future generations"

At BASF, DEI was part of our focus long before it became topical in the media. In Canada, we have committed to ambitious targets in the DEI space by aiming to reach our aspirational state of a culture entrenched with diversity, equity, and inclusion by 2025.

To ensure we meet our targets and have a strategic approach, we have focused on engaging our employees and leaders in the process. This is key to our success as employees must want and be willing to take action towards our initiatives so we can permeate our culture into their daily work. Additionally, leadership must support driving DEI throughout the company by ensuring accountability within their teams and recognizing those who foster an environment of inclusion and belonging. We have done this by:

• Launching a voluntary self-identification questionnaire for BASF employees to disclose demographical data. Since 2021, we have achieved a participation rate of more than 50 percent of our workforce, which we are very proud of as this provides us with critical data relating to our workforce representation. This allows us to make informed decisions for benefits and programs that will benefit our specific workforce.

• Conducting an Inclusion Pulse Check twice a year asks employees to provide their feedback on our progress as an organization within the DEI space and supports us in understanding if employees feel they can be their authentic selves at work and that they are treated equally.

• Creating a Canadian DEI council as a cross-functional committee of senior leaders who provide strategic input and steering to ensure the company’s DEI advancement and accountability.

Although these are only a few examples of the initiatives we have put in place, there are many more that guide the employee experience and drive our DEI efforts, like our employee resource groups (aka “Affinity” Groups) and inclusion champion initiative.

I’ve been a part of BASF since 2020, and it has been an amazing experience to belong to an organization that values and invests in DEI. When I started my role, I expected to face new challenges and opportunities, but I felt privileged to focus on DEI as part of my responsibilities and combine my personal learning journey with my professional experience. Today, I can confidently state that when DEI is an organizational and leadership priority, employees experience greater well-being, engagement and productivity.

To show employees we care, we must create a culture where they feel respected, valued, included, and have a true sense of psychological well-being. By involving employees, gathering voluntary data and setting KPIs accordingly, we can create a culture where employees feel they belong and, thus, can unleash their true potential. When DEI initiatives are undertaken as a ‘one– and–done’ approach, substantial change cannot happen. All DEI efforts should be inspired by a greater purpose of creating a better, more equitable society for our current and future generations.