Why diversity is so important to us
Published on 2022-09-27 15:17:18IDA Team

Why diversity is so important to us

Blog

On this Diversity Day, we would like to share some of our insights when it comes to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As we set out our strategic roadmap, IDA prioritised key Sustainable Development Goals that we can make an impact on, including SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). These goals help us with shaping our policies, making sure all our employees feel safe and valued at work.

Embracing diversity for broader perspectives

Whether based in our office in the Netherlands, India or abroad, staff at IDA Foundation represent many different backgrounds and nationalities, but we share a passion to improve access to essential medicines. Our office has a professional and open atmosphere, where employees can approach each other for guidance and support and learn from each other. While we work hard, we also make time for fun outings and sporting events. Many colleagues are considered close friends, thereby shaping the IDA culture and making it a great place to work. Working with more than 25 different nationalities at IDA can be challenging sometimes as all our staff members come from different countries with their own culture and traditions. But it is also beneficial to our teams as we all learn from each other, and it allows us to broaden our perspectives, and reminds us why it is important to be able to be ourselves and share your personal insights on different matters.  

Diversity impacts a company’s overall performance

In a study performed by Forbes in 2017, a direct link was found between inclusive decision-making and better performance. They found that diverse teams are 87% better at making decisions! Similar results were already found in a study from McKinsey in 2015, which showed that corporations identified as more diverse are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors. In addition, Great Place to Work research (2021) showed that having diverse and inclusive teams increases employee engagement and satisfaction. For 83%, an employer’s commitment to the topic affected their decision to work for that organisation, and they are more likely to have pride in their work and more likely to look forward to going to work. 

Last year our HR Manager Rheinhard shared his perspective on diversity and inclusion, and we held internal workshops which brought attention to the topics of bias and micro-aggressions.  

Society has already come a long way in raising awareness about different marginalised groups and the challenges that they face. However, there is still a noticeable presence of stigmas, stereotypes and misunderstandings, leading to (often unintentional) micro-aggressions. Therefore, we believe it is important to continue to pay attention to this subject for more awareness and to keep the conversation going! This can help make people understand and think more about what they say and how they say it, as words matter and by choosing words carefully, we can make people feel included. See Blueyse's Diversity Week campaign for more information.

For more information about IDA's team, visit Our People page and make sure to follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on our news, vacancies and more!