Diversity Day is a celebration of respect towards the distinctiveness and uniqueness of every employee. It brings an opportunity to realize that while every one of us has stereotypes that lead to prejudice and discrimination, it is possible to change them.

Slovakia celebrates Diversity Day on 30 May. On this day in 2017, the Slovak Diversity Charter was officially launched and the first signatories joined the initiative.

We started with workshop for signatories, where we created together the content of the catalogue and topics which are the most interesting for them. At the end of April we published for our signatories the leaflet with practical information and tips how to organize the Diversity Day in their companies. We also asked them to include the Diversity Day banner in their email communication.

On May 30 the media brekfast was held. Three top executives from the signatories discussed the topic: Diversity Ambassadors in Companies – the Role of the Leader.

What is the role of leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace? How can the company management help make employees feel like they can be themselves? What does being a diversity ambassador in a company mean in practice?

We hosted Mrs. Alexandra Habeler-Drabek, Member of the Board at Slovenská sporiteľňa, Mr. Stephen Caulfield, Vicepresident and Bratislava Site Leader at Dell and Mr. Richard Biznár, CFO at KOSIT.

“Diversity is not enough. You have to give your employees the feeling that they are accepted and willing, „says Stephen Caulfield, Vice President and Bratislava Site Leader at Dell.

At Dell Slovakia Diversity and Inclusion is supported by Employee Resource Groups, with a focus on various topics and groups.

According to Alexandra Habeler-Drabek, member of the Board at Slovenská sporiteľňa, there is no need to worry about the initiatives from the employees themselves. "Management may sometimes think that it’s too early to begin with some topics, but it's not the case in most of the occurences."

The best ambassadors for diversity are the employees themselves. This view is shared by the majority of corporate management members. "Go and ask your employees who is experiencing diversity. They themselves are the best ambassadors. Employees themselves know how to share positive examples and stories,”says Richard Biznár, FCO at KOSIT.

What can managers do to support diversity? Lead by example and provide scope for themes and initiatives through both human and financial resources. The theme of diversity and inclusion should be constantly reminded and nourished. It is important that your employees see what you do yourself. It counts what you do, not what you say.

Part of the event was also Signing Ceremony where 15 new signatories joined Slovak Diversity Charter. New signatories are: Adidas, Citibank Europe plc –  pobočka zahraničnej banky, Francúzsko-slovenská obchodná komora, GA Drilling, Jobintegra, KOSIT, Letmo SK, Lidl SR, Mondelez, Orange Slovensko, Pixel Federation, Salesianer Miettex, Slovenské národné stredisko pre ľudské práva, Tesco Stores SR and Vacuumlabs.

Many signatories also organized their Diversity Days and focused on selected topics.