CERN VISIT 17 APRIL 2018 Diversity and Inclusion, the internal approach towards the UEFA administration Sara Holmgren, Education, Diversity and Inclusion Officer
What is UEFA?
Definitions of Diversity and Inclusion Diversity refers to differences between individuals on any attribute that may lead to the perception that another person is different from the self. ¹ Inclusion refers to the degree to which individuals feel a part of critical organizational processes or in other words, a person s ability to contribute fully and effectively to an organization. ² Inclusion is a necessary condition to achieve positive results of diversity ¹van Knippenberg & Schippers (2007), p. 517 ² Roberson (2006)
RIGHT WRONG
UNDERSTANDING RESPECT
4 different scenarios can appear when working with diverse populations E.g. when the board of an organisation has no female representatives E.g. when women are separated to work on specific areas, such as women s football only E.g. when women are set to work in the same group/task within the organisation, such as personal assistants E.g. when women and men are represented and integrated in all aspects of the organisation, working in the same environment, within the same framework, and with the same response and support
Let s look closer at football and UEFA as an organisation
A bit of history Who invented the sport? Who was the sport invented for? The leadership and prominent positions within the sport has historically been held by WHITE MEN
The background of our initiatives
What are some identified issues? UEFA is still an organisation with a male dominated culture, but in addition to this there are also other aspects impacting the situation within the organisation. For example Legal restraints: UEFA is not recognised as an international organisation under Swiss law, and therefore has different processes for hiring Swiss nationals and EU citizens compared to non EU citizens Swiss law in some cases outline concepts that are not as progressive as could be (e.g. parental leave) Organisations need to push internally for this Cultures and image: The different cultures and origins within the organisations staff comes with many different levels of understanding for many key topics within diversity and inclusion (e.g. sexual orientation). In addition, on-pitch images (e.g. male footballers are all straight, and female footballers are assumed to be gay) seem to also reflects onto the administration of the game
What does this mean for us? Diversity, Equal opportunities, Inclusion, and Gender equality are becoming priorities of more and more companies and organisations, as well as within UEFA 2016, we asked ourselves: What is the value of diversity and inclusion? What does the administration think of the situation now? How are we doing on these topics compared to others?
UEFA Diversity and Inclusion Research In 2016, UEFA commissioned a research project containing three studies on Diversity and Inclusion: 1. The benefits of Diversity and Inclusion 2. UEFA Situational analysis 3. Benchmarking and recommendations The research was commissioned with the aim of building a basis of future work on the topic of Diversity and Inclusion internally at UEFA The research was conducted by the University of St. Gallen
UEFA Diversity and Inclusion Research What did this bring to UEFA? A clear reasoning to why this is an important topic (business case) The understanding of the situation within our own organisation A picture of how our situation correlates to others around us We now see the full picture of where we are, and can plan actions accordingly to reach the goals we want to achieve
Improved information- and decision making Improved access, social integration, and social justice The basis for our business case in football Employees Management Fans and society Perceived fairness regarding access, remuneration, promotion, and retention Increased transparency of internal processes Enhanced personal motivation Better teamwork Less conflict Feelings of inclusion and psychological safety Broader talent pool for recruiting Improved organisational culture Reduced turnover intention and actual fluctuation Improved external image Better fit between projected goals (e.g. fairness and anti-discrimination) and own organisational behavior Better ability to reach, attract, and satisfy a diverse society and fan base Higher perceived trustworthiness of UEFA and its national member associations Higher potential for identification with UEFA and its member associations, particularly for minority fans Improved role modeling function for the society as a whole Increased creativity and problem-solving Mutual learning between colleagues More opportunities for personal growth and development Increased creativity and innovation through broader knowledge base of employees Increased ability of staff to effectively operate in diverse, multicultural environments Improved performance (e.g. revenue growth, etc.)
UEFA Diversity and Inclusion What did we do with this? The results from the internal analysis was evaluated and discussed internally and actions were planned The results were presented to all staff, with clear actions connected to this, and the floor was opened for questions from staff to the top management Changes have been implemented in our HR processes, our staff regulations are changing, and the first ever Diversity and Inclusion training has been put in place for all staff The topic is something people are speaking about!
UEFA Diversity and Inclusion How did we do it? Collaborative effort with the University of St. Gallen Clear in the fact that any relevant results should be followed by concrete actions A basis of openness towards staff about the results, whether positive or negative Academic approach: Benefits of Diversity: Literature review focused on European football UEFA Analysis: Survey performed internally, results analysed by University St. Gallen, and actions planned by UEFA Benchmarking: Interviews with identified sports organisations, SME s, and large companies across Europe
UEFA Diversity and Inclusion Outcomes so far Validation of a second situational analysis in 2018 Diversity and Inclusion training for all staff Training session Handbook Review of HR processes Recruitment and evaluation Promotion Bonuses The initiative also directly supported the concept of creating a UEFA Staff Council Update and clarification of internal policies and regulations
UEFA Diversity and Inclusion Knowledge sharing All work done with the aim of being able to share the key aspects with member associations: Full report on the benefits of Diversity and Inclusion Methodology of the internal analysis Methodology of the benchmarking Contact details to the university of St. Gallen and the active team included in the project
Any questions?
THANK YOU Sara Holmgren UEFA Education, Diversity & Inclusion Officer +41 (0) 79 829 26 85 +41 (0) 22 707 26 85 Sara.Holmgren@uefa.ch