The network for corporate social responsibility has been encouraging participation in the day and also calling for entries to the inaugural Diversity Awards, which bring Diversity Day to a close. Participants in Diversity Day are expected to showcase their best practices on 12 May to visitors from an official delegation.

To help businesses and organisations prepare for the day itself, IMS hosted a workshop at the premises of Allen & Overy on Wednesday 25 February. Some 80 guests, mainly from company HR departments, registered for the workshop. Participants were shown what sort of actions they could use to highlight their everyday work in the field, provided with a toolkit incorporating visual identities and banners and a video, and were encouraged to ask questions about Diversity Day. A video link with the organisers of the hugely successful German Diversity Day, which has attracted over two million participants in past years, also proved useful. “It was great when everyone applauded after the video,” said IMS Luxembourg director Nancy Thomas. “This has given us real encouragement for the Diversity Day.”

Meanwhile, the call for entries to the Diversity Awards is in full swing. Thomas explained that the awards are open to all organisations; signatories of the Diversity Charter or not, small or big firms, public institutions, private companies and NGOs etc. Awards will be handed out in four categories: recruitment, welcome and integration; career management; work environment and well being; and communication and organisation values. A pre-jury of experts will make a short list selection of three nominees in each category before the jury itself, headed by minister for equal opportunities Corinne Cahen, chooses the four winners. “We want to discover innovative practices and their impact on an organisation. It is an opportunity to find our what companies are doing concretely in terms of diversity,” said Thomas.

Website: http://www.diversity-charter.com/diversity-charter-luxemburg-charter.php