All Aboard Alliance Insights: DEI should be treated like any other business priority

According to Global Maritime Forum, the Insights report found that while many companies are still starting out on their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journeys, there are encouraging signs that the member companies are working to address some of its well-known problems in this area.

This very first All Aboard Insights on diversity, equity and inclusion is a powerful testament to our collective resolve to examine the prevailing biases, systemic barriers, and historical inequalities that have hindered progress across the industry and within companies

… said Su Yin Anand, head of shipping at South32 and a co-chair of the All Aboard Alliance.

The Annual Insights 2023 also report provides a deep dive into the 5 principles that member companies commit to upon joining the Alliance:

#1 Appointing a business sponsor to lead DEI efforts

Key insights:

• Appointing a business sponsor at the very top level is a great way of demonstrating that an organization is truly committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace.
• Aligning diversity, equity and inclusion with the overall purpose and strategy of the business ensures that it remains a priority, even during challenging times.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion should be treated like any other business priority by monitoring progress and rewarding those who are making a difference.

#2 Educating employees on their role in fostering a diverse equitable, and inclusive workplace

Key Insights:

• Ensuring that people at every level understand the meaning of diversity, equity and inclusion within the business, how it is relevant to their role, and their potential impact can accelerate progress.
• Designing development opportunities that specifically equip people managers to inclusively manage and develop diverse teams can help foster an inclusive working culture.
• Linking diversity, equity and inclusion to corporate values and behavior frameworks provides an anchor for diversity, equity, and inclusion development programs.

#3 Creating and maintaining an organizational culture of equity and belonging

Key Insights:

• To accelerate progress, focus on building trust with colleagues by providing a variety of ways to listen to their views and feedback on action taken.
• Review existing key policies and processes through an inclusion lens to ensure they are applicable to all colleagues in the organization.
• Once policies and practices have been introduced, monitor their impact and uptake to ensure that all colleagues are able to make full use of them across the whole organization.

#4 Capturing relevant data to evaluate progress

Key insights

• Diversity – Gender and age are the most common diversity data points captured by member companies – these form a foundation to expand to other areas such as ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation.
• Inclusion – Engagement surveys are frequently used to gauge colleague sentiment – the next step is to ask specific questions to monitor inclusion and belonging and to analyze the results by different groups.
• Equity – By capturing and analyzing a range of data points across the employee lifecycle, companies will be able to identify any equity gaps and form plans to close them.

#5 Externally communicating DEI commitment and progress

Key Insights:

• Use as many communication platforms as possible to reach different audiences – acknowledging that stories are more memorable than facts and figures.
• The purpose behind publishing data is to communicate the starting point and progress – being open as possible across all areas of diversity, equity and inclusion allows for transparency and mutual accountability.
• Communicating both successes and challenges can be a powerful way of building trust that the organization is truly committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace.

Progress 

Companies have advanced furthest in meeting Principle 1, the appointment of a business sponsor to lead and ensure accountability of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization.

This DEI accountability generally resides at the C-suite leadership level and many member companies report aligning diversity, equity, and inclusion with their overall business strategy.

On the flip side, member companies are less mature when it comes to equipping employees to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and communicating their DEI commitment and progress to external audiences.

The self-assessments clearly demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion among member companies and a genuine desire to make necessary changes

… said Susanne Justesen, project director for human sustainability at the Global Maritime Forum.

In an exclusive interview with SAFETY4SEA, Susanne Justesen had highlighted that The Alliance’s ambition is to make a career in maritime more attractive and inclusive to all current and future employees.

In addition to examining member companies’ progress within each of the five principles and providing numerous real-world examples of the companies’ DEI initiatives and challenges, the report also offers recommendations for how members can fast-track their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We must comprehensively re-evaluate our practices, policies, and organizational cultures to foster an environment where individuals from all backgrounds can thrive, providing equal access to training, mentorship, and advancement opportunities

… concluded Mikael Skov, CEO of Hafnia and a co-chair of the All Aboard Alliance.

The All Aboard Alliance Insights 2023 report is produced as a collaboration between the Global Maritime Forum and the Diversity Study Group, which is a Founding Knowledge Partner of the All Aboard Alliance.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE