Dancing with resistance: NIM Benchmark 2024

Just as more and more companies in the U.S. are cutting back on their D&I budgets due to social and political pressure, it is encouraging to see Dutch organizations that are actively committed to diversity and inclusion.

Last Thursday, our team from the Netherlands Inclusivity Monitor gathered with various organizations that participated in the NIM at the annual NIM Benchmark event at Utrecht University.

The benchmark analyzed the performance of 68 participating NIM organizations. Their policies were compared to the experiences of nearly 37,000 employees who took part between 2019 and 2024.

The benchmark shows that organizations’ main focus lays on attracting and including underrepresented groups, but they pay less attention to career progression and preventing early turnover. The experiences of employees indicate that minority groups consistently rate the inclusivity climate less positively than the majority group. Nine organizations participated for a second time and improved their D&I policies. Employees of these organizations also experienced a slightly more positive inclusivity climate. However, challenges remain. In an interactive session, we discussed how to engage the silent majority—those who neither resist nor actively contribute—to drive meaningful change.

Want to know more? Check out the factsheet (Dutch version here) and our news article.

Event - Organizational Leadership: Key to DEI success?

For diversity, equity and inclusion to succeed, leadership is of the essence! But what should this leadership look like? For answers to this question and more, join our stakeholder event on May 16th at Universiteit Utrecht.

What to Expect:
📊Presentations on cutting-edge research into leadership diversity (demographics, experience, leadership styles, etc.).
🗣️Discussions on how policy influences leadership diversity and its role in promoting inclusive workplaces.
💡Insights into how leadership impacts the implementation and effectiveness of DEI policies.
🤝A unique opportunity to connect with researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals for meaningful discussions and collaborations.

Presentations will be on-site but, to allow for a broader audience, we will livestream part of the event.

Don't miss this opportunity to engage with thought leaders and contribute to the conversation on leadership and DEI!

📅Date & Time: Friday 16 May, 13.00-18.00 (14:00-17:30 livestream)
📍Location: Utrecht University Academy Hall, Domplein 1, Utrecht (wheelchair accessible)
📝Register here

Organized by: Zoltán Lippényi, Yonn Bokern and me through the Interuniversity Network on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, in collaboration with the NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek) project "Beyond Boardrooms" and the Goldschmeding Foundation project "Het moet wel werken. Impact maken op de D&I praktijk" with SER Diversiteit in Bedrijf.

With contributions from: Miya Tong Sören Tumeltshammer Georgios Michelakis Huyen Nguyen Claudia Toma Jill Knapen Tanachia Ashikali Shuai Yuan Christoph Janietz Lieselotte Blommaert Marieke van den Brink Karima el Bouchtaoui Yonn Bokern Zoltán Lippényi

Panel: Naomi Ellemers Natalie Holwerda-Mieras Ayfer Veli Korkmaz Janka Stoker

Another successful edition of masterclass series Looking at D&I Policies Through a Different Lens

Another successful edition of our Masterclass! Three enthusiastic participants took a deep dive into D&I in our masterclass Kijken met een andere bril naar D&I-beleid (Looking at D&I Policies Through a Different Lens) and passed with flying colors.

They learned from us, and we learned from them—every edition brings new insights. We look forward to the next one!

Want to make your D&I policy more effective? Feel free to contact us at Masterclass-DI@uu.nl.

In collaboration with SER Diversity at Work, Goldschmeding Foundation, Netherlands InclusivityMonitor, Melissa Vink, Yonn Bokern, Renske Kingma, Charita Visser, Robbert van de Waerdt

Diversity and inclusion in SMEs: Sharing the Challenges of Effective Policy

Once again, we gathered valuable and inspiring insights from SMEs, this time in Utrecht (with UDI) and Rotterdam (with 010 Inclusief), and provided concrete tools for building a diverse and inclusive organization.

We explored the key challenges SMEs face in developing effective D&I policies, from creating awareness to embedding inclusive practices in daily operations. Curious about the key insights from the sessions? Read the SER Diversity at Work news article here.

A big thank you to all participants, and especially to SER Diversity at Work for organizing and facilitating the sessions!

Het Moet Wel Werken is a collaboration between SER Diversity at Work, Utrecht University, the Netherlands InclusivityMonitor and the Goldschmeding Foundation.

Photo by SER Diversity at Work

Braving the rain for higher education

We came to the Malieveld, enduring the rain, to make a collective stand against the budget cuts to higher education. Strong and moving, the sense of solidarity. Now, let’s hope it makes an impact.

Image of people protesting with flags on Malieveld The Hague

Photo by Ruthie Pliskin

Protest against budget cuts

It was a bit of a shock when it became known on Wednesday that the demonstration against the budget cuts to higher education would not go ahead, but we did not let ourselves be stopped from making our protest heard.

We watched the livestream of speeches in the Thorbeckezaal together and headed out to the campus with our freshly painted signs. No to destruction! 💪🏻

This also made me realize that I have remarkably few red items in the house (the color of WO in actie), except for this cap of my child. Under the motto ‘make academia great again,’ then…

D&I Masterclass

The dates are set! On January 7, January 21, and February 11 (12:00–16:00), the new series of the masterclass "Kijken met een andere bril naar D&I beleid" will take place at historic university locations in Utrecht's city center.

In this three-part masterclass, you’ll work alongside other HR and D&I professionals to transition from isolated D&I initiatives to integrated and systematically developed policies. Using the latest scientific insights and your own policy case, you will be expertly guided by me and my fellow instructors.

Curious? Take a look at the website or watch this video to hear from a former participant.

Coming Out Day

Yesterday was Coming Out Day, a special (and particularly busy) day each year! The CBS kicked it off with a new report revealing that there are 2.7 million LGBTQIA+ people in the Netherlands.

Barbara Oud from Bi+ Nederland and I were both interviewed about it. I discussed how these kinds of figures can contribute to raising awareness among cis-hetero people, and Barbara talked about the importance for bi+ people to know they are not alone. You can find the article here.

“According to Barbara Oud from Bi+ Nederland, it’s ‘extremely important for bi+ people to see that they are not alone. Even in regional areas, there are people struggling with this, for instance, thinking: I’m the only woman in a relationship with a man who has these feelings or needs. This brings up a lot of loneliness. It helps to see that there are another 1.7 million people dealing with the same thing.’ “

“According to Jojanneke van der Toorn, professor at Leiden University with the special chair in LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion, it’s important to continue monitoring and publishing these figures. ‘It’s easy to underestimate how many people we’re talking about’, she says. ‘There should be policies, recognition, and appreciation even for smaller groups, but when people realize that they probably know a lot of LGBTQIA+ people themselves, it can help with acceptance.’ '“

To be professional is to be straight?

To be professional is to be straight?! An often implicit though entrenched norm in organizations. Want to know more? Download a free copy of our newest article on heteroprofessionalism until Nov 14th.

Abstract: LGBTQ + people continue to face bias and discrimination in the workplace. In this article, we focus on one subtle yet insidious manifestation of such bias: heteroprofessionalism. In workplace contexts, professionalism is generally encouraged. However, what is considered professional is subjective and often shaped by those with high status identities such as cis-heterosexuality. LGBTQ + identities are thus labelled unprofessional and inappropriate for the workplace context. We discuss (1) how heteroprofessionalism can be viewed as a manifestation of assimilation ideology that is employed to reinforce the gender/sex binary and (2) the negative consequences heteroprofessionalism has for members of the LGBTQ + community. We discuss future research directions and end with recommendations for combatting heteroprofessionalism and its harmful consequences.

Dissertation defense Dr. Miriam Wickham

Last Friday, Miriam Wickham defended her dissertation entitled "Square Peg in a Round Hole. Gender Beyond the Binary" at Utrecht University. It was an insightful and inspiring defense, with a good dose of humor (from both the candidate and the committee). In this interesting and thought-provoking dissertation, Miriam provides much-needed insight into the psychological factors relevant to the societal move away from the gender binary by providing convincing evidence debunking common assumptions (1) that the gender binary is helpful, either as a cognitive heuristic or as a way for us to identify with one another, and (2) that it is natural, in that it is upheld by something innate to humans. I much recommend requesting a copy.