"Doing Well by Doing Good" ~ Diversity in the Workplace in Israel
From a Western point of view, Israel is a (quite) young country (1948) that encapsulates how diversity in the workplace can lead the way in sustainability & innovation.
The State of Israel – 8.4 millions people - has a common heritage of citizens coming from more than 100 countries, among which 17 millions Arabs, 360,00 others and 100,000 legal immigrants.
What does “diversity” stand for in Israel? How is diversity applied in the workplace?
Diversity.
Diversity is a complex issue of being able to make multicultural and religious differences coexist within an environment. As said above, Israel is characterized by multiple ethnies and minorities. Despite the vivid discrepancies, Israel succeeds in providing a beneficial environment for the different minorities in their workplace.
Source: La Croix (2016)
Diversity in the workplace.
The expression “diversity in the workplace” refers to the “appropriate representation of people from minority ethnic groups, of different ages, religions, cultures and sexual orientation” (Source: brookdale). Several initiatives have been raised since the last 15 years.
The company Amdocs Technology, a provider of software/services for communications (CRM) based in Nazareth, Israel’s largest Arab city, is a case in point in the field. Through several corporate initiatives, the company tends to offer an excellent workplace for every Muslim, Jewish, Christian or Druze employee. This can stand for the development of training and reverse mentoring, religious celebrations all year long, … If you check out their website, the company has put its innovation values at the same level as people diversity or corporate social responsibility.
Corporate social responsibility.
This item may ring a bell to some of the readers. Following Amdocs web definition, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a policy that “aims at empowering employees and building inclusive communities at work” (Source: Amdocs website). It is based upon four key pillars: environment, marketplace, workplace and society. The state of Israel is at a forefront regarding CSR. It was, for instance, the first country to hold a corporate social responsibility forum last end 2016.
Among the key Israeli actors, the organisation Maala raises awareness and exposure among Israeli business, large-medium and small, workers and general public. Not only does Maala organised the CSR forum, but it also has a social utility as a business value since the data collected through surveys serves as a map to improve the overall CSR professional standards. All in all, it contributes to the development of the employees. Data is also analysed by Greeneye, the Israeli representative of EIRIS.
THE MAALA INDEX - Source: Maala.org.il
Conclusion.
In a nutshell, diversity in the workplace in Israel shows that it brings high value to organizations. In the respect of individual differences, law and regulations, it creates a fair and safe environment where everyone has access to opportunities and challenges. The case of Israel should stand as a case in point for corporations wishing to implement long-term CSR policies in a multicultural environment.