"Diversity and inclusion are the foundation of BAM's scientific excellence."
Herbert Saul, representative of severely disabled employees at BAM
Researching together means breaking down barriers together: We see it as a matter of course that people with disabilities contribute to the fulfillment of our mission - safety in chemistry and technology.
How we promote inclusion:
- Recruitment: Severely disabled people or people of equal status are given preferential consideration if they are equally qualified.
- Inclusion officer and representative body for severely disabled employees: Our inclusion officer and representative body for severely disabled employees advocate for the interests of people with disabilities.
- Individual and conflict counseling: Employees can seek advice, particularly when applying for severely disabled status or procedures for changing the degree of severe disability.
- Workplace accessibility: Workplaces are equipped to be accessible and employees are advised on aids.Schwerbehinderte oder ihnen gleichgestellte Menschen werden bei gleicher Eignung bevorzugt berücksichtigt
People@BAM: „Success through diversity“
Sabine Tschiersich, Inklusionsbeauftragte & Herbert Saul, Schwerbehindertenvertretung
Source: BAM
How can diversity and inclusion be practiced in everyday working life?
We see inclusion as a core aspect of diversity. The concept of inclusion, which was established by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and has been in force in Germany since 2009, assumes that everyone is accepted in society and can participate in it on an equal and self-determined basis - regardless of gender, age or origin, religious affiliation or education, any disabilities or other individual characteristics.
Inclusion work is very diverse and permeates all areas of life at BAM. It is about the specific implementation of unrestricted access. For example, as part of the recruitment process, it must be ensured that applicants with severe disabilities have the opportunity to take part in a job interview if they are equally qualified. However, accessibility is also an issue when designing laboratories, offices or introducing software.
What are the particular challenges involved?
Often it's first about coming together, discovering strengths and talents and talking about health restrictions. This takes time, which we are happy to invest - including the one-on-one counseling of employees. We would also like to see employees and managers in particular continue to take a constructive approach to inclusion. We should bear in mind that we ourselves are often only a small step away from having health restrictions. We need to find solutions together and not justifications as to why things are not possible. This attitude would take us further, and not just in the area of inclusion.
What can each and everyone of us do?
Everyone can work on their attitude towards others. For me, inclusion is an attitude that takes us beyond the actual implementation of disability legislation and can enrich our lives in terms of appreciation and value added. Those who see their fellow human beings as unique individuals with a wide range of characteristics and talents who are not "standardized" will treat them with greater understanding - and will experience diversity as an enrichment for themselves and for our work.