ENAR’s Equal@work Platform
The Equal@work Platform brings together businesses, social partners, NGOs, public authorities and academics committed to diversity and inclusion, to find solutions so that ethnic and religious minorities can fully participate in the labour market.
Why Equal@work?
Everybody wants a decent, well-paid and quality job. If you’re Black, Roma, Muslim, or a migrant from a non-EU country living in Europe, discrimination is a major obstacle when looking for a job and when you’re in a job.
Migrants and minorities face discrimination when they’re applying for jobs. But even once they are in a job, migrants and minorities continue to face unequal treatment. Lower wages, a lack of career prospects, precarious and difficult working conditions, sticky floor and glass ceiling, harassment, and abusive dismissal, are just some of the manifestations.
In addition, the financial and economic crisis has worsened existing discrimination against minorities and migrants and has increased the employment gap between ethnic minorities and the majority population.
That’s why ENAR launched the pioneering Equal@work Platform in 2009. It brings together businesses, social partners, NGOs, public authorities and academics committed to diversity and inclusion, to find solutions so that ethnic and religious minorities can fully participate in the labour market. These actors share best practices, explore innovative dimensions and engage in a constructive dialogue to increase the recruitment, retention and career progression of ethnic minorities and migrants and to develop creative and cutting-edge approaches making solid business sense.
What’s the added value of ENAR’s Equal@work Platform?
- Equal@work creates an innovative and safe multi-stakeholder space to discuss common issues of concern and create new alliances to increase the employment rate of ethnic minorities and migrants in Europe.
- Equal@work bridges the gap between companies and ethnic minority communities and migrants.
- Equal@work enables high-level networking at European level and the development of common advocacy strategies.
- Partners share, duplicate and improve best practices in HR and diversity management between different EU countries.
- Partners have access to information and expertise to support them in fostering genuine diversity in their company.
- Partners can better understand different organizational worlds and cultures. This contributes to the well-being of all employees, from operational level to top executives, and enhances the resilience and long-term growth of the company.
- Partners associate their brand to progressive social change and cutting-edge corporate social responsibility policies.
Further reading
– Equal@Work Toolkit: Artificial intelligence in HR: how to address racial biases and algorithmic discrimination in HR? (2020)
– Equal@work Toolkit: Race and mental health at work – Ensuring wellbeing and equality in the workplace (2019)
– Toolkit 9th Equal@work meeting: Women of colour in the workplace (2018)
– Toolkit 8th Equal@work meeting: Refugee inclusion in the workplace: a guide for employers (2017)
– Toolkit 7th Equal@work meeting: Managing religious diversity in the workplace (2016)
– Report of the 6th Equal@work meeting: Equality data collection in employment and the workplace (2015)
– Equal@work Mentoring Toolkit (2014)
– Video of the second European Diversity Conference on Ethnicity, Culture (and Social Class), hosted by L’Oréal and organised by ENAR and the French Association of Diversity Managers (AFMD) (2014)
– Report of the 5th Equal@work meeting: Glass ceiling for ethnic minorities (2014)
– Report of the 4th Equal@work meeting: How EU policies support or hinder the hiring of migrants in Europe (2013)
– Report of the 3rd Equal@work meeting: Reasonable accommodation of cultural diversity in the workplace (2011)
– Report of ENAR’s Employment conference: Building a large ‘Race for equality’ alliance (2011)
– Report of the 2nd ad hoc expert group: Monitoring diversity (2010)
– Report of the 1st ad hoc expert group on equality in employment (2009)
Related events
– 29-30 June 2021: 12th Equal@Work Seminar: Structural racism in the private sector
– 6 December 2019: 11th Equal@Work Platform seminar: AI, algorithms and recruitment
– 7 December 2018: 10th Equal@work seminar: Well-being@work: Race and mental health in the workplace
– 1 December 2017: 9th Equal@work seminar: Women of colour at work
– 14-15 December 2016: 8th Equal@work seminar: Integrating refugees in the workforce
– 4 December 2015: 7th Equal@work seminar: Religious diversity at work
– 23 October 2015: Origins and Cultures Conference III
– 24 October 2014: Origins and Cultures Conference II – L’Oréal hosts a yearly conference to discuss the management of ethnic and cultural diversity
– 5 December 2013 – 5th Equal@work meeting: ’Glass ceiling for ethnic minorities’
ENAR contact person
Magda Boulabiza, Advocacy Officer: Employment, Diversity & Inclusion: magda@enar-eu.org
Business partners – Join them anytime and expand our coalition for employment in Europe: