Diversity as a concept for success? - AfB shows how it works!

Since 2012 Yvonne Cvilak is part of the AfB-group. As head of Human Resources, she has fundamentally expanded the HR-division.

[Translate to English:]

Yvonne, please describe the concept of AfB in your own words

I like to derive this from our slogan: "Social & green IT". Green, because we specialize in data erasure, refurbishing and IT remarketing. That means we give a second life to discarded hardware. Social - because as an inclusion company we create permanent jobs for people with disabilities. 

To what extent does diversity play a role in this concept?

Diversity plays a central role in our concept: AfB is still a teenager at the age of 15, which is why we have initially specialised in creating long-term jobs for people with disabilities. Our percentage of severely disabled people is currently at 45%! 

As a human resources manager, nobody knows the employees of AfB as good as you do: What exactly makes the AfB workforce so diverse?

At AfB diversity is visible every day! The old learn from the young, the blind learn from the company youngsters and managers learn from mothers. AfB is a big potpourri: Our team unites people with and without disabilities from 22 different nationalities aged 18-65. This wild mixture keeps us fresh and modern!

Which concrete measures does AfB implement in the area of diversity management?

In HR, the first thing that counts is whether the applicant fits into the team. A young team benefits from experience, older colleagues from a fresh breeze and international spirit, as well as people without disabilities from people with disabilities. The aim is to create diverse teams that inspire each other. With cross-departmental team events and raising the awareness of our employees to recognize discrimination, we are constantly working to improve the working atmosphere. We live diversity right up to the management level: the supervisory board of I500 gAG consists of three women and three men aged between 34 and 65 and one member with a disability.

AfB lives diversity every day. What can other companies do in terms of diversity management?

First and foremost, companies should reduce stereotypes. Older people are usually considered too weak for heavy physical work. But this is not true for everyone. For example, we hired a 60-year-old warehouse worker who is fitter than many 20-year-old.

And you have to get away from the idea that people with a severe disability cannot contribute to the success of a business enterprise, because they can.

In the end, many DAX companies do a great job in the area of diversity, and we can learn a lot from them.

More informationen about the Diversity-Day 2020: https://www.charta-der-vielfalt.de/diversity-tag/