FELD M and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
At FELD M we stand for being fair, curious, open-minded and empathetic toward one another. We all bring different backgrounds, viewpoints and working styles to FELD M, and this diversity is one of our greatest qualities. To us, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are not just buzzwords, they are values by which we want to live. DEIB principles help us to define how we treat each other.
Our “People First” principle has guided us and our decisions from day one. The quintessence is that our team and the people within it are our most valuable assets. The goal of our work on diversity is not to increase performance or profits. It is founded on our shared understanding that all of FELD M’s employees as well as our client’s and partner’s employees we are interacting with are valued, accepted, and can thrive as their authentic selves in our workplace.
We strive to create an environment where everyone has a voice and feels welcomed. We care about every single team member and encourage each other to come as we are and to support one another. By prioritizing DEIB principles, we are convinced that we inspire an open, fun, creative, and innovative community culture. Based on our values, we commit to create an equitable environment that incorporates the backgrounds, needs, and personalities of each of our employees and our client’s employees, this enables each and every one of us to fulfill our potential.
At FELD M, we also recognize that DEIB are complex and continuously evolving topics, which can be uncomfortable to address. We know that dedicated work, open communication, reflection and being prepared to admit when we lack knowledge or have made a mistake, will help us to overcome obstacles with the best intentions. We aim to continuously work on our shared understanding of what attitudes and behaviors are acceptable in our community. As we truly believe in the power of a psychologically safe, healthy, and an enabling work environment, we are committed to ongoing learning and development in the DEIB sphere.
As a current or future FELD M member, your participation is really valuable and necessary. If your needs are not properly addressed within this statement or you have feedback on the statement itself, we would appreciate hearing from you. All input will help us improve not just this statement, but also our understanding of different perspectives, and our daily actions.
As Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging are of special importance to us, there is a DEIB circle at FELD M, where FELD M colleagues are meeting and working together to discuss and drive the respective topics forward. Currently 5 colleagues are dedicating time and effort to take special care about DEIB. Of course, every colleague at FELD M is welcome to join and support our DEIB circle.
Our shared understanding of the terminology
“Diversity” is the mix of everybody at FELD M: Every colleague’s background and experiences – from identity traits to aspects of “diversity of thought” such as working and communication styles. We value and foster diversity as a basis for our open, fun, creative and innovative company culture. Our work on diversity is not to increase performance or profits but is founded on our shared understanding that every person has the right to be valued and accepted in their workplace.
We focus on “Equity” to be aware of and act upon what every colleague needs, based on their individual backgrounds, characteristics and wishes in order to fully participate within FELD M. We ensure our work environment has as few barriers as possible and empower individuals to be the best that they can be. We continuously learn about different identity groups and how to support individuals within them. We want to get to know our colleagues so that we can treat them how they wish to be treated.
At FELD M our default is everyone is invited, and no one is left out or left behind. We create practices of “Inclusion” to ensure everyone at FELD M feels welcomed, respected, supported, heard and valued as their authentic self. This is irrespective of the setting, such as during onboarding, working on client projects, in informal or formal settings, or whether employees are working remotely or in-person. We see this inclusion of everybody – so that they experience a psychologically safe place as a basic human right.
As a FELD M team member, we want everyone to participate and feel like they belong to the FELD M community. To achieve this, we continuously learn about and work upon our Equity and Inclusion practices*. As colleagues we support and empower each other, meaning we can feel comfortable and safe in the knowledge that we always have each other’s backs.