Three Perspectives: How DE&I Action Can Impact Working Lives
To celebrate Belgian creativity for brands and give visibility to its member community on a global scale, Creative Belgium joined LBB to bring all content on Belgian campaigns, agencies, creatives and initiatives together and share it with the world.
We often hear about broad concepts when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. These big sweeping statements about ways of encouraging inclusion can help inform best practice, but it’s how they play out in actual people’s actual lives in their workplaces that matters.
With that in mind, as part of diversity and inclusion month, we wanted to see how this plays out at agencies that are making tangible changes to employees' lives. Here we speak to three people at Publicis Groupe Belgium.
Werner Van Reck is a creative director in his 60s for whom the topic of combating advertising’s ageism problem is very close to his heart. Naïm Baddich is another creative director who decided to join the agency’s diversity and inclusion task force after a safe space edition. He explains what he thinks is important for it to be truly inclusive and effective.
Asma Yousaf Mirza speaks about Publicis Groupe Belgium’s praying space and other ways she has experienced diversity being embraced at the agency, especially as a woman who wears a hijab.
Werner Van Reck
Creative Director
LBB> How has Publicis Groupe Belgium's diversity and inclusion initiatives directly affected you in your working life and what can other agencies learn from that experience?
Werner> What strikes me about our organisation is that it is very much based on a human-centric approach (finally! I can rightly use that 'overused' word for once).
And that has to do with how management looks at the world and extracts what is important to them.
Consequently, it defines and articulates the culture of diversity and inclusion.
That culture is consciously strongly maintained at our company. There are numerous initiatives that have their place by now and are permanent.
This makes a difference: often, they remain initiatives created under internal or external pressure. Ideas that are never realised and consequently cannot have an impact on the DNA of the company.
Because that is the stage we are at now. Diversity and inclusion are no longer new topics. They are concrete actions and changes taken to make a company's DNA evolve with that of society.
This will ensure that employees, customers and partners also come to see this company as contemporary, warm and respectful.
It gives me energy and satisfaction to be able to work with people who are broad-minded, open to change and with whom I can share my experiences.
And they theirs with me.
Because that is literally what keeps me going: never being too experienced to learn.
LBB> Outside of the advertising industry, where do you see examples of large-scale meaningful progress (if at all), and what should our industry learn from it?
Werner> Honestly, I don't immediately see very big examples in the classical industries.
Where I see and feel the most of all is in the arts and culture world. I come into contact with quite a few artists, the broad-mindedness and open-mindedness are more developed in these people than in the more classical (and especially more commercial) industries.
LBB> What role are clients playing in holding agencies accountable and driving better DE&I (e.g. via RFPs)? Is this something you are seeing or would like to see more of?
Werner> DE&I should never come from one party again.
It is a joint growth trajectory and a joint responsibility.
Of course, we find that governments or corporate companies in particular invariably include that in their documents. And answers are then given to that. But it has to go beyond that. They are good steps towards long-term behaviour and attitude, though.
LBB> We often see DE&I siloed or pigeonholed as an HR issue - what’s the key to ensure that it’s embraced as an agency-wide or industry-wide responsibility?
Werner> The right mentality and mindset has to be cultivated and then we have to exercise some patience (time).
LBB> If you’d like our readers to take one thing away from this interview what would it be?
Werner> For the open-minded ones, these are valuable and interesting times.
For the less open-minded ones, think again.
Naïm Baddich
Creative Director
LBB> How has Publicis Groupe Belgium's diversity and inclusion initiatives directly affected you in your working life and what can other agencies learn from that experience?
Naïm> After almost 18 years in this industry, I must confess that the usual diversity blah-blah-blah was not enough for me anymore. I needed concrete initiatives that could truly make a difference, not just serve as token gestures to make the initiators feel good about themselves. This is a personal issue that I am passionate about, especially since there are not many role models for someone like me in the Belgian advertising sector.
Over the last few years, I have realised that I’ve to be part of the solution and that I need to be a voice for the next generation, which requires an environment that allows me to do so. That's why I joined the Publicis task force after a safe space session. It was the first time I had seen a genuine initiative that was solely focused on making the agency more inclusive and equitable for everyone.
During the discussion, we talked about the menu, which might seem trivial to some, but it is something that can cause discomfort for Muslims who eat halal or anyone with specific dietary requirements. It's a situation that makes you feel like you're not part of the norm, and in reality, we are all there to enjoy the agency party, dance, sing, and maybe even do karaoke (…mmmh karaoke=best party!). I really appreciated the way the session went, we really felt the benevolent and solution-minded spirit, which moreover resulted in a real solution that suited the people concerned perfectly.
This kind of initiative, which aims to make everyone feel equally important, regardless of their background, is what our industry needs to renew itself and bring in new perspectives.
We advertise to everyone, so how can we do it well if we don't care about everyone? How can our profession avoid a hereditary creative culture that perpetuates past ways of thinking and doing without questioning them?
I strongly believe that mixing and respecting different backgrounds is beneficial for all sectors, especially the creative ones. If we have to start by discussing the menu at the agency party, that's a great place to begin, as long as there are concrete actions that follow. After trying the halal chicken skewers, we should all be hungry for a more representative and inclusive advertising sector. Bon appetit!
LBB> There’s a lot of frustration around the industry’s glacial pace when it comes to improving DE&I across all sorts of axes. What’s getting in the way?
Naïm> I believe that taking strong actions alone is not enough; we must also make an effort to understand the root causes of the issue at hand. Unfortunately, the way the subject is typically approached is still very superficial. We tend to focus on the visible outcomes rather than the underlying reasons for those outcomes.
To truly effect change, it is also necessary to empower those who are capable of bringing about change or offering a different perspective. What frustrates me the most is seeing a lot of well-meaning speeches that do not translate into meaningful action. Even worse, I often feel that our experiences and struggles are being co-opted by people who have no right to claim them as their own fashionable argument.
My words may sound harsh, but they pale in comparison to what I have already experienced in this sector in terms of equality. And that's what we often forget, that behind the graphs and statistics there are stories to be heard.
In short, what we need is authenticity – something that is pure, true, and capable of motivating people to take action. We must dare to look beyond the nice TED Talks, keynotes and LinkedIn posts, and understand the true depth of the problem if we hope to solve it. From the Belgian advertising schools to the top of the biggest agencies.
LBB> In your role, what have been some of the most meaningful projects or policies you’ve been involved in regarding DE&I?
Naïm> So far, I’ve used more my experience in the industry than my role.
I have always been actively involved in associations to support and promote this cause. In recent years, I have written or co-written several plays on the topic. My proudest achievement has been successfully delivering the messages we carried to large audiences in the biggest theatres in Belgium. It was a good way for me to raise awareness of the issues that affected me and the other youth in the association. But at some point I also needed more pragmatic solutions.
Two years ago, I made the decision to teach at an advertising school once a week, in addition to my job as creative director. I wanted to make a positive impact at the source and ensure that the students I teach develop a more inclusive mentality. My hope is that they will either join an agency and promote diversity by representing people who look like them (or like me) or continue to advocate for inclusivity in their future careers.
We all possess unique abilities, and it is our responsibility to utilise them to contribute to the world we desire.
But it's true that this year, I'll have to use my role to try things outside the walls of the agency.
LBB> If you’d like our readers to take one thing away from this interview what would it be?
Naïm> I would like readers to understand that every small effort contributes towards creating a more equitable and inclusive world. And that they are all concerned about this issue, today or tomorrow. We cannot solely focus on ourselves, but must also pave the way for future generations. This includes our sisters, daughters, little brothers, talented friends with disabilities, and even our future selves as wise old men or women or whoever you are, whom we may be tempted to ignore if we do not see any change now. Although it may be challenging to not see immediate results, we must remember that this is not a 100 metre race but rather a relay race where future generations will cross the finish line.
Asma Yousaf Mirza
Touchpoints Executive
LBB> How has Publicis Groupe Belgium's diversity and inclusion initiatives directly affected you in your working life and what can other agencies learn from that experience?
Asma> A discreet corner, an unused room, a stair landing, a basement or any other discreet place could be ‘the spot’. The spot where we lay a carpet on the floor and where we start performing our prayer with the fear to be caught. Unfortunately, when we cannot find a hidden spot, we just wait to go home. For us, Muslim believers, praying the daily five prayers at their specific time is crucial. This practice not only provides us peace and tranquillity, but also stretches the body and reduces the level of stress. At Publicis Groupe Belgium, my Muslim colleagues and I are glad and grateful to have our safe prayer space where we can go whenever we want without any fear of an unhappy or terrified face. We feel better and we now go home without any frustration.
As a woman, as a person of colour and as a visible Muslim as I wear a hijab, I haven’t experienced any discrimination at Publicis. I can wear whatever I want, even an abaya (a long Arabic dress) or piercings or a blue lipstick. I dare to be myself. Could the clothing style or a piece of fabric on my head have an impact on my abilities? Certainly not! Publicis is convinced by hiring people for what they are as human beings and for what they can bring to the agency without regard for their colour, gender, sexual orientation, beliefs or anything else.
Not all companies are in fact open to diversity and inclusion and even if they are, do we dare to ask anything when we have some needs or expectations? Not sure. We don’t know the level of openness and if we don’t speak for ourselves, how could the company guess our wishes and grant them? Is the company promoting diversity and inclusion as they care about it or is it just a matter of the public image? People should feel and see the real desire of the firm to be more diverse and inclusive by taking more actions and by showing more interest in listening to how the experience in the company could be improved. For example, as a halal-food eater, I felt included when Publicis organised a meeting for everyone interested to share their opinion on the food served during work events and to explain their specific diets.
