Let everyone matter at the workplace

Companies with diversity and inclusion in focus create innovative results 

Companies that embrace change to deliver business value are likely to be those that also support diversity and inclusion initiatives. Research shows that companies with more diverse teams surpass those with a more homogeneous workforce. A research report from McKinsey (Women in the Workplace 2020) shows that greater diversity in the workplace results in greater profitability and value creation.

The Swedish Workplace Programme (SWP) facilitates companies in creating dialogues at the workplace as a basis for enabling change. The team members in SWP have experience and ambition to support companies to become more diverse and promote gender equality as a driving force to increase inclusion at the workplace. Read the SWP team member’s views and ambitions:

“A diverse workplace gives access to a greater range of competence, not just the one that belongs to a particular gender, view or ethnicity. Inclusivity and diversity at a company help provide insight into the needs of the entire client and customer base, rather than just a small part of it.”

Kaveh Hagi, SWP Programme Director Latin America

“Working life is unfortunately still heavily segregated and unequal. Women still work more often than men in low value traditional female occupations. Women who work in traditional male-dominated occupations have, to a greater extent than men low-value tasks, they are to a greater extent affected by occupational diseases and they are given fewer opportunities for skills development.

Companies with values based on diversity and equal value of human beings, that offer opportunities for skills development, where different experiences, knowledge and skills are utilized, create good conditions for successful companies that can offer an attractive environment and good and developing jobs.”

Mats Svensson, International Secretary, IF Metall

“In an ideal world being a cisgender male wouldn’t hold inherent privilege. Yet practically every aspect of moving as a woman in the world holds additional complication and risk, whether it’s considerations of safety, accessible transport, ablution facilities, to perceptions and stereotypes that further limit opportunities. At SWP, gender mainstreaming is a priority we aim to instil in all our initiatives. I am proud to work for an organisation that embodies the values of feminism and gender parity, and actively seeks to advance it in the work we do.”

Sena Ramlochan, SWP Regional Programme Coordinator, South Africa

“I am a firm believer we are ambassadors for change. In Colombia we are seeing progress, but we still have a long way to go. We have the power to choose to challenge biases, behaviours’, preconceptions, paradigms, and structural challenges around how people are or should act, feel, speak, or decide based on gender or other identities. At SWP we are committed to promote this dialogue in our organisation and with our partners. Let us rise to the challenge and empower ourselves and others to construct an equal and inclusive society, where we can all thrive how we choose to.”

Maria Castilla, SWP Region Programme Coordinator, Colombia

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This executive summary presents the findings from the study “Workplace Cooperation: Finding Practical Solutions in the Colombian Context,” conducted by the Fundación Ideas para la Paz (FIP). The study evaluates the added value of the Swedish Workplace Programme (SWP) dialogue and cooperation model within the Colombian labor market.

Throughout 2022, FIP dedicated efforts to thoroughly understand the SWP model, including its concept, foundations, implementation process, and contributions to the labor market. In 2023, FIP documented the experiences of three companies—SKF Latin Trade, Securitas, and Epiroc—that implemented the SWP model in practice. The study also included face-to-face workshops to gather feedback from various stakeholders including civil society, businesses, government, academia, and international cooperation. The findings suggest that the SWP model has the potential to strengthen labor relations, contribute to decent work, and resolve workplace conflicts in Colombia.

The case studies highlight the importance of collaboration between employers and workers to promote decent work and sustainable development in Colombia. They demonstrate that social dialogue facilitates worker participation in labor decision-making, enhances their representativeness, and promotes cooperation between employers and employees, thus improving labor relations and contributing to the well-being of both employees and companies.

The SWP model is particularly noted for improving workplace relationships and commitment to jointly finding solutions to challenges faced by workers and the company. It empowers workers, enhances leadership, and helps integrate business policies into daily practices, reducing the initial disconnect between management objectives and the day-to-day realities of workers. The study also highlights the model’s capacity to manage conflicts constructively, transforming the perception of conflict as an opportunity for improvement. Structured dialogues deepen understanding of the underlying causes of conflicts, fostering empathy and facilitating effective resolution. This promotes a culture of collaboration and a democratic approach to decision-making, building trust.

Additionally, the model is recognized for enabling workers to make decisions, identify challenges, and propose solutions that impact their well-being, and bridging gender gaps in the workplace. Its inclusive approach adapts to the unique needs and characteristics of each company, promoting a stronger and more diverse organizational culture. It also drives good work performance and productivity by involving workers in problem identification and resolution, as well as in implementing improvements and efficiently identifying ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) risks for companies.

The document identifies the SWP model’s added value in empowering direct interaction among labor stakeholders in Colombia, overcoming historical or cultural reservations, and contributing to the development of stronger labor relations and improved workplace environments in the country.

Challenges and opportunities of the model are also discussed. The study points out the importance of addressing value chain risks, particularly in a global context where corporate clients demand decent work processes and due diligence. It emphasizes the need to integrate SMEs into this process and use anchor companies as drivers of social dialogue throughout the value chain. The role of the state in social dialogue and the importance of highlighting the benefits of the model for adoption across various business sectors are discussed.

The opportunities of the model include raising awareness of human rights in the workplace in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGP), to strengthen due diligence, manage risks, promote long-term sustainability, and improve organizational culture. The document also underscores the importance of involving workers in change processes, leveraging their insights for continuous improvement of processes, and fostering innovation opportunities. Lastly, it suggests replicating the model in value chains to address work environment risks and gender biases, involving suppliers and contractors, and integrating the model into corporate policies to strengthen existing programs and transform organizational culture towards resource efficiency and effective participation of employers and workers.

The intervention of the SWP programme had a direct effect at the workplaces, where shop stewards listed several cases where they had managed to intervene and secure results in dialogue with management, avert crises or find solutions based on opportunities and the communication skills obtained during the SWP training. For the Amalgamated Metal Workers Unions in Kenya, the shop stewards pointed to how the training had enabled them to design their own strategies at the workplace in relation to supervisors and staff, and to achieve many concrete results.