Written by |Zhou Qi.
Editor-in-charge |Peng Haiyan.
As a world-renowned foreign liquor company, Diageo Group, established in 1997 through mergers and acquisitions, has a successful story in different countries and different alcohol markets: it has Scotch whisky, tequila, vodka, liqueurs, etc., which are popular all over the world, across different categories and price points, providing many personalized choices and ...... for different consumption scenarios of different consumersOver the past 20 years, Greater China has gradually increased its share of Diageo's global net sales, and China has now become one of the Group's three strategic markets in the world.
In 2023, Diageo was awarded the "Top Employer in China" for the first time for its outstanding performance in corporate culture and talent strategy. According to Ao Wen, Human Resources Director of Diageo Greater China, the key factor in winning this honor is the continuous creation of an open, diverse, equal and inclusive corporate culture. "We firmly believe that only by creating a truly diverse, equal and inclusive culture that encourages innovation and full exchange can we have a fertile ground for talent development. ”
Human Resources Director, Diageo Greater China.
Aowen. 
Organizational culture iteration: Embed diversity and inclusion into corporate culture
In the case of profound changes in the external environment, enterprises need to formulate corresponding strategies according to their own situation to adapt and respond to different environmental changes. As public awareness of diversity and inclusion has increased dramatically, many employees are expecting their organizations to take initiatives to create a more open and diverse workplace.
As a company operating globally, Diageo is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and cohesive company, which is no easy task and is closer to a "long-distance race".
In Aowen's view, the process of organizational transformation and growth must be challenging, and most importantly, everyone is enthusiastically engaged, not afraid of setbacks, and always running in the right direction. "I often joke that our organization is like a teenager full of power, who feels like he can do anything, but is beaten by reality. ”
Since 2021, Diageo has added a new keyword, "Diversity and Inclusion", to its corporate culture of "Agility, Simplicity, Boldness, Passion and Responsibility". At the time, Diageo was an organization of less than 300 people in the Chinese market, with a range of age spans from 62 to post-00s, including colleagues from 13 countries and regions.
The quality manager of the winery we are building in Dali is a girl from the Bai ethnic group, while another colleague in charge of the construction of the visitor center is from as far away as the United Kingdom. How to get such a diverse team to think about a common vision and forge ahead in the 'post-pandemic' storm has always been one of our most important topics. Ao Wen said.
For diversity and inclusion to be embedded in the company's operations and talent management, companies must look at diversity from a cultural perspective, not just meet legal requirements. Managers must also embed diversity and inclusion into the corporate culture from top to bottom, so that every employee can feel the company's "inclusive, tolerant" working atmosphere.
To this end, Diageo has taken a number of measures, such as establishing a feedback mechanism: encouraging and accepting the opinions and suggestions of employees, and actively responding to and solving problems raised by employees;Provide training and development opportunities: Provide employees with targeted training and promotion opportunities to help them achieve personal and professional growth;Promote multicultural exchanges, enhance the intercultural sensitivity and awareness of employees, and strengthen communication and understanding among each other by organizing cross-departmental and cross-cultural activities and exchanges.
Diageo believes that diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&i) is an important direction for the construction of corporate culture, and through the formulation of key indicators and the implementation of a series of measures, we will continue to promote the integration of diversified development and cultural values to achieve sustainable development and innovative development of the enterprise. Ao Wen said.
Specifically, Diageo provides an e-learning platform that keeps pace with the times, creates self-directed learning anytime, anywhere, encourages cross-departmental and cross-regional collaboration and communication, and improves the diverse skills and knowledge of employees. At the same time, the company has also set up a special reward and commendation mechanism to motivate employees to reflect the company's cultural values in their work, forming a positive cycle and healthy competition.
In addition, by strengthening cross-cultural training and participating in diversity initiatives and activities for management, we will improve management's awareness and sensitivity to diversity, and provide effective support and guidance for the company's diversity development.
With the right tools, training, and buy-in and buy-in from employees at all levels, D&I will be embedded in the day-to-day operations of an organization, and will become a new way of working that will transform the business.
Reinventing the workplace: Creating an environment that supports diversity
Diversity is not only reflected in the gender, age or skin color of employees, but also includes deep-seated differences in their personalities, beliefs and skills, and inclusion is about creating an inclusive work environment for these diverse employees, so that employees can reach their full potential and create value for the company.
Diageo defines a "diverse and inclusive workplace" as a workplace that is open, equal, respectful and inclusive of different backgrounds, cultural identities and ideologies. In such a work environment, the company is committed to creating an atmosphere where employees can freely communicate, think and collaborate, and feel treated fairly, heard, respected and supported.
What is the working environment of a company, first of all, can be reflected in terms of hardware facilities. Diageo's Shanghai office is home to the Group's largest bar space in Asia Pacific, with a spacious space that can accommodate up to 100 people at a time. All the lighting can be adjusted to create the right atmosphere for different scenes. It's a great place for both individual and team collaboration, with employees able to switch between "office mode", "training mode" and "fun mode".
The atmosphere of joy and diversity and inclusiveness is reflected in the ingenuity of the design of each office space. More than 10 different types of workstations fully cater to the individual office needs of employees. Functional spaces such as open-plan collaboration spaces, playful meeting rooms, quiet focus spaces, and intimate kiosks create a relaxed atmosphere for formal and informal interactions.
In the post-pandemic era, more and more companies are recognizing that the physical and mental health of employees not only affects their personal and professional development, but can also have a profound impact on their business development. Therefore, Diageo also attaches great importance to creating a workplace environment that focuses on employee health in its content, and transforms employee health into organizational productivity.
Over the past year, Diageo has put in place a number of measures to provide comprehensive support for the well-being of its employees, with a focus on their mental health, such as requiring their immediate supervisors to have a coaching session on a quarterly basisLaunched unmind, so that all employees can get professional mental health counseling in a timely manner;Set up 7*24h employee care**;Start a series of lectures on psychological safety and more.
The more unbiased and inclusive a workplace is, the more motivated, happier and more productive employees will be. As Ao Wen said, Diageo has always been concerned about and supported the development and well-being of its employees, providing a high-quality working environment and benefits package that makes employees feel valued and respected. "We are particularly proud of our investment and efforts in creating an open, diverse, innovative and inclusive culture, which is key to the high level of employee satisfaction and engagement each year. ”
Through these initiatives, Diageo has not only helped its employees achieve personal and professional growth, but also improved their well-being and quality of work, improved their mental resilience and well-being, and had a positive impact on the company's sustainable development.
Talent strategy upgrade: build a diversified talent echelon
In its Diversity Report, McKinsey & Company notes that those companies that embrace diversity will be more likely to prosper, while those that ignore it will be more likely to fail.
This is not an alarmist statement. Companies with strong diversity and inclusion have a broader business perspective and are more likely to find innovative and breakthrough solutions to problems. The more diverse a company's workforce is, the more likely it is to understand the deep needs of different types of customers. The more inclusive the climate, the more employees and executives will be able to voice their innovative ideas, and the more breakthroughs and innovations will be achieved.
While almost all companies recognize the benefits of a more diverse and inclusive workforce, there are still a large number of companies that are not ready to move diversity from "one plan" to "one strategy", and the lack of structure and specific roadmaps makes it difficult to track and improve program performance.
To this end, in the practice of talent development, Diageo has upgraded the organization's talent development strategy by formulating clear career development paths and promotion standards, creating a positive learning atmosphere and training opportunities, and establishing effective feedback and reward mechanisms, so as to create a diversified talent echelon.
A survey in the UK found that nearly half (44%) of women working in wine had considered leaving the industry due to gender challenges. When it comes to gender, beverage companies face the challenge of diversity. At present, Diageo, as a sales company of imported spirits, has achieved a 42:58 ratio of men to women, and a 50:50 ratio of men to women in the management of China has also been achieved.
This is due to Diageo's addition of diversity and inclusion in every fundamental aspect of human resource management, such as recruitment, talent review, succession management, training and development, performance management, etc., such as: completing a diversity analysis of the global workforce to understand the background and cultural identity of employees, and developing targeted plans and initiatives based on the survey resultsSuccessfully promoted the diversity talent acquisition program, attracting more talented people from different backgrounds and cultural identities to join the company around the worldStrengthened employee training and education to enhance cross-cultural sensitivity and awareness of employees.
In addition, Diageo has introduced 26 weeks of parental leave for both men and women. In Ao Wen's view, only by allowing men and women to enjoy the same treatment in childcare can we truly create a fair employment and promotion environment for women. "This year we also introduced abortion leave, which is protected by the same policy for both men and women. ”
In terms of empowering women, Diageo proposed the "Shine Menopause" project for the first time this year, reminding managers and female employees to pay attention to the physical and mental changes of menopause, and giving more flexibility in the choice of working hours and working places and holidays in policy.
As a female executive, Ao Wen has a deep understanding of this. "I don't like to talk about career and family balance, which has a sense of sacrifice and displacement, and at Diageo I advocate the concept of 'integration' of career and family. We always believe that in the fast-paced VUCA environment, work and family are the state of integration of you and me, and I have you. In the next phase, we will focus on helping the 'working mother' to better catch every glass ball in her hand. ”
Research shows that millennials and younger generations have higher expectations for diversity and inclusion in businesses. Attracting young people is a topic that many companies and managers are focusing on today. For Diageo, young employees want to get more than just a salary and benefits package, but more importantly, opportunities for growth and development, meaningful work, and a positive work atmosphere and cultural values.
In the next phase, the company will focus on developing more specific diversity plans and indicators to further increase the proportion of diverse backgrounds and cultural identities among employeesFurther improve the remuneration and reward system to ensure that employees receive fair and reasonable treatment and rewardsPromote DE&i initiatives and activities around the world to enhance communication and exchange among employees.
Diversity and inclusion is one of the most important goals pursued by companies today, and today diversity and inclusion not only help companies build their employer brand, but also drive company growth. Great talent is more willing to stay in a place where they can be inclusive, allow themselves to bring out their talents and potential, and the better the diversity and inclusion of the company, the greater the success of attracting and retaining the best talent.
Diageo's practice is enough to prove that a great company must have a rich core, with no limits, with a high degree of inclusiveness and diversity to welcome all kinds of talents to join, a more diverse and inclusive enterprise can occupy a larger share of the market, and generate more sustainable innovation and vitality.