Diversity management is becoming an integral part of corporate culture, according to the Diversity Management Study 2021 by PageGroup.

For this study, over 300 diversity (co-)managers from companies of various sizes in Germany were surveyed online on the topic of diversity, for example on internal and external successes through diversity management, communication channels and specific measures to promote diversity within the company.

Another conclusion: more than half of those surveyed are actively committed to dealing openly with LGBTQ issues within the company - a significant increase compared to the last survey (2018) and a clear sign that dealing openly with LGBTQ* employees will continue to be of central importance in the future.

The study "Inter* in the office?!" addresses the psychosocial situation of inter* people in the workplace and on the labor market, which has hardly been researched to date, and compares this with the experiences of (endo*) LGBT*Q+ employees.

The results show that the experiences of both groups are still often characterized by discrimination: One third each of inter* and LGB+ respondents had experienced at least one form of unequal treatment at the time of the survey. For trans* and/or non-binary people, this even applies to almost half of the respondents.

Another result of the study shows positive correlations between diversity management, corporate culture and openness with regard to sexual identity and greater job satisfaction among employees and loyalty to the company. However, there is room for maneuver in that inter* employees report significantly fewer diversity measures than (endo*) LGBT*Q+ employees. In addition, around two thirds of inter* and non-binary respondents perceive their corporate culture as (very) unsupportive.

A summary of the study can be found at this link.

The study "Out in the office?!" records the special features of the working situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* employees in Germany.

The results of the study show how difficult working life still is for this group of employees in some cases. However, a key finding of the study also shows that there can be positive correlations between diversity management, corporate culture and openness with regard to sexual identity and greater job satisfaction and loyalty to the company. These can be important factors, particularly with regard to the shortage of skilled workers.

The study "Out in the office?!" records the special features of the working situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* employees in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The results of the study show how difficult working life still is for this group of employees in some cases. For example, a quarter of those surveyed stated that they had ever been afraid of being recognized as lesbian or gay at work - among bisexuals the figure is almost 30% and among transsexuals as high as 56%.

A key finding of the study, however, also shows that there can be positive correlations between diversity management, corporate culture and openness with regard to sexual identity and greater job satisfaction and loyalty to the company. These can be important factors, particularly with regard to the shortage of skilled workers.

The study "Diversity Management in Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia. Dealing with diversity in large companies, SMEs and the public sector", conducted by the Institute for Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Research on behalf of the Völklinger Kreis (VK), the VK is presenting data and figures on the topic of diversity management for the fourth time.

The study shows overall that knowledge on the topic of diversity management can be expanded, but that companies are increasingly establishing holistic diversity management. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) still have a lot of catching up to do here. Idealistic values such as equality and economic interest, as well as the shortage of skilled workers, were cited as motives for diversity management. Large companies cited size and a lack of proximity to employees as obstacles, while SMEs tended to cite financial and personnel resources as a problem. It also became clear that SMEs in particular often do not have a strategy for action and therefore no tools and measures for diversity management, but that they are better networked with network offices and organizations on the topic of diversity management.

In November 2020, the Anti-Discrimination Agency published the study "Gender diversity in employment and occupation. Needs and implementation options for anti-discrimination for employers" . This deals intensively with awareness-raising measures on gender diversity. In addition to comprehensive empirical research on the topic, it primarily offers specific recommendations for companies, for example on topics such as company culture, recruitment, language and communication or the handling of gender-related data. Practical aspects such as sanitary facilities, clothing and health are also addressed.

The English version of the study can be found at this link.

The study "Life realities and problems of LGBTIQ* people with various forms of disability, chronic illnesses, mental and other impairments", which was conducted by the NRW LGBTIQ* inclusive project from February to July 2020, focused on the following questions: What experiences do LGBTIQ* people have, for example in disability support facilities? How do they perceive LGBTIQ* communities? Where do they experience discrimination? Where would they like to see change?"

The study shows that this group of people often experience multiple discrimination and stigmatization and that there is a particular need for action.

Lesbian women often experience multiple forms of discrimination in their professional lives: They are marginalized both because of their gender and their sexual orientation. This is the conclusion of the study "The L-Word in Business", which was funded by the Magnus Hirschfeld Federal Foundation (BMH). The study sheds light on discrimination both in the application process and in working life and highlights possible courses of action for companies to avoid unequal treatment.

In Germany, social acceptance of LGBTIQ* people has improved significantly in recent decades and legal equality in the labor market has been strengthened by the General Equal Treatment Act.

However, just under 30 percent of those who identify as LGBTIQ* people report discrimination in their working life. However, an open working atmosphere towards LGBTIQ* people could significantly increase the attractiveness of companies. This is the result of a survey conducted by the Socio-Economic Panel Berlin and Bielefeld University.

All results of the survey can be found here.

The representative study "Cohesion in Diversity: The Robert Bosch Stiftung's Diversity Barometer 2019" surveyed 3,025 people aged 16 and over across Germany by telephone about their opinions and behavior towards different social groups. In general, the overall diversity index (on a scale of 0 to 100 points) in Germany currently stands at 68 points and is therefore clearly in positive territory. However, regional differences can be seen across Germany.

Another key finding of the Diversity Barometer is that the acceptance of diversity is less a question of structural conditions than of one's own attitude. Among other things, it is crucial to reduce one's own unease towards "foreign" social groups (intergroup anxiety) through encounters and personal acquaintance (the so-called contact hypothesis).

In the study by the Institute for Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Research (IDA) "Specifics of the work situation of inter* employees in Germany" , qualitative findings on the work situation of inter* people were collected for the first time on the basis of interviews with inter* experts.

Findings show, for example, that negative experiences in the workplace can result from a lack of visibility of intersexuality. Inter* people can also suffer from aspects such as the toilet and changing room situation or the excessive demands and uncertainty of employees and/or managers when dealing with intersex people.

The study also outlines factors that can strengthen openness in the workplace with regard to intersex people. Companies should already use sensitively worded job advertisements and application forms and offer employees protection through ethical guidelines/company objectives. It is also necessary for managers to address the topic as part of further training.

The study "Discrimination in job advertisements" by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency examines the extent to which job advertisements contain discrimination or risks of discrimination and provides recommendations for the discrimination-sensitive design of job advertisements.

For this purpose, 5,667 nationwide job advertisements from print media and online job portals from the period 23.10.2017 to 10.11.2017 were examined by means of a content analysis. One conclusion that can be drawn from the study results is that clear discrimination is only very rarely found in job advertisements. Nevertheless, opportunities to formulate job advertisements in such a way that as many people as possible are interested in the job advertisement and apply are not yet fully utilized.

The report "Gender diversity in the public sector" presents recommendations for dealing with gender equality and gender recognition in the public sector in order to counteract difficulties in dealing with gender diversity among employees, colleagues and managers in the public sector. The recommendations also highlight ways in which affected employees can be empowered in dealing with their gender, sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace.

The aim is to create a working environment that offers appreciation, acceptance and the opportunity for further development for all employees. The recommendations are made up of practical and legal explanations as well as practical tips. They therefore provide a diverse toolbox with various instruments and implementation options for promoting gender diversity in the public sector.

Around 7% of Germans identify as part of the LGBTIQ* community. This is the result of a study by YouGov in eight western countries. With a population of around 18 million people, around 1.3 LGBTIQ* people live in NRW.

The frontrunner in the comparison of the eight nations is Spain, with around 10 percent of people who see themselves as part of the LGBTIQ* community.