Liina Kanter, head of the Department of Education Innovation, which represented Harno, said that more and more people are choosing jobs not just by pay but by the values of the organisation. “Workers expect employer engagement, value diversity, respect for the principle of equal treatment, maintain physical and mental health. Diversity and inclusion in the organisation will also foster creativity and innovation. And it also helps to better understand and understand the needs and desires of a distinguished target group. The “Respecting differences” label confirms that we are moving in the right direction as an organization, committing ourselves to implementing these values both inside and outside the organization,” said Kanter.
While still working at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Liina Kanter was also one of those who, in cooperation with the Human Rights Centre in 2018, called the “Respecting differences” label competition into effect.
The range of organisations that received the nomination was diverse, ranging from multinational large corporations, state institutions, educational and research institutions to small businesses and NGOs. For the first time, the Foreign Ministry, the Government Office, Tallinn University of Technology, Eesti Pank and LHV received the “Respecting differences” label.
Among the 60 recognised, 36 organisations had been awarded the label for several years. Many of them pointed out that the re-application was much more difficult because it had to be shown what the organisation had been doing in the meantime and new realistic goals written down. Several times, for example, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour Inspectorate, Transport Board, SEB, Swedbank, Tallinn University and the University of Tartu were recognised with the label.
The nominees recognized that diversity must be in the organization's DNA and part of the bloodstream. Valuing the principles of respect for each other, diversity and equal treatment in their organization will ultimately bring back heavily in both job performance and recruiting top-notch staff, the nominees highlighted.
Overall, there were 70 applicants for the label. The label is issued by the Estonian Centre for Human Rights in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
