Inclusive Culture Initiatives at Kibar

“Inclusive Culture is at the heart of our corporate policies”

As Kibar Group, we see working life as a living environment where individuals feel valued, equal, and safe, beyond a production area. With this perspective, we place the principles of inclusiveness, diversity, and equality at the centre of all our activities.

We wholeheartedly believe that: Accepting diversity as a wealth and providing equal opportunities to everyone reveals the potential of individuals and makes the corporate culture stronger, more innovative, and sustainable.

With this understanding, we aim to create an inclusive working environment where everyone can feel like they belong. We take responsibility in a wide range of areas, from gender equality to cultural diversity, from the employment of disabled individuals to equal opportunities; we see differences as our value.

We believe a fair and equal business world that can confidently look to the future will rise on these foundations; we take every step toward a more inclusive tomorrow.

Kibar Group Inclusive Culture Projects

In line with our vision of inclusiveness and equality, we are continuing our "WE ARE Equal" project, which we launched four years ago, with determination.

As part of the project, we have established DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) committees within our group companies to support gender equality, increase diversity in the workplace and create an inclusive working environment. Our committees create company-based action plans per the central theme determined each year and evaluate and implement these plans every quarter. Thus, we aim to keep the culture of inclusiveness alive. We carry out awareness-raising communication campaigns, training programs and updates to our human resources policies throughout our community. With these efforts, we continue to build a more equal, inclusive culture where everyone feels valued.

In addition to these efforts;

• We have created a strong network of 9 companies and 81 participants with the WE ARE Equal Committee Structure.

• We provided inclusive leadership training to our field employees with the Power is WE 2.0 Field Leadership Program.

• We organised "Inclusion in the Workplace" training. We have achieved concrete success in equal pay for equal work by receiving the “Equal Salary” certificate.

All these steps have been concrete indicators of our goal of creating a fairer, safer and more supportive environment in the workplace.

The Purpose of Inclusive Culture Projects

• Supporting gender equality in the workplace,

• Increasing diversity and creating an inclusive work environment for all employees,

• Ensuring that each of our employees feels valued and safe,

• Leading the cultural transformation of our community,

• Clearly stating our corporate responsibility for violence that employees may encounter,

• Making an egalitarian and respectful approach permanent in every area, from communication to policies within the company.

With these efforts, we aim to develop a more conscious, sensitive and fair perspective within the Kibar Community and among all our stakeholders with whom we have business relations.

In the upcoming period, with our "WE ARE Equal" project studies and implementation;

• To ensure that our DEI committees develop more comprehensive projects in line with the main themes determined each year,

• To further diversify our training programs and deepen in areas such as unconscious bias, inclusive leadership and multicultural management,

• To monitor and set concrete targets to increase the representation rates of different demographic groups,

• To determine measurable DEI KPIs in our group companies and follow the development more systematically,

• To spread our understanding of inclusiveness to broader audiences in internal and external communication.

As Kibar Group, we will continue to see diversity as richness and inclusiveness as prerequisites for sustainable success and to strengthen our efforts in this direction.

Women Empowerment

We have made the issue of women's empowerment, one of the cornerstones of our vision of inclusiveness and equality, an integral part of our corporate culture. In line with this, we are developing comprehensive programs and policies to make our women employees more visible in business life, increase their access to leadership positions and support their career journeys.

To empower women, we have implemented awareness-raising training and communication activities on gender equality throughout our community. Within the scope of our WE ARE Equal project, we have made "Gender Equality Training" mandatory for all our employees and developed practices based on an equal opportunity approach in recruitment processes. In addition, we have pioneered efforts on equality in language and established a communication culture free of sexist expressions.

To encourage and support women leaders, we organise special leadership development programs to spread the inclusive leadership approach in our companies. With the active support of our senior management, we set goals that support the appointment of our women employees to leadership positions and monitor the achievement of these goals with regular follow-up mechanisms. At the WE ARE Equal Committee quarterly meetings, we evaluate the progress towards increasing women’s leadership and share good practices throughout the Group. To support the career development of our female employees, we support their uninterrupted career progress with our internal mentoring programs for employees who will be new parents and our 12-session psychological support service upon their return from parental leave.

To promote equality in parenting roles, we support our employees in taking an active role in the postpartum process by increasing paternity leave to 14 days. With this practice, we aim to integrate equal parenting responsibility into our business life culture and go beyond gender stereotypes.

As the Kibar Community, we see women's empowerment in business life not only as a matter of equality, but also as the key to a more innovative, inclusive and stronger future. We continue to take every step in this direction with determination and work for a more equal world.

People with Disabilities

We believe that everyone should have equal opportunities in their working life. In this context, we are working resolutely to improve the experiences of disabled individuals in the workplace and to create a supportive and accessible work environment where they can fully demonstrate their potential.

As a first step to improve the experiences of disabled individuals in the workplace, we confirm the disabled cadres in our companies, work to understand the needs of existing cadres, and produce more inclusive solutions. This process is seen not only as a legal obligation but also as a fundamental step for constructing a culture where we value each individual's contribution.

We consider special days and weeks as essential opportunities to raise awareness. In this context, we aim to raise awareness with our internal communication campaigns designed for Disability Week. In all internal company announcements, we include visual elements such as sign language, ramp, and elevator access symbols; details such as high contrast colours for the visually impaired and white cane icons. In this way, we support the development of empathy and awareness among our employees regarding different types of disabilities.

In addition, we offer our training programs and psychological support services throughout the year with an accessible and inclusive approach that supports both the professional and personal development of our disabled employees. With all these efforts, we emphasise that accessibility and empathy are responsibilities and priorities.

Achievements & Best Practices

We are pleased to see the tangible and meaningful results of our steps in inclusiveness and equality.

Thanks to the practices we have developed within the scope of our “WE ARE Equal” project, we have created radical changes in our inner world in Inclusive Culture and have become an inspiring example in our sector. One of the most important achievements we have made in this process is that we have been able to integrate diversity and inclusiveness not only as a principle but also into our daily business practices and leadership approach.

Among our tangible achievements;

• Being an exemplary institution in the production sector in terms of equal wage policy, with the Equal Salary Certificate given by the Swiss Equal Salary Foundation,

• Registering our practices that support equal opportunities in the workplace with the KAGİDER Equal Opportunity Model Certificate,

• Signing the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and making a global commitment to gender equality,

• Taking an active role in supporting women’s entrepreneurship as an investor in Arya Venture Capital Fund,

 Achievements & Best Practices

• In the "Equal Voices of the Sector" award ceremony organised by the votes of Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa students, we were deemed worthy of an award in the Women's Leadership and Governance Category.

In addition, we are proud to crown all these works with the following awards that we were entitled to receive in 2022:

• Bronze in the "Best Diversity and Inclusion Strategy" category of the Brandon Hall HCM Excellence Awards,

• Bronze in the "Diversity and Inclusion Program" Stevie International Business Awards category.

Among the basic strategies that have been effective in achieving these essential gains;

• Strong ownership of the work by the senior management,

• Systematic awareness and training activities covering all our employees,

• Regular evaluation of progress by setting measurable goals,

• Prioritising transparency and fairness in our workplace policies.

All these practices increase trust, belonging and commitment to diversity in our company culture, while also bringing Kibar Topluluğu to a stronger position in terms of employer brand.

In the coming period, we will continue to work with determination to become a pioneering and inspiring institution in Inclusive Culture by taking our egalitarian perspective one step further.

Power of Inclusion - Allyship

We see inclusive culture as creating an environment where individuals can express themselves freely, have equal opportunities, and every voice is heard in every aspect of life beyond the workplace. We accept diversity and different perspectives as richness and believe every individual is valuable.

Allyship is a conscious and determined stance in favour of equality, choosing to take an active role in constructing a just and inclusive world. Sometimes this means being a voice, providing support and sometimes being the person who initiates change. We embrace these values ​​in our personal and business lives, and we value taking steps that will provide social benefit.

These values ​​are not just a policy for us, but also a way of life. While implementing projects that increase inclusivity in the workplace, we aim to inspire society. Contributing to a future where everyone feels safe and can exist in an equal and fair environment will continue to be one of our top priorities.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TDX Consulting or the Workplace in Action® program. The content and ideas presented by the authors are their personal opinions and should not be considered the official policy or stance of TDX Consulting or the Workplace in Action® program.