Judith Kreukels is the Diversity & Inclusion project leader

Let’s start with a recap – why does NWO-I consider D&I to be important?

NWO-I seeks to ensure excellent science which flourishes and has a maximum impact on our society. An element of this is the promotion of an inclusive scientific culture with an awareness of diversity in its broadest sense. NWO-I endorses the added value of joint efforts by people with a variety of expertise and a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. An inclusive organisation makes optimum use of its employees' diverse talents and abilities and, when recruiting and appointing new employees, it actively tries to increase its diversity.

Initial exploration

Kreukels works two days a week as the D&I project leader at the NWO-I office. In addition, she manages a project for the inclusion of women in quantum technology in the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. She has spent the last two months on an initial investigation of the culture of a few institutes and on mapping what the institutes are already doing in terms of diversity and inclusion.
Kreukels: "The NWO-I Implementation Plan is a good starting point. All sorts of things are happening at the institutes, but I noticed a lack of coordination. Resolving this could bring benefits, for example in training courses. I'm going to work on this. I want to emphasise that I'm not going to decree what the institutes have to do. I can advise them on which steps they could take. I see us as partners. How do you include D&I in a strategy or mission? How do you set up a D&I team? Some people say: I'm in favour of more inclusion, but I don't know how to put it into practice'. My aim is for us to learn from each other and thus strengthen our position. I also want to avoid each institute inventing the wheel all over again".

D&I goes further

Kreukels explains that diversity and inclusion are two distinct concepts, each with its own set of actions. Diversity covers the 'visible part', endeavouring to create more diversity in an organisation. This is reflected in such matters as the recruitment and selection of new employees from different backgrounds, through gender-neutral job descriptions and/or a diverse selection committee. So, a committee not just made up of a group of white, middle-aged men, but one which includes women, non-binary colleagues, and employees with different ethnic backgrounds, and of a variety of ages from young to old. Initially, NWO-I primarily focused on improving diversity in terms of gender and aimed to expand the number of women in more senior positions. The current D&I Implementation Plan goes beyond this, since it focuses on diversity in a broader sense: diversity which includes LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual, and asexual), but also cultural or religious diversity and health/working ability.

Equality

Kreukels will focus first on 'more inclusion': "Inclusion relates to workplace culture. That an organisation ensures that there is an environment of trust and involvement, where there is room for a variety of opinions. It's all about being able to join the discussion, being heard, and making your voice heard - aimed at equality and less of a power structure. A safe working environment and a culture of trust are needed to be able to talk about diversity and inclusion, because people will only share their personal experiences if they feel comfortable and are confident that they will be understood. As far as I'm concerned, when someone new arrives to work with you, your first question should be 'what can we do for you?'.
Inclusion also means that there is sufficient budget to eradicate inequality: for instance, if someone has an impairment and needs special equipment to do their work. Inclusion follows diversity because it implies that you already have a diverse work force."

Different stages

How far has NWO-I progressed with D&I? Kreukels tells us that she is in talks with HR managers, institute managers and directors, and the D&I teams, where there are any. She intends to assess institutions’ inclusion to find out where they are in terms of the five stages. The inclusion assessment starts with stage one, the awareness stage. Kreukels explains: "If an organisation has no awareness of why D&I is important, you can install a gender-neutral toilet, but no one will understand why it is important. Incidentally, even organisations who are assessed as being in stage five should not sit back and relax. There will always be some opposition; new employees will arrive, and D&I is a process which needs time and patience".

LGBTQIA+ feedback group

Kreukels wants to encourage institutes to set up and expand D&I teams in the coming year. She can provide support in developing a D&I strategy. Kreukels: "It’s important that a team is assembled which includes colleagues with different backgrounds and which goes beyond HR. Managers will need to communicate at a strategic level that they support the D&I policy. Only then can it succeed. It is also important to bring someone into a D&I team who has little affinity with D&I plans so that other opinions are heard and to expand the group from within. Once every institute has a D&I team, we will set up an over-arching NWO-I team with a representative from each D&I team. This over-arching team will discuss what is happening throughout NWO-I, which will enable us to learn from others’ experiences and support each other".
Another step is to set up feedback groups to look after the specific interests of groups of employees, such as NWO-I colleagues from another culture, women, or people with impairments. Léon Ouwerkerk, Head of P&O at CWI and LGBTQIA+ coordinator at NWO-I, has set up an LGBTQIA+ feedback group which now has six members. Kreukels: "NWO-I colleagues can join this group. The idea is that new feedback groups will emerge organically and will be given a role in implementing the D&I plan".

Inclusive writing

Some institutes are already providing workshops which touch upon D&I, such as those on unconscious bias or inclusive leadership. This year, communication staff will be given a course on ‘inclusive writing’ and HR staff will be taught how to write inclusive job descriptions for job vacancies. Kreukels is in favour of making 'unconscious bias training' a compulsory part of on-boarding when someone new joins the organisation. All training will have to be offered in English as well as Dutch. She explains that NWO-I enlists her help on issues relating to D&I, such as making the Collective Labour Agreement (Dutch acronym: cao) more inclusive and adding questions about D&I to the employee satisfaction survey.

3 October 2023

Kreukels has encountered plenty of enthusiasm among D&I teams which are already active. Diversity Day will be celebrated on 3 October. She wants to organise an NWO-I-wide conference to be held on that day, with a major part played by all D&I teams. Another idea is to focus attention on colleagues' backgrounds on different days of the year, such as during Ramadan.

Who is Judith Kreukels?

Kreukels (32) lives in Amsterdam. She studied Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam and completed her Master's degree in International Development Studies with distinction. She has lived in Australia, Argentina, and Spain, and worked as a volunteer with international students on social impact. She was also a mentor for refugees. She has experience of working for a human rights NGO and provided training for different target groups, including LGBTQAI+, migrants and women in Eastern Europe and Asia. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga and regularly visits friends abroad. She is also a member of the women's network écrassée, which helps its members focus on their network, development, and future. If you have ideas for, or questions about, Diversity & Inclusion, please send an email to Judith Kreukels

Text: Anita van Stel

Newsletter Inside NWO-I, April 2023
You can find the archive of the newsletter Inside NWO-I on the NWO-I website.