The international survey, conducted between 420 human resources professionals and 4,007 employees working in private- and public-sector organisations employing fifty employees or more, covers seven countries (Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom).

The main outcomes of the survey are the following:

1. Discrimination is still very much present in the professional arena

According to the report, discrimination persists, despite existing antidiscrimination laws and it is related mainly to age (25 percent), health (19 percent), gender (18percent) and physical appearance (16 percent). 82 percent of international employees say they have already witnessed at least one form of discrimination and and 63 percent have even experienced it, perpetrated first by colleagues and then by direct managers (line managers).

2. Diversity and Inclusion policies need to be shared even more widely

The concepts of diversity and inclusion seem to be well known by employees overall, particularly among younger employees, managers and those with higher education. The 82 percent of international employees (77 percent in France vs. 93 percent in Brazil and 68 percent in Germany) and by 83 percent of HRMs (88 percent in France vs. 90 percent in Brazil and 65 percent in Germany) believe that the deployment of a Diversity and Inclusion policy in the organisation is a priority. However, where these policies already exist, they need to be improved as well as but their communication, as they appear to be a positive lever for quality of life at work.

3. It is up to organisations to implement and evaluate actions

The 87 percent of international employees (86 percent in France vs. 92 percent in Brazil and 79 percent in the UK) say they feel "fully included" in their organisation, as the result of a seriuos committment of General Management and HR in this direction.

Employees and HRMs are primarily interested in work organisation, recruitment and training and 84percent of employees (77 percent in France vs. 93 percent in Brazil and 90 percent in Italy) consider inclusion as an important criterion for choosing a new employer.

The next step that employers are expected to take, for the 40 percent of employees and 43 percent of HRDs/HRMs, is the implementation of a "zero tolerance" policy for discrimination and harassment.

Benoit Felix, Cegos Group CEO, said: "As an international leader in Learning & Development, we have been able to observe, for several months now, in all the countries where we operate, the same willingness of organisations to take up the challenges of Inclusion and Diversity. Far from being a fad, it is a structural concept and part of a real cultural and societal transformation (...). In terms of skills development, we are already deploying numerous missions directly linked to these issues, whether it be training in unconscious perception bias, inclusive leadership or the fight against harassment. We are, for example, rolling out programmes to nurture a new generation of women leaders. These are complex and time-consuming issues. But they are also, and above all, galvanising issues because they force us to change our outlook in order to imagine and build the organisation of tomorrow, which is more diverse, more inclusive and therefore more efficient and responsible".

The survey confirms the growing attention within companies to D&I policies and the increasing awareness of employees to the importance of a workplace that ensures an in-depth knowledge and management of such policies.