At Holtzbrinck, we want to give everyone a voice. Johanna is one of them and shares with us her ideas, comments and actions to promote diversity and inclusion in our group of companies.
What's your name and what do you do at Holtzbrinck Publishing Group?
My name is Johanna Behre and I am a producer at argon film and argon podcast. Here I mainly develop and realise documentary one-offs and series in moving image and audio.
What does diversity, equity and inclusion mean in the work environment and why is it so important?
For me it means that we make our teams in front of and behind the camera/microphone diverse and much more diverse than has been the case so far. If we want to tell stories for and about the world we live in, there is no other way. I am convinced that both colleagues and projects can only benefit from this.
How do you experience the diversity, equity and inclusion culture at Holtzbrinck?
I see a lot of initiatives being launched that are dedicated to these topics and necessary changes - which is great! I myself am part of Queer@Holtzbrinck, a network for queer colleagues and friends that was founded last year. Here it is important to us that queerness becomes more visible and safer in the workplace - and that it is understood intersectionally. As a white queer person, I experience our company very differently than a Black lesbian colleague. We are at the beginning of a process; the first steps have been taken.
Why is it so important that your company addresses the issue of inclusion in the workplace?
Anything else would not be right and would no longer be in line with the times. For me, it's not just about fancy terms, but about actively changing structures to enable as many exciting and diverse colleagues as possible to join and participate in our group of companies.
What do you wish for the future in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion?
I would like to see even more sensitivity and activities dedicated to the dimension of class and social origin.