1.
Diversity Management at the Bundesagentur
für Arbeit (BA) –Single Case Study
Dr. Beatrix Behrens, Head of Division, HR Policy | Federal German Employment Agency

2.
Seite 2
Diverse Challenges for HRM in the Public Sector
• Volatile Environment, Internalization, Migration …………
• Greater need for equal opportunity policies inside public administration to
enhance employee engagement
• Need for strong Gender Policies and Diversity Management to tap potentials
• Incorporation of Gender Mainstreaming as an important cross-cutting issue
within a diversity framework
• Increasing average age of the staff/ageing workforce
• Loss of know-how following (age-related) fluctuation
• Decreasing half-value of knowledge
• Shortage of specialists and young talents to be recruited –need to address
new target groups as employees for the public sector
• Transfer of National Action Plans into corporate action at the BA
2

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Representative employee survey shows equal opportunity
and cultural diversity are issues for the future *
Equality of opportunity is an important issue for employees
▬ about 80% vacate the issue of equal opportunities a high to very high priority
Cultural diversity and intercultural aspects are the topics of the
future
▬ 72% confirm that intercultural aspects in recent years have become increasingly
important in everyday work
▬ 65% say they regularly need intercultural competence in the area of
responsibility
*Representative sample survey of BA-employees SGB III (July 2013) and SGB II (July 2014)
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Employees with a migration background: 16%
Employees from over 75 nations
Rate of severely disabled: 9,6 %
Average age: 44years
Females: 70%
Women in leading positions: 46,6%
Diversity is part of everyday life at the BA
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Challenges
Demographic
change and the
extension of
working life
Staff getting
older and
more diverse
Promoting and securing
work ability (Competence,
Health, Engagement)
The BA’s response to these challenges:
- An integrated HR Management
- Diversity Management
- Employee Engagement
- Corporate Health Management
Integrated approaches needed to be an innovative and
attractive employer
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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• Diverse staff matches the needs of changing and diverse
markets and customers (promoting service
orientation/customer orientation)
• Diversity or managing individual and diverse competencies is a
contribution towards empowering and motivating staff (staff
engagement)
• Diversity promotes innovation
• Diversity can increase effectiveness, efficiency and
competitiveness on various levels
• Managing diversity needs good leadership and sensitive
leaders to “reshape” thinking patterns and to shape a value
driven culture
Diversity:
A Key Factor for Organizational Success
6

7.
Seite 7
BA 2020 Strategy
Leadership and cooperation
HR policy
Diversity
management
HR -Development
Leadership and cooperation
HR-Strategy
Integrated Human Resource Management at the BA

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Seite 8
Leadership
means for
us
Provide orientation
- Commit oneself to the vision
- Communicate the business orientation
- Set up change processes
- Consistently pursue demanding yet
achievable targets
- Set priorities
Set the framework
- Set standards for effectively and
efficiently getting the job done
- Make it clear that one intends to
put things in shape
Establish scope for
action
- Delegate competence and responsibility
- Leave scope for individual action
- Accept learning from mistakes
- Involve in decision-making processes
- Encourage constructive criticism and support
change
Provide support
- Develop staff by the principle “to
demand and to support”
- Pursue equal opportunity policy
and actively oppose discrimination
- Make transparent the job
expectations of one’s staff
- Defining the rules of the game +
the communication structures
- Offer help to staff in getting the
job done
- Help staff to adapt to change
Basic principles for leadership and cooperation
Hertie School, Oktober 2014 © Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Geschäftsbereich POE, POE 1 – Personalpolitik

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sub-competencesbasic competence
result orientation/implementation
shaping
(+)
(++)
(+++)
* = for managers only
activity and
implementation
competence
change competence/initiative
goal orientation
personal
competence
high working capacity
learning competence and ability
to answer criticism
credibility / trustworthiness*
specialist/meth
od competence
care/conscientiousness
planning
social
communication
competence
customer orientation
employee orientation*
personal consulting
problem solving
delegation*
ability to work in a team
discussion/argumentation
Sub-competences in the competence model
Hertie School, Oktober 2014 © Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Geschäftsbereich POE, POE 1 – Personalpolitik

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Overall system of HR development at BA
Job and skills
profiles
Controlling
HR development
Performance and
development
interviews
Basic principles
for leadership
and cooperation
HR
development
tools
Development paths
Performance
management
Result of COCOPS research project (2013) showed, that the implementation status of
the HR development-tools at the German Public Employment Service is on a high level.
Hertie School, Oktober 2014 © Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Geschäftsbereich POE, POE 1 – Personalpolitik

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"Diversity“: To demand and to support
Utilization of individual skills
Integral part of HR development
HR development and therefore diversity
management as management responsibility
AdministrativecultureattheBA
Value-basedHRpolicy
Diversity Management as a part of HR development
at the BA
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Phase 2 Phase 3Phase 1 Phase 4
Career (second phase)
Occupational
development
(horizontal/vertical)
Returning after long family
phase
care for relatives that are
in need for care
School
Apprenticeship/
academic studies
Career entry
Returning after
phase of
parenthood
Career (start)
“Active
retirement”
“Rush hour of
life”
Promoting beneficial working relationships – Fostering
work engagement throughout all phases of life –
Engagement Index
Lifelong Learning, Exchange and transfer of Knowledge
Corporate Health Management
Life-phase oriented HR policy at the BA: Fostering work
engagement and performance of the organisation
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Promoting and
strengthening
personal
responsibility
Work-Life-Balance
as non-material
performance
incentive
Employer branding
▬ Dialogue-based management tools (LEDi) considering personal
career and life plans for the different age groups
▬ Analysis and promotion of potential within HR development
▬ Modular skills development
▬ Three-phase concept for return to work
▬ „Organization service for children and care“ (OKiP)
▬ Skills development with Care/childcare (including services for
women/men returning to work)
▬ Flexible working hours / part-time / long-term in working time
accounts
▬ Alternate teleworking / mobile working
▬ Training on part-time basis
▬ Mobility offers (also for partners)
▬ Counseling for re-entry into working life
▬ Promotion and support of networking
2nd phase: compatibility of work and private life
“Rush hour
of life”
Life-phase-oriented HR policy at the BA – 2nd phase
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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▬ Flexible working hours / part-time / long-term in working time accounts
▬ Alternate teleworking / mobile working
▬ In-house health management system and operational integration management
▬ Sensitivity training for managers with regard to older employees
▬ Analysis and promotion of potential within HR development
▬ Modular skills development
▬ Vertical and horizontal personnel development without age limits
▬ Web-based training tools with tutors
▬ “Organisation service for children and care” (OKiP)
▬ Training measures such as “In the middle of life” or “Preparation
for retirement”
▬ Older Employees as trainers and mentees
▬ Concept for know-how transfer before retirement (currently in test)
Life-phase-oriented HR policy at the BA – 3rd phase
3rd phase: compatibility of work and private life/age structured policy
Promoting and
strengthening
personal
responsibility
Seeing age and
ageing as an
opportunity
Work-Life-Balance
as non-material
performance
incentive
Employer branding
Lifelong learning
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Appreciation and
making use of
experience and
knowledge even
beyond the active
professional phase
▬ Fixed-term recruitment of retirees
▬ Training activities
▬ Setting up and counseling of international labor administration
▬ Mentoring, tutoring
▬ Participation in and counseling of projects
▬ …
4th phase: “Active retirement” “Rush hour
of life”
Life-phase-oriented HR policy at the BA – 4th phase
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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▬ individual re-entry plan and
competency-based trainings
▬ HR-consultancy provided
▬ dialogue to finalize the
initiation
3rd phase (after)1st phase (before)
▬ employee appraisal
▬ contact persons
▬ regular information
▬ offer for acces to intranet
▬ discussions on individual
plans and preferences
2nd phase (during)
▬ project work, training activities
▬ participation in seminars and
meetings
▬ information material
▬ competence self-assessment
▬ information events (1x p.a.)
▬ dialogue in preparation of return
Re-Entry into work after i.g. parental leave:
A dialogue-based „ 3-phase-concept“

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The BA employees with a high number of severely
disabled people
SB-Quote BA
2014
9,6%
Gesetzliche
SB-Quote
6,0%
Rate of severely
disabled
employees 2014 BA
9.6%
10,141
Severely disabled employees in the
Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Integration
agreement
2010 BA
8.7%
Legal rate of
severely disabled
employees
6.0%
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Several interventions in the Bundesagentur für Arbeit
to include severely disabled people
1) Computerunterstützte Arbeitsplätze für nichtsehende, schwer sehbehinderte sowie motorisch behinderte Mitarbeiter/-innen der BA = Computer-assisted workplaces
for sightless, severely visually-impaired and physically handicapped employees of the BA
2) Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement = Workplace Health Management
3) Betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement = Integration Management
Best practice, awareness,
seminars, conventions, media
Web based trainings,
Competence centre CANS
1)
,
leadership qualification
Employee appraisals
Cooperation, marketing,
internship, selection process
Accessible building, IT
workplaces, BGM
2)
, BEM
3)
, flexible
working
Inclusion
Communication
Qualification
Personnel development
Recruitment
Working conditions/
infrastructure
Severely disabled people
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Activities how to foster employees with migration
background in the BA (examples)
Targeting people with migration
background in job advertisements and
marketing
Basic training module :
intercultural awareness
Culturally fair and
competence based
selection processes
Raising authority’s
awareness for migration
(observation trainings in
case of personnel selection)
Seminars “diversity management” for
special target groups:
executives, HR, consulting and
placement specialists
Several web based trainings
in the field of diversity
Individual planning and
development of
potentials
central career website
Recruitment Qualification Personnel development Leadership
Recruitment video: “Enter
with diversity“
Flyer: “Cultural diversity – a
benefit for all!”
Places at the university of
the BA for foreign labour
administration employees
Consolidation training module “intercultural
competence” in process of planning
Integration of the topic “diversity”
in the range of leadership
seminars
Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Overview of survey results
regarding Diversity at BA 2012-2014

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Climate for inclusion
Climate,
Appreciation,
Diversity
Employee Health Survey 2012 at BA
questions regarding climate for inclusion
 Our team is characterized by a positive working
environment from in which employees can "be
themselves".
 In our team work-life balance is important.
 Our team solves internal conflicts effectively.
 In our team, employees are valued as people and not just
for the work they provide.
 In our team, there is a culture which appreciates the
individual differences of team members.
 In our team, employees are encouraged to provide their
own input.
 In our team, input of every employees is to be seriously
considered.
 Our team uses experiences and skills of all employees to
reconsider working practices.
 Executives at BA act in accordance with the belief that
diversity in the workplace can improve performance of the
organization.

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 A good climate for inclusion:
– reinforces the positive effect of usage of personal competencies on
employee job satisfaction
– thus acts as an amplifier of competencies as a work-related resource
– while also directly increases job satisfaction
Employee Health Survey 2012 at BA
climate for inclusion at BA as a moderating factor
hoch
gering
.37**
.046* .47**
Competencies
Climate for inclusion
Job satisfaction
Multiple Regression
F = 633.78, df = 2.0, p = .000, R2= .500, ∆ R2 = .002