Diversity is a beautiful thing that deserves to be celebrated. Cultural festivities are an excellent moment for this. And to embrace this. Look, for example, at how Albert Heijn does it.
Everyone is welcome at the iftar
Albert Heijn has organised an iftar every year in recent years, the name given to breaking the fast during Ramadan. Everyone was welcome to break their fast with a meal at Albert Heijn. This is wonderful, as many people with an Islamic background work at Albert Heijn. They are therefore provided with an environment in which their culture is celebrated.
In Amsterdam, Mayor Femke Halsema is also invited. This is in Osdorp, a typical multicultural area in Amsterdam. Everyone is truly welcome.
The iftar at Albert Heijn is not used as a marketing stunt. It is, of course, handy marketing if you are indeed diverse, if people recognise themselves in it. But it’s not just put in place as an empty marketing shell, it’s actually lived.
A celebration of recognition
The organisation of the iftar is really well done. Not in a half-baked, still typical Western way. It’s really recognised by the communities that organise iftars themselves, and who also observe Ramadan. The music, for example, was provided by a band with typical Arabic singing in a Moroccan style. Then you feel appreciated and respected as part of the company. Albert Heijn’s slogan is: food connects.
It’s important that, when you celebrate an occasion, it fully corresponds with the culture it comes from. Because, imagine you organise an iftar with non-halal food, then you’re missing the mark. And many businesses miss the mark in this way. They organise a cultural festival but aren’t inclusive enough to execute it properly. You can tell a lot from this about how inclusive a company really is.
I also see that Albert Heijn is making significant efforts to make their first layer of management diverse and inclusive. There is still a lot of effort needed to make the management boards inclusive, but it’s going very well at the branches now. So I think it’s just a matter of time.