The major topic of diversity is playing an increasingly important role in companies worldwide. On the one hand, taking diversity into account within the workforce demonstrates respect and appreciation, and on the other, legal requirements relating to diversity must be met. Companies employ diversity managers to promote a diverse workforce. We show you what tasks are associated with this job, what skills are required and what earning opportunities there are.
What is a Diversity Manager?
Diversity managers (also known as "Diversity & Inclusion Managers") have the task of establishing and maintaining a corporate culture that promotes and supports diversity in the workforce. This promotion is accompanied by an appreciation of the different backgrounds, experiences and wishes of employees, which in turn should lead to an improvement in the working atmosphere and productivity within the company. Diversity managers make a significant contribution to the company's success by recognizing and using diversity as a competitive advantage.
Diversity Manager: Key Facts
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How do I become a Diversity Manager?
There is no traditional training or independent course of study for diversity management. However, it is possible to undergo further training to become a diversity manager. Companies can offer employees this further training. The necessary specialist knowledge and skills can be acquired here. This makes the profession ideal for career changers .
In practice, diversity managers have an academic background and have a degree in psychology, business administration or sociology. Many diversity managers have additional qualifications in coaching, project management and/or conflict management.
What are the tasks of diversity managers?
The main task of diversity management is to develop strategies and concepts to promote the potential of diverse teams and departments. On the one hand, this promotion is intended to prevent discrimination and, on the other, to improve productivity, innovative strength and thus the competitiveness of the company.
Employee appraisals are an important basis for developing strategies and measures. This provides diversity managers with valuable information on how diversity is being maintained and expanded within the company. At the same time, employees' wishes and suggestions are collected and incorporated into employee profiles. These profiles are then evaluated by the Diversity Manager in order to determine diversity indicators such as the proportion of women, recruitment key performance indicators (KPIs) and equal and fair pay. These KPIs are then compared with the actual values to determine the need for action within the company.

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In addition to analysis and strategy development, diversity managers also have the following tasks:
- Developing measures to use diversity as a competitive advantage
- Collaboration in creating and editing the corporate identity
- Search for potential to attract new employees
- Raising awareness among stakeholders about discrimination based on gender, origin, sexual orientation, religion, age and other diversity dimensions
- Conducting workshops and training sessions for employees and managers
- Creating reports and statistics
- Developing training materials
- Advising the HR department on the recruitment of new employees
- Advising marketing and PR departments on external communication
- Advising the management on internal communication
- Monitoring compliance with legal diversity requirements
What soft skills do I need as a Diversity Manager?
The most important soft skills in diversity management include empathy and openness. A diversity manager must be able to put themselves in the other person's shoes in order to understand their needs and requirements. This applies to discussions with employees as well as to exchanges with managers when they need to be sensitized to the topic of diversity.
In addition to social skills, diversity managers should also think in business terms. After all, in addition to an improved corporate culture, it is ultimately about anchoring it in the corporate strategy, building a credible corporate image and increasing competitiveness and innovative capacity.
Other important soft skills for diversity managers:
- (Intercultural) communication skills: Diversity managers must be able to communicate with the workforce as well as with management and other stakeholders.
- Ability to deal with conflict: When many different attitudes, wishes and requirements come together, conflicts can arise that should be resolved by diversity managers.
- Multilingualism: Anyone responsible for diversity management in international teams should have a very good command of written and spoken English. Other foreign languages are always an advantage.
- Analytical thinking: After discussions with all those involved, diversity managers are faced with the major task of processing the resulting data in a meaningful way and deriving strategies and measures from it. Analytical thinking is important for this.
In which industries and companies do diversity managers work?
In principle, the field of activity in diversity management is not limited to a specific industry or company size. Specialists are always in demand when it comes to sensitizing companies to the topic of diversity and recognizing the potential of diversity. Diversity management can, for example, be incorporated into HR development, but should be treated as a cross-company strategic issue and have an impact on the entire organizational culture. This can be made possible by anchoring it as a staff unit.
What can I earn as a Diversity Manager?
According to a large German job portal, the median salary is 57,900 euros gross per year. This means that 50 percent of diversity managers earn more and 50 percent earn less.
This is only a guideline, as the salary is largely determined by other factors such as professional experience, level of education and the location and size of the company or organization.
Diversity Manager: Workplaces of the Future – Haufe Akademie
Diversity is one of the most important social issues in companies worldwide. Companies that understand the different needs of different people and utilize the great potential of diverse teams can gain a significant competitive advantage. For this reason, diversity is at the top of many companies' wish lists. The demand for specialists who are familiar with this topic is therefore all the greater.
Do you want to develop personally and professionally and help companies harness the full potential of diversity? Then train with the Haufe Akademie in the area of Diversity & Inclusion Management. Our extensive range of seminars provides valuable input and practical know-how that you can directly integrate into your future professional life.
If you as a company would like to train entire teams in the area of diversity management, the Haufe Akademie We're also here for you. We'd be happy to put together a customized training program for you and help you shape your business model for the future.
For reasons of better readability, the article does not use female and male language forms simultaneously and uses the generic masculine. All personal designations apply equally to all genders.
FAQs: Diversity Manager
How much does a Diversity Manager earn?
On average, a Diversity Manager in Germany earns between €49,000 and €68,000 gross per year. The salary depends on company size, location, industry and professional experience.
What does a Diversity Manager do?
A diversity manager develops strategies and concepts to leverage and utilize the potential of diverse teams. The aim is to avoid discrimination and improve productivity, innovation and therefore the company's competitiveness.
How do I become a Diversity Manager?
Diversity managers usually have a degree in psychology, business administration or sociology. Many have additional qualifications in coaching, project management and conflict management. Specialist knowledge and the necessary skills can be acquired in further training courses.

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