Ahlsell, a Nordic technical wholesaler, with 600 employees and nearly 400 million in turnover, partnered with Inklusiiv back in 2022. The aim of the collaboration was not only to raise awareness and understanding about DEI topics across the organization but also to pinpoint priorities and provide clear direction for long-term efforts.
Senior leadership training to build DEI buy-in
Over the past two years, Inklusiiv has delivered several training sessions for leadership teams at Ahlsell – starting from the country-level leadership team. These sessions helped to build buy-in and clarify a direction and next steps for Ahlsell’s DEI agenda.
CEO Tomi Gardemeister remarked, “The training facilitated by Inklusiiv helped us understand how to advance DEI in our organization, and allowed us to identify both our existing strengths and areas for development relating to diversity and inclusion. The session was data-driven, practical, and challenged our thinking.”
Building upon the success of the senior leadership training, Inklusiiv extended DEI training sessions to functional leadership teams within Ahlsell. These sessions aimed to cascade DEI awareness and understanding throughout various levels of leadership within the organization. Anna Saksi, Director of People&Culture, described these sessions as “effective and relevant, with a perfect balance of lecture and interactive elements.”
In addition to sessions for leadership teams, Ahlsell and Inklusiiv have also collaborated to offer a series of awareness building sessions for the wider Ahlsell community, including team leads.
A DEI survey to identify priorities
Most recently, Inklusiiv and Ahlsell conducted a DEI survey for all Ahlsell Finland employees.
The survey results revealed insights into employees’ perceptions of the company’s commitment to DEI and differences in experiences of inclusion across different demographic groups and areas of the organization.
The partnership went beyond just gathering data for Ahlsell. Inklusiiv’s experts analysed the complex dataset gathered through the survey, uncovering key patterns and crafting tailored recommendations. These recommendations were practical, detailed, and actionable, providing Ahlsell with clear next steps to take on their DEI journey.
“Having Inklusiiv onboard meant we could utilize questions that have already been tried and tested by experts, and we could promise increased anonymity to our employees throughout the survey process. Inklusiiv’s recommendations were concrete and applicable, showcasing their profound understanding of our organization and DEI.” says Anna Saksi.
The DEI survey also served as a vehicle for internally raising awareness about DEI and provided a foundation for discussing what DEI work means and how DEI should be addressed within Ahlsell.
A partnership for impact
The long-term partnership has resulted in a well-rounded understanding of Ahlsell’s current state of DEI, allowing Inklusiiv to support Ahlsell in identifying their priorities for action.
“We have gained clarity and direction for our DEI work over the past years, and we are committed to taking actions that will benefit all our employees.” says Anna Saksi.
Find out more about our Inklusiiv’s services here! Ready to jump straight in? Reach out to: consulting@inklusiiv.com.