IMD’s Five Core Focus Areas

A Welcoming, Diverse Community

IMD’s employees reflect the global nature of our programs and participants, representing a wide range of nationalities and experience. IMD aims to be a safe and welcoming place for all people that encourages open debate with compassion, respect and support. This will make the world of work – the part of the world we can influence most – more diverse, inclusive, and fair. IMD strives for continuous improvement and aims to increase all forms of diversity and inclusion.

IMD monitors progress through regular engagement by the internal EI&D Council, which contributes to the strategy and associated activities. The council is composed of employees across functions and levels of management, faculty, as well as MBA and EMBA representatives. The broad representation ensures IMD’s EI&D approach takes all voices and views into account.

In terms of the gender balance of IMD’s leadership, the new ExCo that was formed in early 2020 includes three women out of nine total members. The percentage of non-academic female board members has increased to 33 percent in 2021, compared with 20 percent in 2020.

Gender Equity Certification

In 2021, IMD completed a gender pay gap assessment that showed salary differentiations are not impacted by gender, demonstrating the institute’s commitment towards ensuring gender equality.

All employers in Switzerland with more than 100 employees are obliged to conduct an equal pay analysis. IMD’s assessment was the outcome of an independent analysis of pay by external auditor BDO Suisse, using the Swiss federal government’s standard analysis tool assessing gender equal pay. The analysis showed a 3.3% gender pay gap, placing IMD in the “green” category of organizations considered to have no salary differentiation based on gender. The gender pay gap in both public and private sectors in Switzerland is above 10% on average.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

IMD’s maternity and paternity leave policies are consistent with Swiss law. As per new legislation, from January 2021, new fathers have ten days of full paid leave. IMD provides fourteen weeks of paid leave for new mothers. While on leave, new mothers receive full pay, with IMD covering the costs not covered by the social security system. For faculty members with new children, the workload expectations, including the number of expected teaching days, are reduced, and contract reviews are postponed to the following year, per the Faculty Policies.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Employee Outreach

As an institution that aims to develop caring and inclusive leaders, change starts at home. For example, IMD visibly acknowledged for the first time the June month of LGBTQ+, and flew the LGBTQ+ flag on its campus, clearly positioning itself as an ally and advocate.

Coupled with external events, International Women’s Day was celebrated on campus through an awareness campaign and quiz for employees and distribution of IWD cookies, raising funds for an organization supporting women entrepreneurs in the region.

For the International Day of People with Visible and Non-visible Disabilities, IMD employees had the opportunity to try a wheelchair, as well as discuss and agree on the most impactful manner to be an ally to people with visible and invisible disability.

IMD also held two management development sessions outlining the EI&D strategy, exploring the biases and stereotypes that each individual carries, with a special focus on what managers and leaders can do to demonstrate inclusive leadership

It is widely acknowledged that an engaged workforce leads to a more productive environment as well as higher financial returns.

IMD’s Executive Committee is highly engaged with the entire workforce through frequent communication, interaction, and co-creation of products and solutions. IMD leadership elicits employee opinions on strategy, business goals, working conditions, policies and advancement via anonymous employee feedback surveys, including benchmarking comparisons.
Since 2019, IMD has been conducting one internal “Pulse” survey a year to measure employee opinion and a broader “Employee Engagement” survey every two years with an external partner. IMD carried out a “Pulse” survey in June 2021, with a participation rate of 80.2%.

After the 2021 pulse survey, the Executive Committee nominated eight young employees to be part of a group named the YMD Team to contribute to IMD’s caring, inclusive and high-performing culture. The YMD Team makes recommendations on key areas of improvement including work intensity, workplace wellbeing, flexible workplace, digital proficiency, and career development.

IMD also introduced a new intranet system in 2021 to build transparency and internal communication and facilitate connections among employees. All employees can ask the IMD president anonymous questions during Community Meetings held either monthly or twice monthly or via the intranet. To foster open dialogue, employees learn about how IMD strategy affects their daily work in regular online Q&A sessions with senior leaders. Faculty are also consulted on all decisions related to IMD regulations and elect a representative to serve on IMD’s Foundation Board.

While the COVID-19 pandemic limited the scope of possible actions, IMD staff contributed through donations and by volunteering their time.

Faculty and staff volunteered in supermarkets in June and November during Samedi du Partage, which benefits charities across the Lac Léman region. Staff also collected donations in support of Movember, to raise awareness of men’s health issues. Ahead of the Christmas holidays, staff collected toys and clothing to help children in need.

COVID Response

IMD proactively supports the health and safety of its employees and program participants. During the pandemic, IMD dedicated significant resources to preventative health measures, including frequent testing and the provision of personal protection such as masks and hand sanitizer and daily temperature checks. Distanced seating, enhanced air filtration, introduction of the covid certificate for all coming to campus, and deep cleaning became standard procedure during the pandemic. An IMD COVID-19 Task Force updated the community at least every two weeks regarding specific measures and requirements.

Mental Wellness

The pandemic inspired new approaches to the way we work, with the introduction of flexible and remote work arrangements. IMD offered classes in mindfulness-based stress reduction as well as mental wellness tips on its intranet. Coaching support was also available to employees to help reduce stress.

Teleworking Policy

With the support and guidance of the new YMD Team, a newly formed group of young IMD employees, IMD increased its focus on work-life balance. The institute introduced a teleworking policy in 2021 for employees in Switzerland and Southeast Asia whose function does not require physical on-campus presence. The policy calls for employees to spend a minimum of two days a week on average on campus with the agreement of their manager. To help employees adapt their work locations IMD offered a one-time equipment allowance. During the pandemic, IMD employees worked from home in line with government recommendations.

Accidents

IMD has a reporting system to keep track and follow up on any accidents. A report from IMD’s benefits manager indicated only 1 on campus in 2021. Staff receive first aid training annually, with four courses offered in 2021 and 38 people certified.