Unlocking all talent - Mediahuis

Last year, what diversity and inclusion-related achievement were you proud of?

Martine: “We made major efforts to attract young talent. Young people today are diverse by definition, especially in a metropolitan environment. In Belgium, that translates into many more diverse people who are interested in Mediahuis. That’s why, for example, we looked closely at how we could make our job ads as inclusive as possible and distribute them through alternative social channels and networks. And after a year, we can see the results of that in our recruitment. That’s great.” 

Désirée: “In the Netherlands, everyone in the newsroom attended training on the broad concepts of diversity and inclusion. What does it mean for you and for the organisation? In addition to the company, there is our reporting itself. We constantly question who we give a platform to and on which topic. For now, we’re only looking at gender: what do we let men or women talk about? But we hope to be able to measure even more dimensions.” 

Martine: “The inside of our organisation really has to be connected to the outside. If we have a diverse population of employees who address the voices in society, then our core product, the news, can only benefit from that.” 

As a reflection of society, is Mediahuis where it wants to be? Or is there still work to be done? 

Désirée: “We still don’t have enough representation of people from diverse cultural backgrounds. So more awareness is needed. Connection is also crucial. We recently launched the Safe Space experiment. Alongside an external coach, colleagues can talk openly once a month about the issues they are facing. This can result in anonymous feedback to management, and that input allows us to make adjustments if necessary.” 

Martine: “Diversity is about more than just cultural background or gender. It’s also about age, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, even personality. That’s why we organise meetings of people from different departments in different countries. They exchange ideas on diversity and inclusion. That way, we avoid the topic being nothing more than a club behind closed doors. It has to be in the DNA of the organisation and that’s how we bring it to life.”  

Stability at the top means that positions don’t often change. What do you tell employees who want to progress?  

Martine: “Stability at the top is very good, because there is a lot of experience there. It’s true that most CEOs in our organisation have been in their role for a long time. That might give the impression that there are few opportunities for advancement. We’re aware of that. But this is a growing organisation. More challenges are coming our way, creating new roles that are of strategic importance. I’m thinking of our sustainability project IMPACT, with its focus on reliable news, on diversity, inclusion and development and on our carbon footprint. By opening up those strategic roles to people in the organisation, we learn about their talents. Giving them opportunities now means they may be ready when we need a new CEO one day.” 

How is the gender ratio at Mediahuis? 

Martine: “We have lots of women in our organisation, but they don’t always progress. On the one hand, this is to do with the fact that positions don’t often come up at the top of the organisation. Although you can also move horizontally and thus broaden your competences and talents. On the other hand, we note that women have greater barriers. Research shows that women still tend to take on a bigger role at home, even though the world is changing. Women are also generally more reluctant to apply if they feel they don’t fully meet the requirements in a job posting. It’s therefore important that we make our postings as accessible as possible and at the very least start the conversation.”  

Désirée: “That’s very recognisable for our Dutch entities too. Although the male-female ratio in management at Mediahuis NRC is 50/50. And we see quite a few women in leadership positions in editorial.”   

What place do younger and older employees have within the organisation? 

Désirée: “Relationships between generations can pose a challenge. We’re working specifically on that connection as part of our inclusive culture. Journalism is a craft and a young journalist can learn from an older colleague. But that older journalist can also learn from a Gen Z or millennial. It’s all about connection.” 

Martine: “There is little turnover in our organisation. But we are taking several initiatives to attract young people to our newsrooms. In Belgium, we have the Youth Lab, where we bring in young people for a one-year traineeship. We’re doing that in Ireland, too. At NRC, we offer budding journalists a trainee programme. In the Netherlands, the Young Mediahuis group connects all the young people in the organisation. And then you have the German tradition of traineeships, where students are integrated into the company during their master’s. That’s how several of our German colleagues started. In Amsterdam, two young people were commissioned to set up a youth news channel. We need to be engaged today with the paying readers of tomorrow. That project is called C.Tru, and the idea is that the whole organisation can learn from it.”  

Martine, in the previous annual report you said you believed Mediahuis did not deliberately exclude anyone. At the same time, you raised the question of whether there is sufficient awareness of the barriers in recruitment and selection. How do you view that a year on?

Martine: “I don’t think we are yet where we would like to be. But we are definitely taking steps in the right direction. We also show that to everyone who works here. In Belgium, for example, we have Mediahuis All-in. If we take part in the Antwerp Pride, we tell people about it that way.”  

Désirée: “Will the work ever be finished? I don’t think so. It’s an ongoing process of awareness. But in future, I don’t want to call them barriers, but subjects that need attention.” 

You mentioned personality as a dimension of diversity. Are you consciously working on that? 

Martine: “An environment where you can be yourself, obviously adapted to a professional context, I think that’s crucial. In terms of personality, we don’t want carbon copies. Different personalities enrich a team.” 

Désirée: “We ask hiring managers to look very consciously at the personalities they already have in their team and those they are missing. We take a broad view of diversity; for example, we want people from the countryside on the editorial staff as well as people from Amsterdam. Working on diversity means searching much more specifically, including in different places. It’s true that society and education are becoming more diverse, but it takes too long. That’s why we’re choosing to use other channels.”  

Martine: “If diversity in education is too limited, then society’s work should start at a much younger age. Many young people don’t have a spontaneous passion to work in the media, and there is low trust. That’s why we need to keep up the conversation.” 

What role do managers have in this story of diversity and inclusion? 

Désirée: “People in management need to be role models. If they don’t assume their responsibility, you can forget about it in the rest of the organisation. We have a leadership profile with a number of skills we want to see in our managers. We ask them to help with the digital transition and to support the people in our organisation. What’s very important is that managers and employees communicate with each other in an intentional and appropriate way.”

Martine: “As well as leading by example, managers are also decision-makers in the business. You can’t underestimate how much leadership has changed. Just think of remote management during the pandemic. Today we manage by results, not presence. The manager is also the connector and coach. They have to be able to give and receive feedback, and be authentic. They should be someone who drives change and ensures that teams are engaged. Finally, the manager must ensure that teams as well as individuals continue to grow. That matters. That’s why we organise intensive leadership programmes.” 

What’s your overall assessment of Mediahuis’ diversity and inclusion efforts in 2023? 

Martine: “We’re doing well, but there is room for improvement.” 

Désirée: “We’re on the road, but not yet at the destination. That’s if we will ever get there, because it’s an ongoing process.” 

Martine: “I’m positive. If we stop and look back from time to time, we can see that we’re getting results.” 

Désirée: “Exactly!” 

Since September 2023, all Mediahuis entities have operated on the same future-proof learning platform. The offer on the platform is very diverse: from technical, digital and data training, to courses on leadership, personal development, vitality, diversity and inclusion. The platform offers in-house Mediahuis content: a wide range of on-site and online courses and e-learning options. In addition, it has an extensive library of external content, with a range of courses in various languages. Artificial intelligence is used to recommend training that matches the user’s profile, network and interests. These recommendations are regularly updated. 

The HR training experts work closely with the various business units to determine what training is necessary in the context of the objectives to be achieved. They also look at the needs formulated by employees themselves. The learning offer is compiled as broadly as possible, across national borders, so that as many Mediahuis colleagues as possible find what they need.

Learning formats are diverse. Training takes place not only in a classroom but also via articles, podcasts, presentations, videos, e-learning and online webinars. The user decides which format is most suitable. Degreed also makes it possible to build learning communities and easily share content, knowledge and expertise with colleagues, both within one’s own team and across departments and entities. 

Thanks to Mediahuis Academy, every team member has the opportunity to keep up to date, connect with colleagues from the same field, hone their existing skills and develop new ones. This approach allows employees to excel in their current role or prepare for a new position, within or outside their own entity.