Gendering and beyond: About an inclusive language culture at Krones

Our world is constantly changing – and with it, our language. Whether it's new inventions, cultural trends, or societal developments: Our ability to communicate about these things is due to the vitality and adaptability of our language. If it were an immutable construct, we would simply lack the words for many situations in our modern lives. Just as our vocabulary is continually expanding with new expressions, there is also the reverse case: certain linguistic habits no longer correspond to the times and are gradually being replaced by others.

The purpose of fair language 

A very current and widely discussed example that is very present in many languages is the so-called generic masculine: A grammatically masculine expression is used as a universally valid generic term for people of different genders. Studies have now shown that when hearing or reading the generic masculine, many people automatically picture a man. Other individuals may be "implied", but this is not always perceived by the listener or reader. And this is precisely where the method known as "gendering" comes into play, which is a component of fair language.

A way of handling this issue 

The culture at Krones thrives on fair and considerate interaction with each other. This also applies to the way we communicate internally and externally. The term "fair language" generally stands for a use of language that offers the same appreciation to all people and does not exclude any individual or group. What does this mean specifically at Krones? – We do not have a magic formula for fair language: Accordingly, instead of establishing binding rules, we want to encourage our employees to handle language responsibly and sensitively.

How does Krones specifically deal with “gendering”? 

In various languages, the debate around gender neutral language and the use of the generic masculine differs in intensity, depending on how gender distinctive the language is structured.
In English, for instance, the discussion is present although it may manifest in different ways than in languages with more gendered grammar, such as German or Spanish. That is because English has fewer gender specific nouns and pronouns – for example, "colleagues" and "customers" are already gender neutral. However, there are still a few cases in English where the language can become more inclusive by consciously avoiding, replacing, or paraphrasing certain expressions. 

In Spanish, just as in German, there are traditionally two grammatical genders: For “employee”, for example, there is a masculine (el empleado) and a feminine (la empleada) form. The effort to use gender neutral language in Spanish has also recently given rise to entirely new linguistic forms. Among the most common are forms such as “l@s emplead@s“, “lxs empleadxs“ and “les empleades“. However, for Krones' communication, the decision was made to avoid such forms for better readability and to prevent the use of special characters. Instead, we utilize other options to make language more inclusive and gender neutral. 

All these examples show, even though it may not always seem intuitive at first, there are various ways to make language more inclusive. There are small changes that can be easily integrated into everyday life – not only by the Corporate Communications department – but also the other employees. And this is precisely what we encourage at Krones.

Where do we currently stand on this? 

The topic of “gendering” is discussed at Krones just as heatedly as it is in society, and we receive both positive and negative feedback. However, a growing interest and a predominance of positive voices become apparent in everyday work: For example, through specific inquiries from colleagues who actively want to further educate themselves and improve in the area of fair language. Various employees repeatedly approach the Corporate Communications department with questions or suggestions on how something could be phrased more gender neutrally. A current example is the addressing of listeners or readers in telephone announcements at the service line or in out-of-office notices in e-mails or on Teams.
These independent inquiries from the workforce show us that more and more people are indeed developing an awareness of fair language and the issues behind it and are actively seeking solutions. For us, this reaffirms that both acceptance of the topic and support for measures towards a more inclusive corporate language at Krones are already quite high.

Fair language, what now? 

Negative voices often point out that linguistic adjustments such as conscious gendering alone do not make a real difference or bring about an improvement in gender equality. At Krones, we therefore pursue this goal with a comprehensive approach that includes multiple instances and measures. A central body is the “Diversity Board”, which Krones established at the end of 2021 to promote and ultimately live diversity. There are, for example, various initiatives aimed at improving the equality of women in the workplace and raising awareness of issues such as the compatibility of family and career.