IU Group N.V. has published two guides on inclusive language and ethical content development — one in English, one in German. The guides are available on https://sustainability.iu-group.com and have been shared internally across all affiliated institutions and companies.
Titled Respecting Each Other / Respekt im Miteinander, the guides cover seven areas: gender-neutral wording, cultural sensitivity, age and health, socio-economic context, everyday communication situations, accessibility of materials, and responsible use of AI-generated content. Each section offers concrete, side-by-side examples of phrasing to avoid and alternatives to use instead.
The publication extends existing guidance already in place at IU Internationale Hochschule GmbH, whose gender-inclusive language guidelines have been a reference for the institution since 2023. The new guides adopt the same approach and apply it Group-wide, across all languages and channels.
The guides are framed as recommendations rather than binding rules. Language is context-dependent, and the guides are intended as a practical reference — something to consult when in doubt rather than a compliance checklist to work through.
Alex Čaičics, Head of Sustainability at IU Group, commented:
"Good communication is about respect and empathy to each other. We hope these guides give our colleagues across IU Group a shared reference point and a way of thinking about how we communicate with each other and with the world around us."
We are happy to make both guides freely available to share our experience with others and to welcome feedback:
