It is essential for a company operating in 2018 to be inclusive and diverse. A company who is going to be successful in selling their brand need to reflect and represent the market in which they operate in. By creating a more diverse workplace a company is able to connect with and represent their customers more effectively.
For an organisation to reach these goals a change is needed. Accenture, the global management consulting company, have made a corporate commitment to create a more diverse workplace that delivers better outcomes.
By 2025 they’d like to achieve a 50/50 gender-equal workplace. A target which they want to reach even sooner is to be recognised as the most diverse company in the world by 2020.
Adrian Love, Recruitment Director (UK&I) at Accenture, prides himself on being a mental health and pride ally, and he’s not alone amongst his fellow colleagues in assuming the position.
Adrian highlights that being an ally to such groups has an empowering element. Not only is there a sense of fulfilment but you can share and learn so much. His advice, make sure you network with these groups, both within your own company and beyond! Would you like to receive exclusive invitations to hear from speakers like Adrian? Sign up here.
So, what were their catalysts for change? Statistics such as only 17% of the UK’s tech workforce being women being one of many reasons. Accenture started the #InclusionstartswithI campaign because they wanted a campaign that raised awareness and challenged some of the paradigms around inclusion and diversity.
#InclusionstartswithI opened up conversations relating to diversity within the organisation which resulted in every individual within the company creating a pledge relating to inclusion.
Diversity and Inclusion is now at the heart of everything Accenture do. It’s a key objective that flows through their delivery and engagement with both candidates and stakeholders, and sitting under innovation allows them the flex to do and deliver more.
There are also behavioural expectations set in place in how they expect their recruiters to act, supported by functional training to answer the question – how can we be better at our direct sourcing?
The role of the talent acquisition function is to optimise attraction – however, the conversion ultimately sits with the hiring managers, as they’re the ones that have the final say. For Adrian, to drive positive results, it’s important to alter some of those behaviours commonly seen with hiring managers, given the market context that they operate in.
To help succeed with their inclusion and diversity goals, they’ve also created a business recruitment charter, which sets the expectations for their people and hiring managers.
For Accenture, inclusion and diversity represents not only who they are as a brand but also what they’re about as a business.
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Adrian Love – Recruitment Director @ Accenture