Inclusion and bias awareness training
Open Mind is our diversity and bias awareness training. It was first launched some years ago and is mandatory for all our partners and staff to take on a biennial basis. The training is designed to make our people think about the impact of unconscious bias on their relationships, and consider situations where they can take action to be more open-minded to difference. The intention is to demonstrate that we all have a responsibility to actively challenge the assumptions we may have about others, how we can all display bias and be on the receiving end of it.
This is especially important for our interviewers and assessors – we make sure all involved in the recruitment processes have completed the training and deliver regular refreshers to ensure our processes are fair and unbiased. The Taking action to be more open minded Open Mind campaign has recently launched with a new film which focuses on having a curious, open minded and meaningful conversation - techniques that are critical to being inclusive and appreciative of difference.
Internal people networks
Networking contributes to personal and professional fulfilment, and success in the work place. We have 13 internal people networks that are open for any member of staff to join. They’re there to provide our people with a sense of community, inspiring and supporting each other. Many of our networks hold events and activities, for example this summer our Disability Network held an event with Ruby Wax to discuss mental wellbeing. As a result of the event, PwC has signed up to the ‘Time to Change’ campaign. Read more. We also supported the Invictus games through our Disability network and hosted a Disability in the city event which supported disabled students aspiring to work in the city.
- Multicultural Business Network
- PwC Gender Balance
- The Female Partner and Director Network
- GLEE @ PwC - The Business Network for Gays, Lesbians & Everyone Else
- The Disability Network
- The Parents Network
- The Carers Network
- PwC Hindu Network
- The Jewish Network
- PwC Muslims
- PwC Sikh Network
- PwC Christians
- The Military Network
Importance of diversity in the workplace
How do we drive the importance of diversity in the workplace?
We have a Diversity Council which sets our diversity strategy and is made up of senior partners and directors from across our business. Social mobility is very important to us and to help us recruit diversely, we monitor and review the social mobility of people who apply to us. This tells us if we’re attracting people from different backgrounds and means we can adapt our recruiting strategies as needed. We have an inclusive recruitment policy which means we welcome applications from all.
We have a number of programmes too.
Breakthrough - a women’s leadership programme to support our high potential female senior managers and directors to progress to partner. One participant said that as a result of attending this programme she has “more confidence in wider business discussions with clients”. Sponsorship and mentoring schemes for high potential women and ethnic minorities. Each high potential candidate on the programme will have a partner sponsor who becomes accountable for steering their development and progression. Maternity transition coaching to help women as they transition back into the workplace from maternity or adoption leave.
Flexible working arrangements
It’s important to us to provide a culture where people have some control over how, where and when they work.
We believe it can have a positive impact on people’s resilience, engagement and performance in the work they do. Flexibility is not a one size fits all concept. We encourage our people to define it for themselves by creating an environment that aims to accommodate our people’s priorities inside, and outside of work. Enhancing informal flexibility is not necessarily about working less - it's about working differently. Our flexible working policy is open to all our people, and all grades. We support requests to vary working hours, or working days. After a three month trial period we will then formalise flexible working into employment contracts. Applications are agreed if the arrangements requested are compatible with the needs of the business. Once agreed the flexible working arrangement is then reviewed regularly to make sure it continues to meet both your needs and those of the business.
Types of flexible working
If you want to discuss flexible working as part of your application to PwC, please speak to your recruitment contact.
- Reduced days: working a reduced number of days per week
- Reduced hours: working a reduced number of hours per day
- Flexible working day: e.g. starting earlier
- Annual days: working a set number of days per year
- Job sharing: splitting a full-time role with another person
- Home based working: changing your normal place of work to your home for some or all of the time
- Shared parental leave: From April 2015 PwC will offer enhanced shared parental leave and pay arrangements to qualifying employees. Shared parental leave will provide an opportunity to both parents to share the caring responsibilities for their child. Subject to a new mother taking two weeks’ compulsory recovery time following a birth, the remaining 50 weeks of leave, and 37 weeks of statutory pay, may be split between the mother and her partner
External diversity networks we work with
To drive progress, we work with a number of organisations to help influence change, inform our business strategy, and recruit from the wide variety of backgrounds.
Business in the Community’s Race for Opportunity campaign – we work with Race for Opportunity to improve opportunities for our ethnic minorities
Stonewall – we partner with Stonewall, the Gay, lesbian and bisexual rights charity to encourage a more inclusive workplace so our people feel they can be themselves
Women on Boards – a social enterprise seeking to support more women by enhancing their leadership skills, through gaining experience on the management boards of charities, voluntary or public sector organisations
Social mobility - One of our senior partners, Paul Cleal, sits on the Government’s working group on social mobility and child poverty and is instrumental in affecting change within our organisation
Business Disability Forum
Working Families
Employers for Carers
Timewise
Additionally, we partner with a number of organisations to support inclusion. These include:
