Importance of Workforce Diversity - D&I Touches All Parts of the Business

Article written by Tanya Axenson, Global Head of Human Resources, Allegis Group 

Bring people together. Treat differences as strengths. Turn the unique contribution of every team member into an asset that contributes to the success of all of our employees, our clients, and the thousands of people we put to work every day. A diverse workforce and inclusive employee culture bring these principles to life, and it is the reason we embrace D&I as a core business priority.

As the global leader in talent solutions, Allegis Group knows the importance of D&I to our company and our people — and like most forward-thinking organizations, we have advanced our D&I vision significantly over the last decade. In the process, we have seen how a sustained commitment can influence every aspect of our business.

Workforce Diversity

A diverse workforce is reflective of the communities in which we operate, and our organization consistently focuses on expanding diverse hiring in all our markets.

Hiring among key diverse groups, including gender and ethnic or racial diversity, is trending up as a percentage of our total hires each year. Within our network of companies, our programs are consistently achieving diversity hiring goals. In some cases, we have surpassed those goals by a significant amount, including one program that has exceeded veteran hiring goals by more than 40 percent. Close to half of new hires are female, and our companies have been effective at meeting goals for hiring people from historically underrepresented minorities.

When it comes to building diversity in the workforce, we are proud of our commitment and progress but are never content with the status quo. Building a diverse workforce is a continuous journey of improvement that is essential to our business.

Workplace Success

The impact of our D&I commitment touches the workplace in which our people create value, find acceptance, and advance their careers. From employee councils that inform business strategy to resource groups that bring diverse employees together and make their voices heard, Allegis Group is leveraging some critical best practices in D&I to help bring our people together.

Our employee engagement surveys reflect the inclusiveness of our culture, with survey scores consistently rating five to 10 percent higher than high-performing industry rates for engagement among diverse employees. We’ve also seen inclusion programs boost performance in our companies, with one program reporting a rise in high-performing female sales staff by 300 percent and people from different backgrounds or ethnicities by 200 percent. These are positive results that speak to the link between an inclusive culture and improved performance for all employees.

Marketplace Influence

As a provider of staffing and talent solutions, we have a unique opportunity to influence diversity in the marketplace. After all, every one of our recruiters is in a position to advance the careers and lives of diverse workers with the skills our clients need. Presenting hiring managers with a diverse slate of candidates is essential to the work we do and to our ability to meet client needs. As an example, we recently helped a company achieve a fivefold boost in female hires for key roles due to our strategic talent support. When our clients do a better job of hiring diverse talent, they do a better job of accessing a larger portion of the workforce. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Our influence on the marketplace also includes the communities in which we do business. Our companies provide support to a variety of venues, such as the Black Engineer of the Year Award, a great example of a sponsorship by a professional organization dedicated to advancing diverse workers. Likewise, support from our companies also includes exclusive staffing partnerships with three large STEM events that reach more than 10,000 participants, including our largest customers and their executive teams.

These examples of outreach reflect a D&I organizational approach that balances enterprise-wide consistency with local flexibility. Through our network of D&I councils, ambassadors from defined markets align with senior executive leaders for each region or area of the business. This approach enables each market to create situation-specific solutions to support their internal and external talent needs. As an outcome of this approach, our council members partner with more than 100 diversity organizations and associations and have engaged with over 2,000 of our customers at the local level.

A Broader Approach to Inclusion

Beyond our continued focus on diversity in the workplace, workforce, and marketplace, we also look to broadening our approach to inclusion. Organizations must make sure that they value a diversity of perspectives, thoughts, and opinions — and that people of different backgrounds are fully included in the progress of the organization. A variety of perspectives makes great teams even greater, and it will be increasingly important as the speed of innovation accelerates.

Great companies never give up on change or accept the status quo for any practice, and D&I is no exception. That’s why we continue to evolve in a world that is more diverse, more inclusive, and more focused on the success of our people than ever before. Our clients and employees expect nothing less.

A Statement on Diversity

There is no single formula for structuring a position on diversity and inclusion, but one example is a framework that encompasses internal and external constituents in three general areas: workforce, workplace, and marketplace. The Allegis Group position applies this approach, organizing D&I principles that are relevant for today’s global companies.

Because Allegis Group values differences and believes they make us a stronger organization, diversity and inclusion are embedded within every aspect of our culture and business strategy. We are committed to attracting and retaining qualified talent from diverse backgrounds and creating a work environment that values every individual for his or her distinctive skills, experiences, and perspectives.

The Core Pillars of our Program

• Our Workforce: We seek qualified talent from diverse backgrounds at every level of our organization.
• Our Workplace: We foster an inclusive work environment that provides everyone the opportunity to thrive.
• Our Marketplace: We actively build partnerships with minority-and women-owned businesses and organizations.