8 consulting companies listed as the best employers for women
Eight professional
services companies have been listed in The Times and Business in the
Community's annual list of the Top 50 Employers for Women in the UK. The
consultants received praise for their efforts to eliminate the factors that
support gender imbalance, including flexible scheduling, family-friendly
policies, salary, incentives, and advancement.
Since 2006, organizations
that support female emancipation and gender equality in the workplace have been
honored on the Times Top 50 Employers for Women list. The rating, a project of
Prince Charles' Responsible Business Network, Business in the Community (BITC),
is now the UK's most reputable list of firms pursuing gender equality at work.
UK businesses and public
sector organizations are judged on a variety of factors, including their
commitment to gender equality as part of their business and human capital
strategy, in order to be included on the annual list.
While for the 2022 list,
BITC included an additional assessment to include the lived experience of women
employees and asked which areas they feel need to be improved, this was
expanded to include how companies championed gender equality in the context of
the pandemic.
The BITC's Gender
Equality Campaign Director, Katy Neep, stated that this year's application
procedure was the most difficult to get into. When it comes to assisting women
in the workplace, employers like these haven't let up, and they serve as a
powerful illustration of what dedication to ending gender inequity looks like.
On the basis of this, the
consulting firms included in this year's list have all shown a commitment to
gender equality in the workplace that is unmatched in the sector. The top
consulting firms for women in the UK are included in the table below, not in
any particular order.
·
Accenture
Global consultancy
Accenture, which is listed as having its headquarters in Dublin, has a UK&I
business board that is made up of 40% female members, and the organization aims
to achieve 50% gender equity at all levels by 2030. By 2025, the company wants
to have a gender-balanced staff, and over 60% of new employees are women right
now
·
Atos IT and outsourcing consultant
Atos claims on its
website that it has a "strong commitment to gender equality" that is
"continually examined" and employs more than 110,000 employees in 73
countries. The company's most recent commitments include support and promotion
for the Atos ethnic diversity action pledge, which supports BAME female
presence at senior levels by taking an intersectional approach.
·
Bain & Co.
The only member of the
infamous MBB axis to pass muster is global strategy giant Bain & Company.
According to Bain, combating gender inequality is a "imperative" for
its business. The company also regularly re-evaluates in order to take the
necessary actions to maintain its position as a leader in gender equality.
The UK Managing Partner
of Bain & Company, James Hadley, commented on the announcement, saying,
"We are thrilled to be recognized for the second year in a row... We at
Bain are steadfastly dedicated to these initiatives to reshape both the
consulting business and our own company. We will keep making investments in our
most valuable resource, our employees. The important elements of it are our
recruitment programs, equal parental leave policy, flexibility alternatives,
and a general supportive atmosphere.
·
Capgemini
Capgemini UK has received
recognition for its efforts in the areas of inclusiveness and gender equality
for the sixth consecutive year. The IT and outsourcing business is currently
investing in outside expertise with Women on Boards to help 160 women with
training to strengthen their board leadership abilities - to use both in and
outside of the workplace, and promote advancement at Capgemini.
"We continue to push
for progress at all levels of the organization - and while there is more to do,
this illustrates our sustained dedication and initiatives towards attaining
gender equality in our hybrid working world," said Paul Margetts, managing
director of Capgemini UK.
·
Deloitte
Another company that
frequently appears on the list is Deloitte, which has recently introduced new
policies to encourage inclusivity throughout the organization. These include
allowing employees to choose when and where they work as well as implementing
new policies to encourage gender allyship, such as the "Allyship
Toolkit" and the "Better Balance Framework."
"Recent Deloitte
Global study indicated that women in the UK experienced widespread burnout and
the absence of flexible working possibilities continues to impede working
women's career advancement," said Jackie Henry, Managing Partner for
People and Purpose at Deloitte. Business leaders should take on these
difficulties to support their staff, not only women, who face them.
·
Grant Thornton
The UK division of the
multinational professional services company Grant Thornton makes substantial
efforts to increase the presence of women at top levels by using data to guide
specific action on workplace inclusiveness. A fairer representation of women at the partner level was achieved in 2021, increasing from 19 percent in 2020 to 22
percent, thanks in part to an increased proportion of women being promoted to
partner and entering as external hires.
The foundation of our
current approach is breaking down barriers and enhancing the lived experiences
of our women, according to Fiona Baldwin, Board Sponsor for Gender at Grant
Thornton UK. A culture of agile working and flexibility, sponsorship, and
development are some examples of this. Making sure that female health is
supported, building strong networks, encouraging internal engagement, spreading
awareness, and advocating for the involvement of male allies in discussions
about change.
·
KPMG
The UK member firm of
KPMG, another member of the Big Four, has achieved gender parity on its board.
Colleagues at the organization try to set an example by being visible with
flexible work schedules or pressing recruiters for 50-50 shortlists, and they
concentrate on showing that we are serious about the hiring, promoting, and
retention of all women. Bina Mehta was appointed as the company's first female
chair in 2021.
·
PwC
One of the Big Four
competitors, PwC, is renowned for taking the lead in advancing workplace gender
equality. The company has a five-point diversity and inclusion plan in place,
which includes hiring advancement mentors for female directors with high
potential and prohibiting all-male recruitment shortlists. To help juggle
work and home obligations easier during the epidemic, a time code was made
available to all employees to charge time spent on care duties.