At PwC, we respect and value differences. We understand that when people from different backgrounds with different points of view work together, we create the most value - for our people, clients and society. We strive to offer an inclusive culture that embraces diversity, where everyone feels involved and valued - not in spite of but thanks to their differences, and where they can be their authentic self. Our inclusion and diversity (I&D) efforts start from the top with a TLT member working with different representatives throughout the firm at different levels, including our I&D Manager, I&D Captains and I&D Ambassadors, who together form our employee resource groups (ERGs).
At PwC Belgium, we’ve a group of more than 160 people who represent all levels, gender, ages and business areas. These are our I&D Ambassadors who act as a link between the core team and the rest of the firm, enabling us to grasp the needs and challenges from the bottom up and to cascade down our I&D vision. The Ambassador Community comes together on a regular basis in ERGs to discuss ideas and challenges around different key focus areas, including inclusive and diverse recruitment, nationalities, ethnicities and race, religion and culture, (dis)ability, LGBTQIA+, languages, different career tracks, wellbeing and mental health and inclusive leadership.
Building gender balance has always been critically important for PwC. For years, we’ve had an extensive diversity programme in place, including training and coaching trajectories, network support and balanced recruitment. We also strive for equal hiring and proportional promotion for female colleagues. We’ve set ourselves an objective to achieve a better gender parity by increasing the number of female Partners at PwC Belgium to 30% by 2030. Progress is monitored quarterly and measures taken when necessary.
There are 49 nationalities represented within our firm, which makes a notable contribution to be able to look at ideas and challenges with a wide variety of viewpoints. To enable us to undertake a thorough analysis of I&D relevant topics and trends, all PwC employees have been asked - on a non-mandatory basis - to inform us of their race/ethnicity via Workday. Applicants are also given the opportunity to do the same during the recruitment process. A robust Race & Ethnicity privacy notice is in place so that people fully understand how the information is being used. Providing this information helps us to continuously improve our I&D programme and support everyone in our firm.
PwC partners with MolenGeek, a tech ecosystem that seeks to make the technology sector accessible to everyone, in a win-win partnership to the benefit of both. Decreasing the digital divide is one of the major themes of PwC’s approach to corporate responsibility.