Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) at KPMG Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) at KPMG
At KPMG our ambitions are simple: we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential, whoever they are or whatever their background. This vision is driven through our strategy, guided by our values and brought to life by our colleagues’ everyday lived experiences at KPMG, where we see first-hand the real differences having a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce makes to our business, people, clients, communities and planet.
Ultimately, this ambition drives us at KPMG. Not only is it the right thing to do, but focusing on IDE makes the most sense – for example, bringing together numerous perspectives avoids group think, can foster innovation and helps to attract the best talent.
Why focus on social mobility?
The link between socio-economic background and adult outcomes is stronger in the UK than in any developed country; and this has consequences for everyone. Those from a higher /professional socio-economic background are still almost 80% more likely to be in a professional job than their working-class peers.
That’s why, at KPMG we have put a real focus on social mobility and are pleased to have been ranked in the top three of the Social Mobility Employer Index since it started in 2017. Now we’re challenging ourselves to go even further. It’s why we were one of the first businesses to publish our socio-economic background pay gap in 2021, building on our heritage of advocating for greater social mobility (we were one of the first businesses to pay the real Living Wage to our employees and contracted staff back in 2006).
Alongside publishing our socio-economic background pay gap, we have set a target of 29% of our UK Partners and Directors to come from a lower socio-economic background by 2030 as part of our new inclusion, diversity and equity vision and action plan: “Our KPMG: A Fairer Future for all”. We have set out our Social Mobility Action Plan and launched a UK Social Mobility Network, UPbringing, chaired by Trudie Roiz de Sa and David McIntosh, that aims to empower our colleagues, firm and communities in championing social mobility from the inside out.
What it means to us: two of our Social Mobility Network Committee members give their insight
Leticia Oladele, Assistant Manager, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity
It is so important for people from a lower socio-economic background to share their stories and bring their whole selves to work. We’ve seen that by ‘sharing our stories’, we have provided people with a sense of permission to have open conversations on the barriers they may face.
This allows individuals to not only be who they are in the workplace, it provides a community of role models who can support each other and inspire colleagues from a lower socio-economic background in their search for a career where they too can feel like they belong.
For me, focusing on social mobility allows us to create a fairer future for all.
Trudie Roiz de Sa, Associate Director, People Consulting
For me, social mobility is about giving everyone the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background. This all starts with having awareness of opportunities – if you don’t know what an accountant, lawyer or advertiser does on a day-to-day basis, or how to get there, how can you aspire to be one? That’s why giving individuals from all backgrounds a platform to share their stories is so important, as people see role models and build up an understanding of what a job looks and feels like. Sharing stories also helps minimise and remove potential barriers faced by individuals from a lower socio-economic background.
I’m passionate about creating an equal society – and raising awareness of how to access opportunities, for individuals from different backgrounds and beliefs, is a personal aim of mine.
How we’re helping our clients
We work across the IDE spectrum and have several ways we can help you to generate meaningful change, regardless of where you are on your IDE journey. For example, we can work with you to help define specific targets for under-represented groups, or gather the data required to report on those. We can also focus on particular IDE programmes, aligned with your strategy, such as setting up employee networks. We’re excited to launch our new IDE approach, offering an all-encompassing, experimental IDE programme to help you truly shift the dial to cultivate the inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace culture you want, through transforming your culture, operations, processes, and policies in a positive way. So why not download our brochure today to learn more about how we can help?
