Global business transformation company Valtech has compiled a brand-new report detailing the development of their diversity and inclusion standards in recent years. The release of this document offers a refreshingly transparent and comprehensive insight into inclusivity and the value Valtech places on diverse employee experiences.
“We want to grow a company in which all our employees can succeed and thrive – that is our number one priority,” explained Olivier Padiou, CEO of Valtech, in the report’s forward. “We will stay accountable and hope to inspire other companies to also push for a fairer, more inclusive industry.”
Valtech’s Five Pillars of Diversity and Inclusion are an integral part of their strategy, demonstrating the framework they use to strive for long-term change. These pillars are ‘Inclusivity’, ‘Hiring’, ‘Community’, ‘Accountability’ and ‘Education’, all of which are equally prioritized when considering diversity and inclusion. Sheree Atcheson, Group Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at Valtech, referenced the influence of the pillars on the company: “We have made significant progress and impact through our 5-Pillar Strategy – moving forward, we will continue to push ourselves, ensuring equity is at the core of all we do, enabling us to tap into the phenomenal diversity within all 60+ Valtech offices.”
The effectiveness of this strategy is also reflected in the primary statistics of the report, which reveal positive employee satisfaction results. A score of 8.5/10 in their employee engagement platform for diversity and inclusion puts Valtech in the top 25% for professional service industries. This also marks a 0.2 increase from the previous Peakon Data score, taken at the very start of 2022, suggesting progression and a positive change for the company. Other statistics indicate that 40% of global hires in 2022 were women, also scoring highly in data related to belonging and inclusiveness.
As one of the pillars, knowledge and education are highly valued in Valtech’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. According to the report, 95% of their global leaders received training from an inclusive interviewing course, which sought to disrupt any bias in the hiring process. It is clear that the merits of allyship are essential too, with Valtech introducing a module focused on exploring how to be a good ally in the workplace and beyond.
Their sense of community is well documented, with panels on International Women’s Day and International Day of People with Disabilities taking place and council meetings specifically devoted to diversity and inclusion. The role of LGBTQ+ representation and inclusivity are prominent too, particularly regarding Valtech’s partnership with myGwork, the LGBTQ+ business community. Harriet Lunney, Senior Customer Success Manager at myGwork, spoke highly of the inclusive culture at the company.
“We are proud to be partners of Valtech, a company that clearly prioritizes inclusion and recognizes the positive impact of a diverse workplace,” she said. “The impressive data they have released and their promise to keep inclusivity at the forefront of their company is exactly the attitude we need to see more of in modern work environments.”
Perhaps the most impressive section of the report comes in the form of Valtech’s staff and protégé feedback statistics. 84% now felt more comfortable discussing their career aspirations, and a score of 4/5 for satisfaction was earned, compared to 3.2/5 compared to the start of the programme. Georgina Partington [above], one of the company’s protégés, provided a personal touch to the report, offering a glimpse into the direct impact of Valtech’s progressive culture. She discussed her involvement in 300 Seconds, an organization dedicated to providing underrepresented people with a platform and a voice.
“The 300 Seconds workshops helped me develop applicable skills, and boosted my confidence,” she wrote. “It made me feel much more able to apply for opportunities that were made available to me, including some that I wouldn’t have even known existed were it not for this programme.”
Georgina recently took part in an interview with myGwork, going into more detail about her experience working for Valtech and her aspirations moving forward.
Full case studies are also incorporated into the report to give context and evidence of the progress made by the business. Featuring stories from employees at Programa de Estagio (the internship programme in Brazil), statistics from Valtech India, and collaborative research through Tech_Girl, which aims to empower women in the technology industry, it is evident that Valtech are making a concerted effort to strive for diversity and inclusion across all sectors. Fabiano Fernandes, a member of Programa de Estagio, spoke about the profound impact the company can have on people who face discrimination in Brazil.
“We created a number of different internship programmes with the goal of offering opportunities to people who wouldn’t be the obvious choice: people who are discriminated against in Brazil for being different than the status quo,” he wrote. “Our selection process focused on our values and how close the candidates are to them, as opposed to what direct experience they had.”
Neurodiversity has also been largely considered as part of the diversity and inclusion strategy, after staff members raised concerns that openly sharing their disability would impact how they are treated at work by fellow employees and managers. The company then sought to educate employees on various forms of neurodiversity, including ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, and remove related stereotypes with any negative connotations.
The future goals of Valtech’s Diversity and Inclusion strategy are made clear in the closing pages of the report. Though statistics suggest that the company is progressing in these areas, they maintain that there is still work to be done: “This is just the start of our journey.” Increasing the percentage of women hired in the programme is a highlighted objective, as well as continuing to prioritise unrepresented talent in the hiring process. Group Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Sheree Atcheson was proud of the active steps taken by Valtech to seek self-improvement and accountability.
“At Valtech, we’re excited to share this report as an important milestone in our diversity and inclusion strategy,” she said. “We have made sustained and continued progress since launching our strategy in Oct 2021. Now, we’re on a continuous journey to keep this momentum, committing to always doing more, embracing our values along the way. Through sharing this report, we’re showing accountability for this work, and hopefully, helping others in the industry along on their diversity and inclusion journeys. We all succeed better when we work together.”
Valtech is a proud partner of myGwork, the LGBTQ+ business community. Find out more about jobs at Valtech.