Inclusion at PwC

Working together and caring for others are core to our values and that's why our firm is home to fourteen inclusion networks. Whilst each network has specific objectives tailored to its membership, they all share the aim of providing a sense of community and belonging and supporting inclusion in the workplace.

No matter your background, our networks are open to all of our people, and we encourage all people to collaborate and connect with each other. 

• Our 5 faith networks - Christian network, Hindu network, Jewish network, Muslim network, Sikh network.

• Black Network - To celebrate unique aspects of Black Culture and positively impact PwC's inclusion journey by promoting the talents, skills, and views of our Black employees. 

• DAWN - Disability Awareness Network - DAWN is for everyone, whether you're affected personally, or support a colleague or relative.

• East & South-East Asian Network - Bringing together colleagues who are from East and South-East Asia, have family history or trace their ancestry to the region and also those who have an interest in the region and its culture. 

• Gender Balance - Our Gender Balance network brings people together in conversation on gender and equality; to share experience, learn, and create valuable change.

• Military Network - For those with past or present military service to use their experience and personal networks to benefit both our clients and the firm.

• Shine - Our inclusive business network for LGBTQ+ people, allies and supporters. 

• Social Mobility Network - a community of Social Mobility Champions who take an active role by participating in training, organising and speaking at events to increase the impact that the firms’ social mobility approach can have locally.

• South Asian Network - Bringing together those who trace their ancestry to South Asian countries e.g Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc), or anyone with an interest in learning more.

• SPACE - Supporting, Parents, Carers, & Everyone - Creating SPACE so that work sits comfortably alongside our other interests and responsibilities.

Putting Inclusion First is critical given the increasing diversity of our workforce. For example, 47% of the nearly 2,000 students who joined us during the course of our 2023 Financial Year are from an ethnic minority background, 44% are female and 14% come from a lower socio-economic background.

While measurable improvement in representation matters, it’s the day-to-day experiences of those who identify with these communities that matters most. Understanding their experiences, identifying and unlocking any barriers to recruitment, career development and progression continue to inform our Inclusion and Diversity five-point plan. 

The steps we’re taking as part of the plan include:

• We run leadership programmes to help our leaders at all levels create a culture where difference is embraced and equip them with the skills and knowledge to drive inclusion.

• Senior level accountability to deliver on our publicly disclosed targets for both gender and ethnicity.

• We’ve taken a number of steps to ensure fair access to the best work opportunities.

• We’re making sure our recruitment process, from student hires to experienced hires, is open and accessible to all.

• We’re investing to create more progression coaches to provide career sponsorship and advice to high potential female and ethnic minority directors.

ColourBrave is an integral part of our firmwide inclusion strategy and was launched in 2018 in response to feedback from our ethnic minority colleagues. It’s our campaign to encourage conversations about race and culture at PwC. Being ColourBrave is all about being respectfully curious about the experiences of others, and being bold and brave enough to step forward and have those conversations to support our awareness and understanding. Our network of ColourBrave advocates and champions play an important role in creating an inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued and respected. It is one of the actions we are taking to support racial equality at PwC.

We’ve also introduced virtual reality racial awareness training “In My Shoes”. It leverages the power of virtual reality and 3D desktop technology to help participants better understand and appreciate differences through an immersive experience. 

Other actions we are taking to support our Black and ethnic minority colleagues include: 

1. Established a Staff Diversity Council (supplementing  our existing Partner Diversity Council.

2. Launched new unconscious bias and racial awareness training.

3. Targeted wellbeing support.

4. Increasing our support for Black, Asian and ethnic minority led social enterprises.

5. Supporting charities through our ColourBrave Charity Committee.

Empowered Flexibility allows you to decide how you work without the need to change contractual terms. It reflects how we are working in the new world of work and recognises that we all have a unique set of skills, circumstances, and priorities. It’s built on two-way flexibility and the trust that each of us will work in a way that suits us as individuals, but that also meets the needs of our teams, the wider firm and our clients.

Our Inclusive Mindset Badge is open to all of our people - a comprehensive, self-paced learning pathway designed to equip our people with the knowledge and skills vital to supporting the development of an inclusive mindset. The learning programme creates a foundation for the behaviours and leadership skills critical to harnessing the power of diversity, and working and leading successfully across differences.

We’ve also rolled out interactive neurodiversity training to all of our people. The programme ‘Great Minds (don’t think alike)’ includes bite-sized resources, as well as stories and experiences from our people. It’s been designed to help build understanding of neurodiversity, and what it means to be neurodivergent, ensuring that our people feel they’re understood and valued for who they are.