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Diversity, equity and inclusion key to retaining talent, FleishmanHillard finds after first phase of implementation

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

Nongluck Ajanapanya

FleishmanHillard, the world’s fourth-largest communications agency, has revealed the secret sauce to retaining their talented people worldwide — through a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I).

Leela Stake, a senior partner and cabinet member at FleishmanHillard, told The Nation in an exclusive interview that the company had launched the DE&I practice two years ago, just before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Initially intended to promote inclusion and diversity within the organisation, the outcome has been greatly accomplished with the byproduct of low employee resignation and turnover rates, said Stake.

She noted that the DE&I term became a buzzword during the pandemic, when people faced numerous challenges and difficulties.

“The workforce has been raising questions such as, ‘Have I been doing valuable work at my work or am I valuable at work?’. If they feel they are not being valued at work, they will definitely leave. If we can make people feel valued at the workplace, they will stay in that workplace,” Stake stated.

She insisted that losing employees is costly and that finding replacements takes a long time. Therefore, FleishmanHillard, which is in an industry with high turnover rates, must be mindful of retaining employees by demonstrating that the company values them and their opinions.

WORKEST by Zenefits examined data from the US Bureau of Labour Statistics on employee turnover rates at the national level. Backfilling roles, according to analysts, cost employers roughly 20 per cent of the position’s salary in hiring, recruiting, and onboarding costs. On average, the hiring process takes at least 36 days.

According to Stake, the concept of DE&I is literally its definition. Diversity is valuing people’s various backgrounds; Equity is understanding that not everyone had the same opportunity and giving one to the needy, and Inclusion means encouraging participation and making people feel like they belong.

It is, however, easier said than done. As a result, FleishmanHillard developed a concrete practice for their employees worldwide to follow, along with a process for measuring progress.

“We formalised our DE&I plan in 2020 as a two-year plan with targets in different areas. Once a year we record the progress. The progress on DE&I can be slow and requires constant learning. You have to listen to what people are feeling within the organisation. We have a comprehensive survey to ask about DE&I, their feelings and needs. If you are not asking the employees their needs, you can’t measure what you want to achieve,” said Stake.

She added that their first phase of DE&I is now complete so they are looking forward to the next phase.

She mentioned that the next phase is to foster relationships, from which they will learn more about their research findings. It will take time and effort to develop a proactive programme.

“One example is our recent programme called ‘Strengths Finder’, in which we discover each other’s strengths and combine them to form a whole workplace. We will provide additional training to our managers all over the world. DE&I is not just the responsibility of a few people but of everyone,” Stake noted.
 

Aside from the benefits within FleishmanHillard, Stake highlighted the use of DE&I knowledge to benefit its clients by allowing them to have an authentic, local, and relevant voice.

“Creating a statement without understanding the local market is a common mistake made by businesses. At FleishmanHillard, we bring local expertise of those who actually live in the market,” said Stake. “We are looking forward to our DE&I survey results. By having people tell their own personal story and the challenges, we can learn more about their views and needs.”

Stake said that DE&I should be ingrained in how everyone does everything. Every piece of content and every creative campaign should be created with inclusivity in mind. Although it is not yet available everywhere, FleishmanHillard is making strides.

Nongluck Ajanapanya