DEI Champions

Companies represented by members of the DEI Champions Club implement many best practices addressing issues related to recruitment and career path development. They have introduced solutions that engage employees on maternity and paternity leave, as well as pregnant women, in promotion planning processes.

Deloitte, as part of its recruitment process, employs an “equal opportunity” approach for both men and women. It also ensures diverse teams of evaluators during panels for partner positions in the firm.

Within the internal women’s network, Women@Deloitte, training sessions on building confidence have been held, with 250 participants taking part. As part of the development programs aimed at all employees, the company also monitors the gender proportions of participants.

Deloitte has implemented a program called “Minimum Standard for Maternity and Parental Leave,” based on four pillars.

The first pillar: meaningful conversations. Its goal is to ensure a friendly atmosphere for communicating to the employer that an employee is pregnant.

The second pillar: evaluation and promotion, which ensures that expectant mothers are not overlooked for promotions. During maternity leave, the company provides full contact and access to ongoing training if the employee wishes to participate.

The third pillar: connectivity. It guarantees that when a woman returns to work, she will be informed about important developments in the company and industry relevant to her specialization.

The fourth pillar: recurring portfolio. It ensures that upon returning to work, mothers can continue their previous or new projects. The company also runs a parental mentoring program for parents planning, taking, or returning from parental leave.

Philip Morris places great importance on diversity from the recruitment stage, aiming for a 50/50 gender ratio in hiring. By 2017, the organization had achieved a 48/52 ratio. External recruitment agencies must ensure both male and female candidates are considered for each project, with at least one woman on the shortlist. Another important practice is offering the minimum salary for a position even if the candidate’s expectations are lower.

BNP Paribas targets its recruitment efforts towards mothers returning to the job market. The bank has organized open days at contact centers in Warsaw and Ruda Śląska to familiarize them with the job specifics and how to balance work with childcare. BNP Paribas has conducted webinars on “Workplace Culture” for its managers and employees, presenting ways to prevent workplace misconduct, such as discrimination or mobbing. The bank also launched the “#WOMEN changing BNP Paribas” project to strengthen the role of women in the organization.

Each company represented by DEI Champions members has clear salary-setting principles from the recruitment stage, focusing on qualifications and experience.

The primary method for closing the pay gap is auditing and annual salary adjustments. A common tool is multi-level verification of job offers during hiring, which helps prevent pay gaps. For pregnant women or those on maternity leave, companies offer the same raises or bonuses as other employees. This ensures that women return to work on the same financial level as their colleagues.

At the end of 2018, Philip Morris Polska was awarded the prestigious Equal Pay Certificate, confirming that the company compensates women and men equally, recognizing their contributions to business operations and company growth regardless of gender. The Equal Pay Certification is granted by the Equal Salary Foundation, an independent non-profit organization based in Switzerland. The certification process follows the guidelines of the United Nations (Global Compact project) and is recognized by the European Commission. It includes a statistical analysis of pay data and a detailed audit conducted by PwC, assessing the company’s commitment to equal pay for women and men, integrating equal pay principles into HR processes and policies, and employee perception of HR practices.

For several years, Citi Handlowy has reviewed employee salaries according to the principle “Pay has no gender. We pay for competence.”
BNP Paribas annually allocates a fund to close the pay gap as part of its pay raise program.

The Impact of Equal Pay on Employees and the Organization

• Enables equal employee development.
• Builds a sense of fair treatment.
• Provides job satisfaction and fulfillment.
• Increases the company’s attractiveness to employees and competitiveness in its market.
• Motivates women to engage in professional activities.

Discussion forums, including business conferences and panels, serve as platforms for the exchange of experiences and various perspectives. A lack of diversity limits the quality of the conversation. Unfortunately, we still observe low representation of women experts in public spaces, the media, as well as in the role of speakers at strategic economic conferences. Women often find it challenging to enter the predominantly male circle of specialists because they are less frequently invited to speak in fields stereotypically perceived as male-dominated, such as politics, economics, the stock market, the market, or the automotive industry. Increasing the representation of women in public discussions will enhance its substantive quality, contribute to the diversity of the discussion, and encourage other women to participate in important business discussions.

Przemek Gdański, President of BNP Paribas Bank Polska, has successfully persuaded banking congress organizers twice to invite female experts to these events.

Mastercard in Poland has also successfully intervened twice to ensure women were invited to discussion panels.
Deloitte has introduced a policy in the opposite direction as well – during the SheXO Club panel, men are invited to join the female group of specialists to maintain diverse perspectives and discussions.

An important practice is also conducting training on self-presentation and personal branding, such as the “Women Leadership Network” led by Mastercard.

In addition to workshops, companies encourage their female specialists to participate in business conferences.

Another significant element supporting women at Citi Handlowy is the employee initiative CitiWomen. This grassroots movement aims to identify women interested in pursuing a career and understand their needs to support them throughout the year with training, educational activities, inspirational meetings, external mentoring programs, etc. Importantly, CitiWomen’s activities are also supported by board members.

Actions undertaken by members of the DEI Champions Club leading to positive changes and easily implementable by other:

• Promoting women experts in the business world, emphasizing that qualifications and experience are paramount in every discussion.
• Maintaining diversity in business discussions.
• Strengthening self-confidence and enhancing self-presentation skills among women working in environments perceived as typically male.

Recognizing the potential of this tool, members of the DEI Champions Club decided to showcase how to utilize the Living Library as a means to combat unconscious biases and discrimination in Polish companies.

The Living Library is an interactive event where people serve as “books” and are available for conversations and discussions with other participants – the “readers.” In the Living Library, “readers” have the opportunity to choose a “book” from a variety of topics and experiences represented by people. The “books” are usually individuals who have unique perspectives, such as people with disabilities, immigrants, members of ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, or neurodivergent people. “Readers” can directly interact with the “books,” ask questions, and learn about their experiences and perspectives. Meeting with a person acting as a “book” initiates dialogue between different people and fosters understanding of diversity, while reducing fear of the unknown.

The Goals of the Living Library Include:

• Breaking down barriers and creating a space for mutual understanding,
• Promoting openness, empathy, acceptance, and tolerance towards others,
• Advocating for human rights and reducing exclusion,
• Exchanging knowledge and experiences of groups vulnerable to discrimination or harmed by stereotypes and biases.
  
  

Why Is This Important?

• In Poland, less than 30% of people with disabilities are employed. In other EU countries, 48% are active in the workforce. Similarly, the employment rate for neurodivergent individuals in Poland does not exceed 1%.
• Over 25% of respondents believe that employees prefer to have a man as a supervisor on the board, and 42% of men surveyed believe that women cannot balance board roles with domestic duties.
• Companies with more diverse workforces have revenues that are 19% higher than their competitors with homogenous groups.
  • Decision-making by diverse teams saves 87% of time compared to individual decision-making.
  • 85% of CEOs agree that introducing a diverse work environment has improved financial performance.
  • Diverse companies are 70% more likely to succeed in new markets.