For the past year, we’ve been laser focused on implementing the right changes and initiatives at Orbis, specifically within D&I. The recruitment industry isn’t known for championing D&I, which seems counterintuitive, as agencies often form the backbone for many hiring strategies across the globe.
We wanted to avoid absolving ourselves of the influence we have both internally for employees, and externally for our clients and candidates, so we had to take a long, hard look at what we were doing. To be completely honest, we had (and still have) a lot of work to do – and that’s OK!
There can often be a fear of the unknown when looking into D&I; how to start, what is right, what is wrong, being authentic without coming across as performative – these are all thoughts that have run through our heads. However, over the last year, we are confident that the initial changes we’ve made are worth sharing.
They aren’t perfect, and we are only just beginning to scratch the surface, but in sharing our experiences and changes as a business, we hope to spark necessary conversation within the recruitment industry, as well as the verticals we operate in for our clients and candidates.
Talking about change is the first step, but actually showing what we do is the next step for us at Orbis!
What does diversity and inclusion mean to us internally?
Before implementing any D&I strategies to help our clients, we had to look at our internal infrastructure first and what we were doing for employees within the four walls of Orbis. This was essential for us in the first instance, as there needed to be alignment with all consultants at Orbis on why we were making this change.
One of the most notable changes we made at Orbis was to increase diversity across the business in 2021.
One of our central targets was to increase female representation from 20% to 30%.
As of November 2021 we are at 35% female representation globally, and still increasing. We’re so proud to have smashed that target. Moreover, we felt it was important to hire those female employees into leadership positions in order to create female role models within the business, and have successfully done so. We will continue to share our stats publicly to hold ourselves accountable.
“Diversity matters to me because without it, the world becomes a boring place. If we all looked the same, talked the same and thought the same we would not ever have any opportunity to learn or expand our horizons” – Jack Pritchard, Consultant
What does diversity and inclusion mean to us externally?
Along with making a number of changes internally at Orbis, we wanted to extend our D&I efforts to support our clients and candidates, too. We’ve engaged in a number of partnerships such as Wagora, Kodiri, Tech Talent Charter, Ladies of Code, and OpenUK.
In Q1 of 2021 we introduced quarterly D&I workshops for consultants to ensure they are educated on advising clients and candidates. We are also proud to announce that we run D&I discovery sessions with all clients and work alongside them to build suitable hiring strategies to support their objectives.
“It’s about hearing different opinions, being challenged on your own, and seeing things from a different point of view. It opens us up to a whole new world of opportunity” – Joanna Jewitt, People Director
Having built a D&I team internally, we are excited to see how we can continue to grow and evolve, whilst supporting our clients and candidates to the best of our abilities from a D&I perspective.
To conclude, sharing our journey and the things we are doing is just the beginning for us at Orbis, and we will continue to hold ourselves accountable so we can improve our D&I strategy consistently, year-on-year, both from an internal and external perspective.
