Testing commitment to
diversity in times of
austerity
Ted Rogers School of Management,
Ryerson University
Toronto
October 22, 2010
Overview of Deloitte
• One of Canada’s leading professional services firms
– Audit and Assurance, Tax, Consulting, Financial Advisory
– In Canada: >8,000 employees and Partners, 57 offices
• Official Supplier of Professional Services to the Vancouver 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
– Globally: more than 47 locations around the world
• Key recognition
– Best Employer for New Canadians
(2009 and 2010)
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Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Deloitte’s definition of diversity
Managing diversity means valuing and
demonstrating respect for the uniqueness of
individuals and the varied perspectives and talents
they provide.
We recognize, affirm and celebrate differences in
age, education, ethnicity, race, family status,
gender, national origin, physical ability or qualities,
religion, sexual orientation, thought processes,
personalities and lifestyles, and any other
characteristic that make a person an individual.
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Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Deloitte’s diversity vision
• Deloitte is an inclusive organization, recognized internally
and externally as a leader in diversity
• Partner group is representative of our internal talent
• The definition of a leader at the firm requires the ability to
manage diversity
• Deloitte’s leaders embrace and practice our diversity values
• Deloitte has best in class diversity-sensitive talent
processes and practices
• Diversity is supported and accepted as a business
imperative
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Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
The business case
Creating a diverse work environment is important to
respond to future talent shortages
• The talent market is shrinking – workers are getting older
and there are fewer skilled people in the current labour pool
to fill jobs as they become available
• The Canadian Employee Relocation Council states that
more than 62% of Canadian CEOs say that the talent
shortage is already affecting business growth
• The 2006 Census showed an upcoming labour shortage as
our population ages
• To find the people needed to fill these positions, we must
continuously look for talent in every corner in the
community and be more open about whom we hire
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Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
The business case
Creating a diverse work environment is important to
respond to and reflect the markets we serve
• Customers are becoming more heterogeneous and
companies need to reflect the markets they serve to better
serve and understand them
• By doing this, we let our customers know that we both value
and embrace diversity
• Numerous studies suggest that diverse, heterogeneous
teams promote creativity, innovation and better decisionmaking
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Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Diversity is key to business success
Even during the recent economic downturn …
• Like many organizations, we prudently reviewed our
expenditures but looked for opportunities to rethink our
spending without significant impact to our people
• We have continued to actively source and recruit in many
areas of our practice
• We have the opportunity to source people who may not
have been available previously
• If we find the right diverse skill sets, we will recruit those
people
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Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Diversity is key to business success
Even during the recent economic downturn …
• Taking the time to ensure that our recruiting is highly
inclusive and that the recruiting engine works well for all
people
• Looking at promoting our people and planning their future
development through a diversity lens
• Developing new coaching and mentoring models internally
to ensure that all people continue to receive effective career
development
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Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
We remain focused on …
• Conducting business in both official languages
• Supporting People Networks
• Encouraging flexible work arrangements and more (e.g.,
firm voluntary leaves
• Recruiting from non-traditional sources
• Recognizing foreign credentials during the recruiting
process
• Educating all employees on cultural diversity and work style
differences
• Providing formal mentoring inside our organization and
participating in community mentoring initiatives
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Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Contact information
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Beth Tyndall
Jane Allen
Associate Partner
416-874-3839
btyndall@deloitte.ca
Chief Diversity Officer and Partner
416-874-3136
janallen@deloitte.ca
Testing commitment to diversity in times of austerity
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.