This project is part of PwC's virtual internship experience on Forage, where I had the opportunity to work on a real-world challenge related to diversity and inclusion. As a Human Resources (HR) consultant at PwC Switzerland, I was responsible to collaborate with the telecom client to address the issue of gender balance at the executive management level.

Problem Statement: Our telecom client highly values diversity and inclusion but has been struggling to make progress in achieving gender balance within their executive management team. Recognizing the significance of diverse talents and backgrounds, they approached PwC Switzerland for assistance in overcoming this challenge.

Key Highlights

Company: PwC Switzerland

Virtual Internship: Forage

Function: Human Resources (HR)

Tools: Excel for data transformation and Power BI for data visualization

Based on the insights from the dataset, the following are the findings and suggested strategies to address the gender imbalance at the executive level:

Findings:

• Despite similar average performance ratings for both males and females (2.31 and 2.26 respectively), there is a noticeable disparity in the promotion opportunities favoring men at higher job levels.
• Men dominate the Executive, Director, and Senior Manager positions, comprising around 84% of the workforce in these roles. Additionally, these positions have higher turnover rates.
• There is a consistent gender imbalance in new hires for Executive, Director, and Senior Manager positions, with male domination in 100%, 75%, and 70% of the positions respectively.

Strategy:

• Implement a fair and transparent promotion process: Ensure that promotions are based on merit and performance rather than biased decision-making. Establish clear criteria for promotion eligibility and provide equal opportunities for both genders to advance to higher job levels.
• Create a diverse talent pipeline: Establish initiatives to encourage more female candidates to pursue careers in executive-level positions. This can include partnering with universities and organizations to provide mentorship programs, internships, and leadership development opportunities for women.
• Implement unconscious bias training: Provide training for hiring managers and decision-makers to raise awareness of unconscious biases that may influence hiring decisions. Promote objective evaluation methods and ensure that candidates are assessed solely on their qualifications and potential, regardless of gender.

These strategies aim to address the identified root causes of the gender imbalance at the executive level and promote a more inclusive and equitable work environment. By implementing these measures, the organization can work towards achieving a better gender balance and fostering a diverse leadership team.