Episode 541 - When DE&I actually means something... with Andy Steeds.

·41 min·4 clips

Andy Steeds explains how hiring more women can actually make your gender pay gap worse.

The episode features an interview with Andy Steeds, Head of Talent for Capgemini Australia and New Zealand, following Capgemini's win of the Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award. Hosts Lauren Sharp and Craig Watson congratulate Andy and dive into the specifics of their DE&I submission. Andy discusses surpassing their female representation target, achieving 40.49% against a 33.5% goal and 50% in graduate recruitment. He reveals a counterintuitive insight: focusing solely on female hiring can worsen the gender pay gap if not managed carefully. Capgemini uses a simple calculator to predict each hire's impact on the pay gap. The hosts praise the submission's clear, data-driven structure as a blueprint for award success. Andy outlines three key pillars: gender, Indigenous hiring, and graduate programs. He emphasizes the importance of intersectionality, noting the compounded challenges for individuals with multiple underrepresented identities. Andy describes the support from Capgemini's C-suite, who trust the experts rather than prescribing initiatives. He details their career return program, which evolved from a return-to-work focus to include career changers, resulting in 23 hires from 1000 applications. The discussion covers their Reconciliation Action Plan, including sending leaders to the Garma Festival for cultural immersion and a trainee program in Western Australia. Andy explains a tactical boosted referral campaign that increased referral fees for female hires in underrepresented areas, boosting diverse talent pipelines by 14%. He also mentions attending trans and gender diverse job fairs to engage with those communities. The graduate program's success is attributed to a conservative, quality-over-quantity approach, where departments are held accountable for supporting hires. Andy shares that Capgemini has won additional awards, including at the Gender Equity Awards, and he is nominated for a manager award. The episode concludes with reflections on learning from New Zealand's progress in DE&I and the importance of celebrating incremental gains.

As heard by us

A practical look at DE&I inside a large talent team.

Andy Steeds, Head of Talent for Capgemini Australia, New Zealand, lays out what DE&I looks like inside a large hiring operation. Lauren Sharp and Craig Watson keep the conversation grounded, and the strongest point lands when he argues that inclusion should be part of the day…

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Why you'd press play

You want DE&I to stop sounding decorative and become part of the day job.

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