Prioritizing Care, Sense of Belonging and Resiliency of Our People Makes Business Sense

Leaders can unlock up to 5X more human potential by better managing employees’ everyday work experiences and creating a sense of belonging, which positively impacts retention, motivation and commitment levels. Accenture is an advocate for equality and diversity in the workplace, promoting work/life integration, race equality, gender mainstreaming, mentorship and coaching, and self-care.

The CHRO has emerged as one of the most vital roles in the C-suite, as organizations work to keep their people safe, employed, supported and equal.

Many are rising to the occasion, and CHROs can reclaim one of their most fundamental missions: the care and resiliency of the people. They can now rewrite a script that builds trust, based on the fundamentals of what matters most to their people. The CHRO is excellently positioned to be the catalyst for such meaningful change. As our research demonstrates, it makes good business sense to do so.

A sense of belonging

Employees are rethinking their attitude toward work by focusing more on their personal and professional aspirations. They also want to feel a sense of belonging. They want to be recognized, heard and valued. Employees want to do interesting work, learn new skills as well as progress in their careers.

According to our global Better To Belong Research, leaders can unlock up to 5X more human potential by better managing peoples’ everyday work experiences. Leaders can go beyond inclusion and make their employees feel they truly belong, are cared for and loved. Focusing on the professional and personal moments that matter to employees enhances their feeling of being net better-off within their organizations, which positively impacts retention, motivation and commitment levels. This benefits our people, our business, our clients and the communities they serve. 

Our people are changemakers

Our people are a team of talented individuals who bring skills, hopes and dreams to work, and change the world of our clients. They are the essence of Accenture, and every day they deliver incredible work on the promise of technology and human ingenuity to our various stakeholders. 

Our people have a passion for change; for our clients, and changing society for the better. As our people grow, our firm grows, and the offering to clients expands. Nurturing our people makes people sense and business sense. Our firm provides our people with an inclusive, nurturing, empowering and inspirational environment where they can thrive. We have recognized that our nation has a skills deficit, so we prioritize providing our people with infinite growth opportunities.

In 2022 the global work landscape underwent fluctuations as organizations altered their working conditions after the worldwide pandemic. Top employers and other leading organizations have had to challenge themselves. We continue to actively promote work/life integration, race equality in the workplace, gender mainstreaming, mentorship and coaching and a focus on self-care. Some leaders might view this work/life integration as less important than profitability, but conventional wisdom suggests that happier and healthier people will inevitably be more focused and efficient. 

We believe the future workforce is equal and have set bold goals to accelerate gender equality. Accenture is an avid advocate for equality and diversity in the workplace. Today, more than 300,000 women work at Accenture – according to the Delivering Value by Building Trust Accenture South Africa 2022 Responsible Business Report. Additionally, 50% of our board of directors and 27% of our global management committee are women. We have set bold goals for a gender-balanced workforce by 2025 and are well on track to achieving this.

Accenture has been named the overall Top Employer in South Africa for 2023. We celebrate this achievement with our biggest brand ambassadors – our people. Being ranked first is evidence of the significant effort we put daily into growing our company and careers while delivering 360o value for our clients. We are grateful that our deliberate efforts over the years have been recognized. This comes with responsibility and later on, growth. Growth requires more people –  and talent markets across the globe are tight. This is one of the many reasons why we pride ourselves on being a people first and purpose-led company – our purpose enables us to create stronger and more resilient people relationships and a greater sense of belonging.  

BY KESHNIE MARTIN, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR AT ACCENTURE, AFRICA