Equality for Everyone: Diversity in the Public Sector Workforce

Welcome to Equality for Everyone: Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Public Sector. This special series features voices across Accenture who share their personal stories and experiences in building diverse and inclusive environments that deliver positive outcomes where everyone belongs and thrives while creating 360° for all our stakeholders. In August, we shed light on talent equity. For Hispanic Heritage Month, we discuss the power of diversity and inclusion in the workforce.

Celebrating and honoring the rich culture, history and contributions of the Hispanic American and Latinx community is what makes National Hispanic Heritage Month so meaningful for millions of people across the US. For me, it’s an opportunity to acknowledge and honor my grandmother and mother who instilled a strong work ethic, empathy, and the spirit of always being inclusive. They shaped who I am today and played an integral role in helping me to bring these foundational pillars to my work and how I lead.

When we talk about diversity during Hispanic Heritage Month, we must remember that Hispanic American and Latinx individuals are not one cohort with a single narrative. We’re a part of a dynamic community with many subgroups of varying backgrounds, national origins, and collective identities.

The same is true for all facets of diversity, regardless of our backgrounds and lived experiences. Diversity is so much more than ethnicity or race, gender, or sexual orientation. We must look at the whole person and the richness of the intersectionality of their diversity.

When I speak to clients in the public sector, I emphasize the importance of putting the whole person first. For me, it’s about the acts of driving innovation through diversity, valuing diversity, and being advocates and allies for all.??

Driving Innovation Through Diversity

Diversity is about each of us. It’s about creating an inclusive culture that is free from bias and where we can feel a sense of belonging, are respected, and are empowered to do our best work. This is key to embracing diversity to drive innovation and reinvention. Whether it’s in the talent strategy, a new technology implementation, or program enhancement for residents. Recognition of all forms of diversity plays a crucial role in making decisions for residents and will vary across regions, communities, and context. In the public sector, this can include:

• Fair access: How do we ensure that we always consider those who live in places with physical and digital barriers; where access to food, clean water, and information is limited?
• Social determinants of health: How do we make decisions on programs, services, and other initiatives with social determinants of health in mind to give everyone a fair shot, regardless of circumstance
• Climate and sustainability: How do we make sure we’re protecting people who live in at-risk locations from a natural disaster?
• Data responsibility: How do we upskill individuals on responsible AI so that the communities that are most at-risk of receiving incorrect news or data have access to factual, correct sources of information? ??
• Job opportunities: How do we create new and nontraditional pathways to careers? One of the ways we do this at Accenture is through our Apprenticeship Program, which is a full-time, year-long “earn and learn” program that provides structured learning and on-the-job training to build skills and advance careers. The program made up 20% of our entry-level hiring for the past three fiscal years.?

As we build programs and initiatives that support diverse communities, we must employ human-centered design.?

Human-centered design considers the unique backgrounds and experiences of residents. “Effective public sector programs and services require input from those they are meant to serve,” says Jaime Bloom , Managing Director, Public Service Marketing & Communications Lead. “Listening to diverse voices leads to more compassionate, equitable, and successful initiatives. The insights we gather from those with lived experience help us innovate and achieve positive results.”

Valuing Diversity

Valuing diversity acknowledges the full spectrum of human lived experiences and identities. This may include individuals with disabilities, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, those across different age and social groups, and the intersectionality of all of these identities. ?

It goes beyond a number. What counts is how we are fostering inclusive mindsets in the everyday work environment. For example, it can be as simple as an email thread with praise for an employee who exhibits inclusive behaviors, or a more structured reward through formal recognition tools. These types of tools not only recognize those who champion inclusivity but also create a reverberating effect on the employee culture.

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Education is key. How are we enabling our leaders and frontline managers effectively to lead a diverse workforce? For example, at Accenture we have mandatory trainings on unconscious bias and anti-racism, as well as inclusive leadership through our People Leadership Credential training.?

Being Advocates and Allies for All

By actively seeking to understand the lived experiences of others, we can all play a role in creating a more inclusive work environment where everyone belongs and thrives. Organizations can do this by routinely celebrating communities and providing opportunities to learn, grow, and hone inclusive mindsets.?

Recently, Accenture was recognized as the Latinas in Tech 2024 Company of the Year. This recognition reinforces our commitment to creating an environment where people learn, grow, and advance within a diverse culture of shared success. The partnership with Latinas in Tech also helps us strengthen a talent pipeline for open roles in technology.

There are number of ways in which we bring people together and promote advocacy and allyship. At Accenture, we have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to create impact at work and within our communities as well as Allies in Action.

Employee Resource Groups: ERGs are vibrant communities for employees to connect, share experiences, and advocate for meaningful change. Today, our Hispanic American ERG (HAERG) has nearly 4,700 members across 32 U.S. chapters. The HAERG fosters cultural awareness and gives our Hispanic familia a dedicated place to attract, develop, retain, and promote our members’ advancement. ?

Diana Reyes , a founding member of the Accenture Phoenix HAERG chapter, says, "Our mission is to foster inclusivity, build community, and advocate for Hispanic American culture. At the end of the day, people want to feel like they belong.”

There is power and impact when ERGs come together in support of one another. For example, in Sacramento, where I’m based, I belong to the HAERG and the African American ERG. Several times a year, we come together and hold events to celebrate and learn.?

Allies in Action: We are all called to be Allies in Action. At Accenture, it translates into a global experience with over 141,000 participants, that helps our people learn what it means to be an ally, practice inclusive behaviors in a continual learning journey, and be role models for others. The program is rooted in five essentials to help Allies build their inclusive mindset: activate awareness, practice presence, say something, have humility, and inspire inclusion.

The Call to Action for the Public Sector

As we continue to honor Hispanic Heritage Month through October 15, I encourage everyone to find ways to share your people-first perspective on inclusion.?

Together, with our mosaic of culture and heritage we bring forth the beauty of diversity within all of us. If your organization is seeking help to build inclusive, collaborative cultures where everyone belongs and thrives, I encourage you to learn more about our Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (ID&E) Consulting Practice.

Want more perspectives on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility? Check out our articles on accessibility awareness and creating inclusive workplace cultures.

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