Uplift social equity: driving inclusive and equitable experiences

Social equity impacts us all — and all of us can make an impact to influence positive change.

Join the conversation to help us uplift social equity

#UpliftSocialEquity

#BetterWorkingWorld

 

How can a story uplift social equity?

Based on our backgrounds and identities, we’re all part of different social groups. These groups we find ourselves in can mean deep-rooted advantage or disadvantage, in terms of access to resources and opportunities — and gaps in how we’re perceived and evaluated.

At EY, we've produced a series of short films featuring colleagues around the world, spotlighting different experiences to help us better connect and understand each other. It’s one step forward in our journey to create positive change, through greater awareness. We’ve sparked deeper conversations and inspired further learning and action — both personally through our interactions, and structurally through the systems and processes that we build and influence.

Now, we’re hoping these stories will inspire positive change outside the EY organization.

Each story is unique, yet shares messages of feeling different or like an outsider — which may feel familiar to all of us. For some, these experiences are repeated over time and across situations because of our background or some aspect of our identity. This can impact a sense of safety, belonging, confidence and access to resources and opportunities — presenting a journey full of hurdles.

Meet our EY colleagues courageously sharing their stories to build awareness and inspire change.

  • Image description

    Above are clickable tiles with portraits of EY colleagues who have shared their stories as part of the campaign. From top to bottom, left to right, these are: Lotten, Chandni, Joseph, Eng, Ilias, Helen, Cyril, Reeba, Matt, Sabrina, Mike, Derrick.

    When you click on each of these tiles, a video loads showing each individual story. To pause the audio or to end it early, click again on the tile or use the video control buttons before closing the tile.

What is EY doing to advance social equity?

Social equity is about clearing obstacles to resources and opportunities and building more inclusive environments.

We’re working to create an organization that’s equitable, where everyone can thrive. It’s an ongoing journey and we’re always learning.

Here are some of the ways we’re building a strong Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness (DE&I) foundation:

  • Establishing clear intentions and a cultural baseline

    Inclusiveness is written into our EY Values, and DE&I are core to our business strategy and ambition to create long-term value for clients, people and society. The Global Executive, our highest EY leadership  body, has signed a collective commitment to DE&I accountability and progress.

  • Building skills to shape inclusive and equitable experiences

    All 365,000 of our people are equipped with learning to develop their inclusive leadership skills. It’s a key expectation across EY and something our leaders are measured on.

  • Making investments towards progress

    The EY Global DE&I Culture Change Continuum (pdf) offers a framework for developing inclusiveness — both at the organizational level and our individual capabilities. Our long-standing Global DE&I Steering committee (GDEISC), co-chaired by our Global CEO and Global Vice Chair — DE&I, includes EY senior leaders from around the world who transform DE&I insights into local actions and sponsor market efforts along with local DE&I committees.

  • Measuring impact

    For accountability across EY, we use the Global DE&I Tracker that measures our DE&I progress, covering a range of differences including people’s lived experiences. It keeps us accountable as it gauges progress across the organization.

Building on the success of our long-standing Global DE&I Steering Committee (GDEISC), the Global Social Equity Task Force (GSET) was formed in 2020, to address societally-rooted systemic inequities, including racism.

The GSET is sponsored by EY Global Chairman and CEO, Carmine Di Sibio, and led by EY Global Vice Chair — Consulting, Errol Gardner; EY Global Vice Chair — Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness, Karyn Twaronite; and EY Asia-Pacific Area Managing Partner, Pat Winter. It is made up of 40 EY leaders from around the world and has developed a powerful suite of actions to advance social equity at EY and beyond.

How you can make an impact

Watch the Uplift social equity films

Storytelling helps us to better understand the barriers and challenges experienced by others, which may differ from what we personally encounter. Through better understanding, greater empathy, and stronger connections, we are able to be better, more inclusive colleagues and teammates.

Spark a conversation

Connect with people who have different backgrounds and perspectives than you — leading with curiosity and empathy to build greater understanding and trust. For example, ask “What would you like others to better understand about you, your background and life experiences?” and “What can we do to better support each other’s unique needs?”

Learn more

Here are a few helpful DE&I resources to support your efforts to further uplift social equity:

EY Value Realized 2022

Read the report on our progress in building a better working world by creating long-term value for our people, clients and wider society.

Explore

Four steps to advance equity in the global workplace

It’s time to reimagine a better, more equitable world where everyone can thrive.

Read on LinkedIn

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