Equality

Support in addressing unequal treatment

Equality has a prominent place on the political agenda at PwC and that of many organisations. The pandemic increased inequality and at the same time made it more visible. Moreover, climate change and the current crises are creating further disparities as regards well-being and opportunity, having a major impact on our clients and on society in general.

The struggle for equality within organisations

Inequality also persists within the worldwide workplace. Women still earn less than men and are underrepresented in top positions, child labour still exists within the supply chain, self-employed workers do not have the same social rights as employed workers, and discrimination based on race, age and religion remains commonplace.

Integrated support team

We offer our clients support in addressing unequal treatment within the workplace via an integrated team of experts in employment law, culture & change, data privacy, information security, risk management and IT. We assist with drawing up policies to achieve a balanced ratio as regards race, gender and/or age, and to clarify the legal limits of such a policy. We also advise on the company’s job application procedure and review employment terms & conditions and regulations.

While such activities used to be primarily the responsibility of internal HR department, companies are increasingly seeking external assistance. This is understandable given the scope of the issue, the need for an integrated strategy, and the data and privacy challenges involved.

Promoting equality within society

To promote equality within society as a whole, PwC supports pro bono projects and organisations that help disadvantaged groups in terms of the equality gap. Examples include:

Johan Cruyff Foundation
Brutus Art Space Foundation
BrandedU

Johan Cruyff Foundation

PwC has been a proud partner of the Johan Cruyff Foundation for over 20 years. We support its mission to overcome inequality of opportunity by giving vulnerable young people the chance to play sports and have scope to exercise, get together and build self-confidence. In addition to our financial contributions we also provide the knowledge and expertise of our own people.

Brutus Art Space Foundation

PwC helped establish the Brutus Art Space Foundation, making it possible to create a museum and develop an educational programme in Rotterdam’s Merwe-Vierhavens area. Among other things, the museum hosts low-threshold activities for disadvantaged people which bring them into contact with contemporary art and culture.

BrandedU

PwC works with BrandedU, an institute set up to accelerate the careers of women in business. We contributed to BrandedU's AmplifyHER event and hosted a Board of Believers breakfast at PwC. Together with BrandedU and the Refugee Talent Hub, we selected 30 talented women from our consultancy practice and paired them with 30 talented women from refugee backgrounds. They all attended AmplifyHER, took a training course on personal branding and made connections that enabled them to leverage on one another's networks.