Like many companies, we prepare an annual ESG report to take stock of our progress on some of our most important priorities – including how we are advancing our goal of building a more inclusive and diverse workforce. McKinsey’s ESG 2023 report, "Accelerating sustainable and inclusive growth for all," highlights work we are doing inside our firm, with our clients, and in society more broadly and has served as a catalyst for rich discussions and continued innovation.
To continue the dialogue, I wanted to share some additional context on the day-to-day work of our people teams that underlies the progress we shared in the report and looking forward to hearing from other people leaders how you are thinking about your role in advancing institutional priorities.
Breaking down barriers to finding great talent
We pride ourselves on being a launchpad for accelerated careers – whether at McKinsey or in other leadership roles after gaining experiences and leadership skills with us. So we want exceptional, distinctive individuals from all walks of life to get to know us, engage with us, and consider whether we are the right next professional step for them. But it takes creativity and focus to find and “meet” great talent that may not have even considered the consulting path. One approach that has worked well for us is hosting live, global virtual get-togethers. These programs make it possible for us to connect many more candidates in many different locations, while helping us foster a sense belonging from the start. For example, we run Up Next and El Futuro consulting sessions for US Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). We see the fruits of our efforts in the 200 new sources of distinctive talent from which we hired our most recent incoming class.
We are also looking at ways to make sure we are getting a complete picture of candidates’ experience, talent and potential. We have refined our job descriptions to emphasize skills and we’ve improved resume-screening process to be more inclusive of a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds. In 2023, we created a comprehensive interview preparation website to ensure that all candidates have equal access to our top-notch preparation materials and training sessions. We have also launched a Tech Apprenticeship Program in collaboration with Multiverse and welcomed our inaugural cohort of interns through the U.S. Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program – both designed to create opportunities for people with very different experiences.
Giving ambitious professionals the support they need to thrive
We know from our research that people perform at their best—for our clients, our firm, and one another—when they are healthy and well. That's why our approach to health and well-being is comprehensive, addressing four dimensions of health—mental, physical, social, and spiritual—alongside financial well-being. Drawing on years of data, we have zeroed in on a set of moments, personal and professional milestones, that tend to have an outsized impact on satisfaction and attrition. These moments tend to revolve around major transitions like starting a family or managing others for the first time. To support our colleagues during these critical times, we've developed easily accessible guides with relevant benefits, points of contact, colleague networks, and best practices. On top of these moments of significant change, we regularly check in on colleagues' well-being through our weekly Pulse survey. This data informs the design of new initiatives tailored to the needs of different populations and enables us to provide individualized intervention and care when necessary.
Making inclusion a habit
We have a dedicated team of experts working together with our people professionals and client-serving teams to embed habits of inclusion into all of our people processes. To proactively address potential biases in recruiting, we offer inclusion training to all our recruiters and assessors, helping us ensure that our hiring decisions are individual and evidence-based. Because we have long-recognized the importance of sponsorship and opportunities for advancement, we also measure leaders on their effectiveness as sponsors, leveraging data from our annual mentorship, apprenticeship, and sponsorship survey. We then work with individuals that may be under-sponsored to help them build the support networks needed to succeed. Like many organizations we have established affinity groups to foster community and belonging and regularly add or adapt groups to reflect our increasingly diverse Firm.
We were particularly proud that our re-boarding program earned recognition from the World Economic Forum as an Inclusion Lighthouse this year for its significant, measurable, scalable, and sustainable impact. This program provides comprehensive support to eligible colleagues before, during, and after extended leaves, such as medical and parental leaves. The program includes structural support and resources, including personalized re-entry plans, and professional executive coaching, all supported by market-leading benefits.
As people professionals, it is easy to get lost in the details of the day-to-day challenges coming from inside and outside our organizations. But I have found the process of capturing our progress on some of our higher order people ambitions to be a powerful reminder of the role we play in helping our institutions advance important societal themes like building a more inclusive economy. And I am eager to learn from other people and talent leaders to get new ideas for ways that we can create even bigger impact to celebrate in the years ahead.