Set clear, concise goals to create gender equality in the workforce

If you want to make a change, set a concrete goal. Put a number on a target, crystallise the focus and make the goal a priority. That was what we just did with regards to gender balance in Accenture’s workforce.

Earlier this week, Accenture announced that we would achieve a gender-balanced workforce, with 50 per cent women and 50 per cent men, by 2025. We are not saying we want to, or we should, we are saying we will.

Such definitive language speaks volumes for the importance of this goal – the mandate is unequivocal.

The rationale is straightforward. As our chairman and chief executive, Pierre Nanterme, said: “Diversity makes our business stronger and more innovative and, most important, it makes the world better. With this new goal, we are sending an important message to our people and our clients that our future workforce is an equal workforce.”

Consider the facts: today, women are underrepresented in the global workforce – just 50 per cent of working-age women are active in the labour force, compared with 76 per cent of men.

Currently, Accenture has 150,000 women, nearly 40 per cent of its global workforce. In China, where the number of women with digital and technology expertise is considerably high, we have already hit the 50-50 target. Over the past several years, the company has set – and achieved – milestones on the path to gender equality. These include:

• Surpassing our goal to reach 40 per cent female new hires in 2016;