DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Hays Equity , Diversity & Inclusion Report 2021
leaders have a responsibility to not only recognise these barriers , but also address the root causes .
AQ : Procurement has always been a frontrunner in terms of cross-functional collaboration with internal stakeholders , as well as with outside suppliers . But diversity and inclusion is not necessarily just about who people are , it ’ s also about what they know . Procurement needs to strive to employ people from different professional backgrounds , who have diverse knowledge and expertise .
There ’ s a tendency to hire people who have only ever been in procurement - people who are facts-driven , who are good at negotiating and communicating . There is nothing wrong with that , but I feel it ' s important to open up to other functions , such as finance , project management , sales marketing , and product development . I think procurement can be much more diverse if we get these kinds of expertise in .
Having a diversified workforce makes it easier to implement procurement strategies . Having a professionally diverse team means we can speak the languages of our internal stakeholders , and create an environment to foster cross-functional collaborations .
ARE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CONVERSATIONS LEADING TO MEANINGFUL CHANGE ?
SH : I think we ' re seeing meaningful change in terms of external diversity but the conversation around internal diversity and inclusion needs more attention . The focus is on creating environments in which every individual can be successful and reach their full potential . A good measure of progress is whether there is more diversity in the room you ’ re in than there is in the images in the slide-deck being presented . procurementmag . com 145