Ensemble Studio is a creative collective born of one of the world’s leading PR and communications agencies. As well as our incredible team of creative brand and corporate communications specialists, as part of FleishmanHillard we have also have access to a world class team of experts covering a huge range of different industries, regions, and topics worldwide. This puts us at the forefront of expertise when it comes to the recent events of 2020.
As we are all painfully aware, the last year has brought to light many cases of societal injustice and inequality. It has focused society’s attention and companies can no longer rely on pushing the topic of DE&I to the back of the priority list – consumers and investors, businesses and institutions all demand better, and the demand to see action over words is stronger than it ever has been.
Our own ambition in this space is to become the most inclusive agency in the world and we are continuing to drive the work needed to make this a reality. As well as becoming our own experts in the field, we developed our True MOSAIC global diversity DE&I practice and have since counselled over 80 clients on DE&I within the last year.
In terms of DE&I, now is a critical time to share learnings and redouble our collective efforts. Our True MOSAIC team have shared some key insights born out of these learnings below. This is a journey, but one which companies globally need to embrace fully now.
There is heightened scrutiny towards brands, companies and organidations, and a significant risk of being called out for being performative when statements about commitments are not backed by a track record and concrete action. In corporate and investor reporting we are already seeing the drive for ethnicity disclosures, which will continue to build, although is likely to continue to lag behind gender disclosures for some time. Similarly, investments supporting the LGBTQ+ community are growing more in demand and investors want to know that their investments will benefit more than just the financial community. The status quo overall is a disappointment to so many consumers and employees who want to know and see what is being done differently to combat discrimination. Companies can therefore no longer rely on a soft approach to these topics and business, investors and consumers alike are demanding action rather than words.
There is no doubt that 2020’s calls for racial justice reverberated outside the United States. In the UK, the nation’s imperial past was called into question. and similarly, the myths about Canada setting the standard for embracing multiculturalism were challenged. While in the Philippines, the fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community continues at a slow pace and the legacy of exclusion in South Africa remains prevalent, 27 years after apartheid was abolished. Yet advancing DE&I globally will not succeed with a one-size-fits-all-places approach, which is antithetical to being inclusive. We must ensure the work of propelling DE&I forward is multifaceted and a lasting endeavour in all parts of the world. This includes advancing accessibility, LGBTQ+ rights and gender equity – as well as bridging race, ethnic and class divides and more.
Sea change takes time, and the road can be bumpy and long. People appreciate transparency about what is not working because it demonstrates a continued commitment to accountability and improvement. Also, especially given the emotional toll this work can take, we find it important to take time to acknowledge progress toward clear success metrics, even when it may not come as fast as we would like.
Our True MOSAIC team is 100 counsellors strong and reflects a team with diverse lived experiences and professional expertise. This results in a daily dynamic meeting of the minds to inform each other and ensure we are giving the best counsel possible. Yet we are on a quest to move DE&I to the centre of the business. This means ensuring that this work is not treated as a side-hustle or expected to be carried only by diverse employees. Allyship and cross-community solidarity are essential to this work, especially when driving organisation-wide adoption.
