Business Growth Through Diversity | Best Practice by SIX
Diversity strengthens our innovative capacity and directly contributes to our business success, resulting in transforming the financial markets and the company’s growth targets due to new business opportunities. In 2021 SIX introduced the SPI Gender Equality Index, which measures the performance of Swiss companies, which are selected by the number of women in their top management. We are focusing on multiple, innovative activities to attract a more diverse workforce. Crucially we are fostering unity at all management levels to build an inclusive culture where all people can thrive.
This best practice was first published in the Gender Intelligence Report 2021.
Information is at the heart of decision making. For nearly 100 years we have been delivering reliable financial information forming the basis for analyses and risk assessments. In the area of diversity, we don’t have quite as much experience with comparable data streams and with modelling developments, but we wanted to align our core business activities with our D&I Strategy. With the SPI (Swiss Performance Index) Gender Equality Index, we contribute toward greater transparency and comparability regarding diversity on the boards and management committees of Swiss companies. The SPI Gender Equality Index is the first index of its kind for the Swiss market: To be included, companies must be amongst the largest 100 SPI companies and have between 20% and 80% women on the board of directors and between 15% and 85% women on the management board.
Head of Talent Acquisition at SIX
We have to be honest: SIX would not make the cut to the index, but we are focusing more and more activities to increase our diverse workforce. Since this year we set at Executive Level the strategic target of growing the percentage of women in combined middle and top management to a minimum of 25% by 2023.
We are still in the early stages, and, like all change, this is not a temporary endeavor, but a long-term commitment. Therefore, our activities continue because we are convinced that diversity is a key lever for our future success. Our growth strategy and innovative ability depend on our exploring new ways of thinking forward in a complex world.
At SIX we approach diversity on different levels internally to attract a more diverse workforce. The basis is an inclusive culture we live at SIX, especially with our values: collaboration, trust and ownership. Our culture sets the framework for workshops and training sessions to draw attention to biases, the impact of inclusive language, and changes to our own HR processes – for example our new recruitment process to attract more women to SIX, which featured as an Advance Best Practice in 2020.
Source: SIX Manager Unconscious Bias practical e-learning training
Unconscious biases could have an impact in the employee lifecycle or in recruiting new employees. Often, we are unaware that biases exist, and therefore fail to address them. Last year, working with our hiring managers, we raised awareness of the importance of unbiased communication and what it means for the talent acquisition process. This year we took it to the next level and set up an e-learning module for all hiring managers. This includes how to write unbiased job ads by using different wordings and content, and tips on how to attract more women and be aware of biases and how to counteract them.
This year, we took the opportunity afforded by International Women’s Day to devote an entire week to the topic of diversity. Organized by our internal Gender Diversity network, a week of panels, workshops and training sessions was carried out, with the aim of informing and involving our employees. Discussions and exchanges of personal experiences took place through direct interaction with industry leaders, experts, and other employees. Diversity Week, involving more than 440 participants from all SIX locations, contributed significantly toward helping shape diversity at SIX.
Within the company, one result of the Diversity Week was that in addition to the Gender Diversity network, an LGBT+ network was established: A vital step and tangible outcome benefiting our employees.
Source : SIX Diversity Week internal Ad
It’s just as important to create networks outside the company as it is to establish exchange internally. We are a member of Advance- Gender Equality in Business and cooperate with Global Digital Women (GDW), in conjunction with the FemBiz Award.
We love promoting acceptance for diversity and expanding the opportunities for diverse talents to join SIX. Through our Graduate Program this year, we aim to achieve a female participation rate of at least 50%.
Additional examples are the Powercoders program and the IT internship for those changing careers.
The non-profit organization Powercoders arranges IT internships for migrants at renowned companies. Through Powercoders we were able to ensure several IT internships, one for example for a mother of three children. We also introduced IT internships for experienced women who have proven work experience in other fields and want to make a lateral move into IT. This program offers value for all involved. For the participants it is a chance to change careers and learn, build a valuable network, and develop skills that are becoming more and more necessary and relevant in all industries and for SIX it is a chance to attract female talents in IT.
Source: SIX, Powercoders event on 20th of October at the SIX ConventionPoint
Diversity strengthens our innovative capacity and directly contributes to our business success, resulting in transforming the financial markets and the company’s growth targets due to new business opportunities. We strive to reach our goal of 25% women at combined middle and top management levels. If we reach this, our talent pipeline is ever stronger to reach true gender balance in senior leadership roles.
Learn more about our commitment to D&I by clicking the button below
If you would like to connect on any of the measures we are taking to increase gender equality and attract a more diverse workforce, please reach out to Pia Meinzer at pia.meinzer@six-group.com.
This Best Practice was first published in the Gender Intelligence Report 2021.
Job sharing was introduced at Nestlé Switzerland in 2020, and after some initial challenges in factories, it was successfully implemented at Nestlé Waters Switzerland in May 2023. This initiative helped retain a valuable engineer by offering a reduced activity rate. It resulted in the company's first job-sharing arrangement in a factory setting with two engineers working at 60% capacity each. The positive outcomes have led to more job sharing pairs in factories across Switzerland, with a focus on continuous improvement and flexibility.
As a global organization, JTI had established several policies to support the DEI agenda and were in the process of being certified by the EY Global Equality Standard. However, they recognized the need for a more localized implementation that met the specific needs of the organization at the time. By focusing on inclusion, raising awareness around bias, and introducing initiatives like the Virtual Reality „Men in Business – In the Body of a Woman“ experience, they have started to see positive changes in conversations, employee engagement, and inclusive management across the organization.
Generative AI (GenAI) is becoming increasingly integrated into our daily work, but with its use comes exposure to inherent biases. To address this, Accenture brought together experts from GenAI and inclusion to discuss these issues, focusing on promoting inclusivity through thought leadership and responsible AI frameworks. This collaborative approach aims to ensure GenAI is used responsibly and fairly, leveraging progressive governance to adapt to rapidly evolving technology.
The new parental leave policy offers 16 weeks of fully paid leave to all employees regardless of gender, supporting natural, adoptive, same/opposite sex partners, and single parents. The policy has been well-received by employees, fostering equity and inclusion, supporting the transition to parenthood, and contributing to improved retention and engagement.
Unlock financial savviness with Zurich Insurance as they empower women to enhance their financial knowledge and skills. Explore the WIN Financial Awareness Program, fostering a supportive community and providing personalized services to boost financial confidence.
Experience KPMG's commitment to empowering employees through flexibility and work-life integration. Discover their diverse initiatives challenging traditional norms and supporting new parents, fostering a thriving workplace for all.
Involving employees pays off - learn what happens when the entire workforce sets the agenda for gender parity.
From storytelling to a real culture shift - learn how to use an impactful tool to change leadership behavior.
Find out how SIX takes every employee on a shared journey towards an open, inclusive and growth-oriented culture.
'Beyond Bias' workshops for all employees in order to learn how to act in a more inclusive way.
A multi-pronged approach tackles recruitment, retention and promotion challenges for women to positive results.
An interview template for hiring managers which is aligned to the corporate values, explicitly seeks inclusive mindset in candidates.