This week, we chatted with Nabila Salem, President of Revolent Group, to find out how Revolent is attracting more diverse talent to its organisation and why building inclusive teams is at the heart of its people strategy.
Do you have any initiatives to encourage more diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
It’s important to begin by collecting data so we can understand what our organisation currently looks like. At Revolent, we go a step further and report it on our website, publicly showcasing the numbers to our employees, clients and suppliers. This helps attract diverse talent and demonstrates our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Our recruitment process does not dictate the university or grades expected. The more essential criteria you have on a job description or advert, the narrower the talent pool becomes—so widening the net naturally attracts more diverse applicants.
Celebrating differences is one of our corporate values. We don’t look for a cultural fit in our recruitment process because that goes against the very nature of diversity. On the contrary, we believe that great minds think differently and look to hire people who are different to ourselves. This helps us stand out from our competitors and is a big reason why clients choose to work with us. We regularly promote role models within Revolent and highlight the achievements of our diverse workforce to give everyone something to aspire to.
Ultimately, inclusion has to be ingrained into everything you do. We have an Alumni Programme where people’s journey with Revolent doesn’t end once they’ve left us. We keep in touch with them, and they often become our clients or recommend friends to Revolent, which adds to our inclusive culture. Our employee social groups bring people together who identify within a certain group, have a lived experience to share, or are an ally looking to make a difference.
Our most recent employee survey shows that 93% of employees believe their manager encourages an inclusive workplace, and 86% feel able to be their authentic selves at work. I’m really proud of this, but as you can see, it isn’t one activity or initiative that has led us here; it’s a series of actions that have enabled us to build an inclusive culture that attracts and retains diverse talent.
It’s not a destination we’ve reached as a business but a journey we continue on. Regular communication is key. Something I’ve seen go wrong before is that people don’t feel communicated with enough, or that the leadership team doesn’t recognise them.
I really want to avoid it, so the leadership team and I update the business regularly and—importantly—offer all employees the chance to speak to me directly and give feedback to their manager.
How do you support employees returning to the workplace after maternity/paternity/ adoption leave?
Revolent comprises 50% of women in the senior management team (two-thirds of whom are working mums), so this is a high priority for us. To start, we work on making people feel comfortable before they go off on leave in the first place. Quite often, I’ve seen pregnant women worry about what it means for their careers, so offering support and reassurance is often the first step. If people leave with any resentment towards the work, they are less likely to return, and, as a very family-orientated company, we want to avoid this.
When people are looking to return, the key is not to treat everybody equally. Some employees really struggle to come back to work, and others can’t wait, but everyone is different. We consult with parents individually to work out a way forward that suits them and their families, and we appreciate that this plan may very well need to change as their family needs change.
Do you advertise jobs as being open to flexible working?
Yes, we do. For roles on our consultant pathway, which involve working with our clients as part of their onsite teams, they work to the same policies as our clients. The vast majority of our clients offer flexible working, and if they don’t, we strongly advocate for it. We also offer flexibility in our training, which is now conducted remotely, so people can train from anywhere in the country.
How do you support employees with disabilities?
Firstly, we ask our employees if there’s anything they need. This could be something physical, such as extra equipment or software, or they could need more time or adjustments within the assessment process. Again, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, and we build the support in a way that is specific to the individual. We also encourage people to share their experiences through our blog and podcasts to help attract a more diverse workforce. If people can see others like them succeeding, they are more likely to take the step themselves.
What is the gender split in your organisation?
Roughly 30% of our organisation identify as female, rising to 50% in senior management. On the one hand, we’re proud to be outperforming the tech sector in gender balance in the workforce. On the other hand, we’re keenly aware that the industry has traditionally struggled with its gender split, which is disheartening considering the wealth of talent out there.
We must continue to work on attracting and retaining diversity. Again, while we’re proud of our progress and the workforce we are creating, we know we still have a way to go. True success will be when we stop discussing the need for diversity because it’s no longer an issue.
specialises in developing talent that thrives in niche technology markets, including Salesforce and AWS. We recruit, cross-train, place, and develop talent for those ecosystems, fuelling the market with the next generation of certified cloud technology professionals. With hubs in Australia, the US, and the UK, Revolent offers a truly global solution to the industry’s talent shortage.
For more information about Revolent, please visit their website.
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