At Arcadis, improving quality of life extends into the ways that we prioritize our social impact; ensuring social safety within our organization as well as the ability to discuss and report actual or suspected misconduct or irregularities. This is reflected in our business strategy, which amplifies societal good. Our commitment to diversity, belonging and human rights is an integral part of how we achieve this.
We are evolving in ways that ensure that every Arcadian is empowered to be their full self at work. We know that this will be the best environment for our people to thrive. It will also enhance our company’s performance, by allowing us to recruit and retain top talent, and by positioning us to develop innovative solutions to all our clients’ needs.
Our Diversity, Belonging & Human Rights work includes three key focus areas:
1. Human Rights,
2. Wellbeing & Employee Experiences and
3. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB).
Our impact stems across our supply chain, including suppliers, clients, communities and most importantly our people.
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
‘Belonging’ at Arcadis means feeling empowered to bring your whole, authentic self to work, with the confidence that you are supported and respected, and feel mentally and physically safe. This includes a commitment to responsible, sustainable, and equitable work practices within the communities where we operate.
Some of our flagship programs include:
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Five CEO sponsored global Affinity Groups
In creating five global affinity groups: Access & Neurodiversity, Age Representation, Ethnicity & Heritage, Gender, and PRIDE - we have created executive-sponsored forums for employees to represent their needs and lived experiences. Our intersectional approach embeds areas such as faith and well-being. Our global affinity groups span several countries and all business areas and represent a wide and diverse spectrum of people. They are actively curating a renewed workplace culture where we can make impactful change together.
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Providing a Voice for our Women of Color (WoC)
Our WoC program, launched in February 2022, aims to understand the intersectional impact that gender and ethnicity have on the experiences and career progression of Women of Color in Arcadis. We are using these insights to co-create solutions that will lead to an equitable environment where each Arcadian, current or future, has access to opportunities to enable them to grow, develop and achieve their full potential. This is a first for Arcadis. We are following its success by creating forums that help us identify hidden underrepresented talent – feeding directly into our talent pipelines.
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Global Sponsorship Program
Sponsorship is most often cited as a success factor in corporate careers; however, it is not necessarily something that everyone benefits from or has access to. Our new global sponsorship program is designed to create the environment for Arcadians from underrepresented groups to access leadership networks and support to progress their careers. Launched in 2022, it will be fully implemented globally in 2023.
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Cultivating Wellbeing
Fostering purpose and supporting Arcadians to feel physically and psychologically healthy and safe at work, creates a more resilient workforce and improves our wellbeing. That is why we have taken a data and insight driven approach in 2022 to amplify our global wellbeing and resilience roadmap. We are focused on a preventive approach, amplified in the ongoing promotion of wellbeing initiatives. Our wellbeing roadmap focuses on primary intervention at an organizational level through the mitigation of workplace hazards which may have a negative impact on the wellbeing of Arcadians.
Our commitment to human rights
Driven by our passion for improving quality of life, we aim to prevent, identify, mitigate and remediate adverse human rights impacts caused by, contributed or linked to our business activities. Our human rights and labor policy is aligned with international standards such as the United Nation Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Bill of Human Rights, and the International Labor Organizations’ (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its core conventions.
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UN Guiding Principles
We have chosen to align our company’s operations with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Our long-term human rights objective is to embed purposeful actions and behaviors within and around Arcadis that create a positive impact for people, communities, and our planet. We understand respect for human rights is the key to unlocking a sustainable present and future, meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and tackling significant societal challenges like inequality and discrimination.
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World Business Council For Sustainable Development
Arcadis is a proud member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a global, CEO-led organization of around 200 leading businesses, accelerating the transition to a sustainable world. Our WBCSD membership gives us an opportunity to share knowledge and work to integrate global value chains. We are co-creating scalable business solutions that transform major economic systems and deliver significant contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.