In late 2022, Publicis Groupe set up EnABLE, an Employee Resource Group dedicated to employees with visible and non-visible disabilities. Part of its remit was to create Publicis Groupe’s first Disability Action Plan. Head of DE&I, Jess Farrell, shares the process.
Why did Publicis Groupe decide to tackle disability as an action area?
The Create Space report showed that 1 in 4 respondents reported being affected by some ongoing physical condition. Of this cohort, only 10% make their company aware of it.
We knew we needed to be a more disability-confident employer so in late 2022, we launched EnABLE, our Employee Resource Group dedicated to employees with visible and non-visible disabilities.
Working together, we want to ensure Publicis Groupe addresses any stigma around disability and provides reasonable adjustments and accessibility for every individual.
What actions did you undertake?
There’s no single action to take when it comes to improving the experience and representation of talent with disabilities, so we needed to create a robust strategy to guide our progress.
We worked simultaneously on activities designed to raise awareness and foster an inclusive culture, while also developing a Disability Action Plan to address discriminatory practices and support people with disabilities.
Some steps we took included:
- Appointing an Executive Sponsor in Jason Tonelli
- Partnering with the Australian Network on Disability (AND) to provide us with expert advice
- Running a Groupe-wide survey for feedback and input
- Functional stakeholder interviews, and focus groups led by AND with our EnABLE Committee
- Providing education and awareness around Global Accessibility month
- Preparing for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration
Who from the agency was involved? How long was the process?
We have a Committee made up of employees across all agencies in ANZ. Kerrie Leary is our Committee Lead, working closely with me and other senior leaders.
This action is ongoing but we have now created our very first Disability Access & Inclusion Plan which will guide us for the next three years at least.
Any useful tips, advice or resources that might help other agencies?
Finding an expert to partner with if you’re not as familiar with the space is incredibly important for credibility and authenticity.
And ask your employees – great ideas can spark from anywhere!
Have you noticed any improvements since implementing this action?
Celebration of events and regular comms in 2023 has already been very well received. We’ll really start to see some exciting change once we kick off our Access & Inclusion Plan in 2024!
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The Create Space Census closes next Tues 28 November, to chart the ad industry’s progress on diversity and inclusion. Jump onto createspacecensus.com to complete the 15-minute survey and join us in making Adland a more inclusive place to work! Click here.
