Harnessing the power of a diverse workforce

October is a particularly busy month at Conduent as we celebrate Customer Service Week, Global Diversity Awareness month, and Hispanic Heritage month, all of which have one thing in common. They all celebrate our global, diverse workforce and underscore the importance

of embracing unique and varied perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, and ideas to drive better outcomes for our clients and our company. For us at Conduent, and for most global organizations today, a diverse workforce is a given. With associates in more than 20 countries and nearly 60% women, our teams represent multiple cultures, races, and ethnicities, backgrounds, characteristics and experiences, bringing a varied set of beliefs and differing points of views. For us, however, simply having a diverse set of voices at the table is not enough. It's our constant focus on harnessing the power of our diversity, and our focus on an inclusive culture, that shapes our DE&I agenda and leads to higher performing teams - teams that, in turn, deliver exceptional service to our clients. In fact, it's this commitment and focus that has helped us earn the recognition in the Forbes' Best Employers for Diversity list for four years in a row and continues to guide our work.

Building trust through open communication
At a time where DEI has become increasingly polarized, it's more important than ever for us to stay rooted in our core values and foster a culture that promotes respect, open dialogue, psychological safety and trust; a workplace where people feel safe expressing themselves freely, and where ideas are valued, heard and leveraged. Through our eight employee impact groups, and through various communication events throughout the year, we continually set a tone of honest discourse on topics that matter to our associates. This year, for example, we hosted a poignant conversation on disability inclusion in the workplace with our chairman of the board Scott Letier and CEO Cliff Skelton, both of whom are parents to children with disabilities. Earlier this year, our CHRO Chris Kujawa hosted a candid discussion shedding light on the importance of practicing intentional inclusion in the workplace and beyond, featuring panelists from diverse backgrounds within our organization, and most recently we invited Fabrice Houdart, an active influencer in the corporate world, to share his perspective on parenting as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Opening up conversations such as these and being able to demonstrate vulnerability at the leadership level is not only fundamental to creating an environment of trust and transparency, but also leads to new ideas and feedback from our associates that help shape our DE&I agenda.

Making cultural differences a learning opportunity
At Conduent, almost all our project teams and client service teams span multiple geographies. Working across cultures is embedded into the way we work and operate. Through learning pathways that are made available to all associates, we focus on education about different cultural norms, customs, and communication styles to ensure everyone feels included and is able to bring their best ideas to the table. In fact, for Global Diversity Awareness month, we shared cultural traditions, practices, and holidays from around the world on our internal social platform. This focus on effective multicultural teams, with unique experiences and backgrounds, breeds innovative thinking and helps us put forth the best solutions for our clients.

Professional development and mentorship
Another key focus for us is ensuring traditionally underrepresented groups have opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and advancement. Our Women's Impact Network mentoring program, now in its third year, is aimed at supporting participating associates in their personal and professional development by pairing them with mentors across the organization. We are also providing external leadership development opportunities for ethnically diverse associates as well as partnering with the Thirty Percent Club to provide mentorship opportunities with mentors from other leading companies in the corporate world. Professional development is a key pillar within our employee impact groups, with each group organizing learning events that best cater to the needs of its members.

While there will always be more work to do in the DEI space, we celebrate the small wins with every step forward. We are proud to be named to the Forbes' Best Employers for Diversity list for the 4th consecutive year in 2024 - a recognition that validates our progress but also challenges us to continue raising the bar and advancing this important work. Social change ebbs and flows - and takes time. We remain committed to our efforts and doing our part at Conduent.