好消息！普华永道某地实习项目取消这一限制

来源：四大新鲜事儿据HR Brew报道，普华永道美国改变了Start实习项目的申请人限制。自从美国联邦最高法院发布禁止在教育领域实施基于种族的平权行动的决定以来，许多公司因DE&I项目遭到起诉。2023年平权法案决定发布后，普华永道美国成为反DE&I活动组织America First Legal的目标公司之一。据英国《金融时报》报道，由Stephen Miller领导的该组织表示，普华永道的Start实习和奖学金项目只接受来自代表性不足群体的申请人，这可能是非法的。现在，普华永道改变了Start实习项目的申请人限制。普华永道美国首席人事官Yolanda Seals-Coffield向HR Brew证实，由于最高法院的决定，该公司正在取消Start实习计划中的多样性要求。Start实习生项目面向大学二年级和三年级学生开放，以前仅限于被认定为“传统上代表性不足的少数群体成员”申请，包括基于种族、退伍军人身份或残疾身份的申请人。Seals-Coffield表示，普华永道美国取消了对该项目申请对象的限制，不过，他们仍然鼓励来自代表性不足的群体的个人申请。她还指出，所有申请人都应该表现出对多样性的承诺，无论是通过大学还是高中的活动。根据普华永道的《2023年影响报告》，在2023年，大多数Start实习生被认为是拉丁裔/西班牙裔(44%)、黑人(24%)或两个或两个以上种族(15%)。该报告通过各种多样性指标对实习生进行了细分。高级实习生，即大学高年级学生或毕业生，主要是白人(46%)、亚洲人(21%)、拉丁裔/西班牙裔(15%)和黑人(9%)。英文原版报道如下：Since SCOTUS issued its decision banning race-based affirmative action in education, multiple lawsuits have been filed against companies because of their DE&I programs.PwC, an accounting firm with 46,000 US employees, was one of the companies targeted by anti-DE&I activist group America First Legal in 2023 following the affirmative action decision. The group, led by Stephen Miller, said that PwC’s Start internship and scholarship programs, which only accepted applicants from underrepresented groups, could be illegal, the Financial Times reported.Now, the professional services firm has changed who can apply for its Start internships.What’s happening? PwC Chief People Officer Yolanda Seals-Coffield confirmed to HR Brew that the company is removing the diversity requirement from its Start internship program as a direct result of the SCOTUS decision. She said that the communications, human capital, diversity, and legal teams collaborated on the decision to make the change.The Start intern program, which is open to college sophomores and juniors, was previously limited to applicants who identified as “members of traditionally underrepresented minority groups,” including based on race, veteran status, or disability identity.“We removed the restrictions on who could apply for this internship,” Seals-Coffield said, but clarified that individuals from underrepresented groups are still encouraged to apply. She also noted that all applicants are expected to show a commitment to diversity, whether through their college or high school activities.In 2023, the majority of Start interns identified as Latino/Hispanic (44%), Black (24%), or two or more races (15%), according to PwC’s 2023 impact report, which breaks down the cohort by various diversity metrics. Advance interns, who are either college seniors or graduates, identified as white (46%), Asian (21%), Latino/Hispanic (15%), and Black (9%).While the underrepresented group requirement for Start interns has changed, the company’s commitment to diversity has not, according to Shannon Schuyler, PwC’s US chief purpose and inclusion officer. “We continue to talk about diversity internally, and we’ll continue to talk about it externally,” she said. “We believe that it’s connected to our purpose. It’s connected to our values and our people know that it’s something to look at across our portfolio of what we do within the firm, so absolutely not, it’s nothing that we are shying away from.”Big picture. PwC isn’t on an island with this requirement change. Some companies, such as Pfizer and Comcast, took this step before the affirmative action decision, CNBC reported. Further, several fellowship programs at US law firms, including Morrison & Foerester and Perkins Coie, removed their underrepresented groups requirement from their fellowship programs after they were targeted by similar groups to America First, according to Bloomberg.With intensifying political and legal debates surrounding DE&I, legal teams will likely be more involved in DE&I initiatives and language moving forward, HR Brew previously reported.推荐您看看《舞弊审计实务指南》由具有二十余年多行业审计实践、中国企业财务管理协会特约内控课程设计专家、跨国集团审计副总裁胡顺淙老师倾情打造。作者以深入浅出的方式来介绍舞弊审计的思路与实操方法，并辅以案例解析，带领读者透视舞弊，掌握鲜为人知的舞弊审计实战技巧。