By: Bruna Dias
Transition from Family Company to DE&I Leader
Emdia, a financial company specialized in debt collection, faced a significant challenge when starting the transition from a family organization to an affiliate of one of the largest financial groups in the country. This process required adapting to the group's rigorous diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) guidelines, without compromising its essence and dynamism. To tackle this challenge, Emida sought the expertise of PlurieBR, a real-time data platform specialized in DE&I, in the second quarter of 2022, becoming one of the first companies to join its customer community.
Objectives and Needs
The main objective of Emdia was to structure a DE&I program from scratch, adapting to the culture of the financial group while maintaining its high potential for diversity, due to its history as the first job and starting point in the careers of many professionals. The urgent need was to create a strategy that met international corporate standards and at the same time valued the individuality and diversity of its employees.
Strategy and Implementation
PlurieBR adopted a holistic and adaptable approach, starting with a comprehensive diagnosis of the company's demographics and its DE&I maturity stage. Based on this analysis, a customized action plan was developed, which included the formation of a Diversity Committee and the conduct of sensitization and literacy focused on the culture of inclusion and belonging.
“We see with this work done in partnership with EmDia that, when the company commits to a data-based DE&I journey and a targeted action plan, the positive results are reflected in the key business indicators.” – Laura Salles, CEO of PlurieBR
One of the keys to success was the use of real-time data from the PlurieBR platform, allowing agile adjustments to the strategies as needed, ensuring the maximum effectiveness of the implemented actions. This flexibility allowed EmDia not only to achieve, but to exceed its diversity and inclusion goals.
Exceptional Results
In just two years of partnership with PlurieBR, EmDia experienced remarkable growth, expanding its team from just over 2,000 to 3,600 employees. This increase was accompanied by a significant improvement in the company's demographic composition:
48.74% Black individuals
56.1% women (with 59.7% being Black women)
43.9% men (with 50.5% being Black men)
19% LGBTQIA+ individuals
This diversity was maintained at all hierarchical levels, especially in middle management. Furthermore, the company progressed from level 1 to level 3 (70.5%) in its DE&I maturity journey, with 82.2% of employees stating that Em Dia has been doing exceptional work in the development of diversity and inclusion. The Diversity Committee, supported by PlurieBR, evolved and became a fundamental pillar in EmDia's organizational culture.
“The greatest benefit we identified with the PlurieBR partnership was undoubtedly the literacy of our people. Every day we are certain that we are treading the right path, with many exchanges and learnings.” – Solange Campos
PlurieBR fostered ongoing engagement with DE&I topics through monthly sessions, resulting in active participation from over 100 employees, demonstrating the company's commitment to these issues. Currently, after nearly two years of collaborative efforts, EmDia is recognized as one of the affiliated companies of the financial group with the best performance in diversity and inclusion, a testimony to the positive impact of an effective strategic partnership with PlurieBR.
“We gained strength and clarity through literacy and visibility with our program within Banco Santander and with hiring clients, such as the company Sem Parar and Carrefour, including mentoring for some companies.” – Simone Dias
