“I remember I was on a meeting with the Executive Committee, including the Chairman,” shared Miranda Collard, Teleperformance’s Global Chief Client Officer and Co-Chair of TP Women during a recent CSR Talks session on LinkedIn. “Then my youngest daughter plopped down on my lap, right on camera, and she was like, ‘will you braid my hair?’”

The peak of the pandemic had created massive changes that ultimately affected the way we live, communicate, and work. For most women, much of the spotlight was placed on the fact that every day became a juggling act—with work and personal lives colliding, the need for true understanding and empathy only became greater. Going back to Miranda’s story, how did the meeting continue after the Executive Committee briefly witnessed the special request of her daughter? “I said to them, ‘well, this is just going to happen guys,’” Miranda narrated. “And they all giggled and laughed. It’s such a relief that the organization just supported the fact that there are things that I’m going to have to do and there are going to be these little disruptions, and we had a good laugh over that.”

The Teleperformance DNA is rooted in a culture of diversity, equality, and inclusion, allowing us to connect better with one another. Teleperformance has long valued empathy, as it is the fuel that powers true connections. These true connections inspire us to continue strengthening our commitment to achieve gender equality and inclusion in the workplace.

An Ecosystem of Safety and Understanding

TP Women has been amplifying women’s voices, driving a positive change at Teleperformance. Since its inception, TP Women has helped in promoting gender equality, advocating for equal opportunities, and providing safe spaces. Miranda described TP Women as “a consortium of incredible women and allies,” focused on connecting with women and creating an ecosystem of safety and understanding. Over the years, TP Women has taught Miranda that there is beauty and comfort in vulnerability.

Part of building a safe space includes having a support system that encourages learning and shared experiences. “Mentorship has been such an important element of what we do at TP Women, and at Teleperformance,” said Miranda. To further drive equal opportunities and encourage women to reach the top, TP Women supports career development through mentoring schemes that help women get senior positions in the company. Promotions are also tracked by gender to ensure that there is a gender balance, especially in leadership positions. As a result, 30% of the Teleperformance Executive Committee are women, 30% of Teleperformance’s Management Committee are women, and 54% of Teleperformance’s workforce are women.

Sharing Teleperformance’s values surrounding diversity, empathy, and support is Avaya, a technology company that specializes in workstream collaboration solutions. Anna-Marie Crowley, Avaya’s Vice President and Acting Global Head of HR, was Miranda’s guest in CSR Talks. Like Miranda, Anna-Marie believes in the importance of helping fellow women and having a support system, especially during challenging times. “Having women support each other is critically important, and that’s where mentoring comes in,” Anna-Marie mentioned. “(At Avaya,) We’re trying to help women cope and be more resilient, because there are so many requirements of them and there’s that expectation that you can do it all.” On the topic of vulnerability, the two women voiced the same thoughts, with Anna-Marie stating that “it’s never a weakness to be vulnerable.”

Watch Miranda and Anna-Marie discuss how to achieve gender equality in the workplace! Listen to our full CSR Talks session with Miranda and Anna-Marie on LinkedIn today.