Hiring for Success with EY: Performance and Inclusivity in Talent Management

Alternatively, read the full transcript below:

Eleonora:
Hello everyone, and welcome. I'm Eleonora Makarouna, an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist at Bryq. Today, we're exploring how companies can make smarter, more successful talent decisions that drive performance and, just as importantly, build inclusive workplaces. And who better to join me than two incredible professionals from EY?

First, we have Eleni Zarkada, a fellow psychologist dedicated to transforming talent through learning and development initiatives. Joining her is Andrianos Karagiannis, an Associate Director of Talent Attraction and Acquisition at EY, with extensive expertise in attracting and retaining top talent. Rather than summarizing their incredible work myself, I'll let them speak directly. Eleni, could you start by sharing a bit about your role and experience at EY?

Eleni Zarkada:
Hello everyone, I'm Eleni Zarkada. My background is in psychology, and I've spent the last five years with EY Greece. Over the past year, I’ve been leading the talent development team, where we focus on employee learning, wellbeing, and overall engagement to help our people thrive. Under this umbrella, we also address diversity, equity, and inclusion—commonly known as DEI.

Andrianos Karagiannis:
Great, it's my turn now! Thank you very much, Eleonora, for the invitation. I'm Andrianos. My background is in business administration and human resource management. For the last 11 years, I’ve been actively involved in talent attraction and acquisition. For the last 6 years, I’ve worked at EY, where I lead talent attraction and acquisition efforts.

Eleonora:
Wonderful. Thank you both, you did an amazing job introducing yourselves. Let’s dive right in. Andrianos, hiring is obviously key to finding great talent. Could you walk us through how you approach hiring at EY? What does the process look like?

Andrianos Karagiannis:
Great question. At EY Greece, our hiring process is divided into four major steps: attraction, sourcing, selection, and pre-boarding. We use a range of methods to attract a diverse pool of talent, including outreach programs, internships, and partnerships with diverse organizations and educational institutions. The process is designed to be both thorough and inclusive, beginning with an online assessment that evaluates personality and technical skills. This is followed by virtual and in-person interviews with HR and hiring managers.

We place a strong emphasis on skills-based hiring to ensure candidates are evaluated based on their competencies and potential. This helps us build a fair and structured process to identify the best talent.

Eleonora:
And you touched on this a bit, but are there specific steps you take to ensure diversity and inclusivity are part of this process?

Andrianos Karagiannis:
Absolutely. At EY Greece, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce, and we've even been recognized as the Best Workplace for Women in Hellas in 2024. We’ve also signed the United Nations’ Women's Empowerment Principles. Among our initiatives, we ensure that inclusive practices are followed throughout our hiring process. This includes using diverse sourcing channels, implementing unbiased screening practices, and training hiring managers on unconscious bias—all aimed at ensuring candidates from diverse backgrounds are not overlooked.

Eleonora:
That makes total sense. Eleni, it's clear that EY goes beyond just hiring. How do you and your team support employee growth and development once they are onboard?

Eleni Zarkada:
Absolutely. At EY, learning is central to our employees' experience. We offer a variety of opportunities—from on-the-job learning and shadowing to organized classroom training and e-learning available for all employees at every rank and in every service line. We also support growth through our performance management system and employee listening tools, like focus groups and surveys, to ensure two-way communication where we listen to and respond to employee needs.

Eleonora:
So, are there specific practices in place to ensure everyone has a fair chance at growth?

Eleni Zarkada:
Yes, absolutely. It’s embedded in our culture. We have clear policies, such as those against harassment and bullying, and we also use key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics. But beyond policies, it’s about embedding inclusion and belonging into our everyday work practices.

Eleonora:
That’s wonderful. Andriane, let’s switch topics to data. Data can be a game-changer in hiring, especially when it comes to reducing bias. How does data factor into your hiring decisions at EY?

Andrianos Karagiannis:
We definitely use data, but we’re conscious of its limitations. Our trained team members translate data into meaningful insights, always prioritizing an inclusive culture. We use data analytics to track various metrics throughout the hiring process, such as diversity within our candidate pool, the effectiveness of sourcing channels, and outcomes of hiring decisions. This allows us to identify biases and make data-driven decisions to ensure fairness.

Eleonora:
And when it comes to learning and development, Eleni, how do you ensure programs are effective for employees from diverse backgrounds?

Eleni Zarkada:
Belonging and inclusion are integral to our values. From day one, we present our culture to new joiners and ensure that they understand the importance of these values. Teams are prepared to welcome diverse perspectives, knowing that differences bring innovation and make teams more productive. This starts with our values and ensures that everyone is included in every aspect—from training to decision-making.

Eleonora:
It all comes down to culture. Now, let’s address a common debate. Some think that performance and DEI goals are at odds with each other, while others do not. Andriane, in your experience, have you seen better DEI decisions lead to better hiring outcomes?

Andrianos Karagiannis:
That’s a great question. At EY Greece, we’ve seen firsthand that focusing on both performance and DEI leads to better outcomes. For example, our EY Badges program promotes continuous learning and inclusiveness, helping us attract and retain top talent from diverse backgrounds. Our commitment to diversity helps us build more innovative teams and create better performance outcomes.

Eleonora:
Eleni, can you share your perspective on DEI initiatives and retention? How do these initiatives help keep top performers?

Eleni Zarkada:
When employees feel valued and listened to, they are more likely to stay. We conduct regular pulse surveys and organize focus groups on topics like well-being and inclusion to understand their needs. We’ve also introduced the EY Champions Network, where employees can become champions for initiatives like female leadership or neurodiversity. We make sure employees feel appreciated and included, which helps with retention.

Eleonora:
That makes a lot of sense. Now, an open question to both of you: what are some key metrics or KPIs that you use to measure success in talent acquisition and learning and development?

Eleni Zarkada:
We use pulse surveys to measure how much employees feel included and how freely they can be themselves. We share these insights with business leaders to drive action. We also track metrics like gender, age, and generation while respecting GDPR guidelines. When it comes to promotions, we strive to ensure female representation at decision-making levels.

Andrianos Karagiannis:
In talent attraction, we monitor our recruiting funnel—job applications, interviews, offers, and hires. We also track our participation in career events and the effectiveness of our sourcing channels. Feedback from both hiring managers and candidates is crucial for our continuous improvement. We also use a global DEI tracker to measure gender diversity at all levels, ensuring we’re making progress.

Eleonora:
It sounds like a well-rounded process. This conversation has been a real pleasure. Thank you both for sharing your insights on talent acquisition, L&D, performance, and DEI. Keep up the great work!

Eleni Zarkada:
Thank you, Eleonora.

Andrianos Karagiannis:
Thank you very much.