Customer success story

Expanding ED&I in the Contingent Workforce for a Global Environmental Services Company

Comensura collaborated with a pioneering company dedicated to environmental sustainability and combating climate change, helping to expand its ED&I strategy across its contingent workforce over a six-year partnership.

Talk to our team View results

Impact at a glance

Helping underrepresented groups find meaningful work within the contingent workforce. Extending ED&I success from permanent headcount into contingent hiring.

ED&I expansion

Diversity hiring extended into the contingent workforce

220,000+

Global employees

50+

Ukrainian refugees employed

80%

Of over-55s want their role made permanent

92%

Of female respondents feel included and safe

Programme impact: Comensura helped the client expand its ED&I strategy into the contingent workforce, supporting underrepresented groups into meaningful employment.

EnvironmentalIndustry

220,000+Employees

UKRegion supported

The Situation

A global environmental services company needed to extend its ED&I success into its contingent workforce.

A global environmental services company

The client offers solutions that create a more sustainable environment and help fight climate change. They are part of a worldwide group of over 163,000 employees, designing and providing water, waste and energy management solutions to support the sustainable development of communities and industries.

A six-year contingent workforce partnership

Comensura has managed the client's contingent workforce through an MSP for the last six years, building an ongoing relationship across their recruitment needs.

Proven success in permanent ED&I hiring

The client wanted to build on its successful ED&I hiring within its permanent headcount by extending the same focus to underrepresented groups across its contingent workforce.

Client profile

£37 billion

Annual revenue across the client's global group of over 220,000 employees.

Partnership

6 years

Length of Comensura's ongoing contingent workforce MSP partnership with the client.

The Challenge

Reaching underrepresented groups to diversify the contingent workforce.

The client wanted to attract quality applicants with a higher number of women, over-55s, and Ukrainian refugees, while also offering opportunities to candidates from underrepresented groups in need of additional support, primarily ex-offenders leaving prison. Their goals were to grow both the female and over-55 contingent workforce by 10%, find work for 50 Ukrainian refugees, and reach other niche and minority groups.

Supporting Ukrainian refugees

Playing a part in finding meaningful employment for Ukrainian refugees relocated to the UK following the war, with a goal of finding work for 50 individuals.

Opportunities for ex-offenders

Offering opportunities to ex-offenders leaving prison and in need of employment, helping reduce barriers to re-entering the workforce.

Retaining talent aged over 55

Growing the over-55 contingent workforce by 10%, recognising a group that is typically under-represented in the sector.

Women in a male-dominated sector

Increasing the female contingent workforce by 10%, in a waste sector that has historically been male-orientated.

The Solution

A series of targeted initiatives to reach underrepresented groups.

Comensura worked with the client on a number of new initiatives targeting a range of underrepresented groups, to attract a more diverse workforce and ensure all contingent vacancies were filled.

01 Jobs for Ukraine +

The client joined Vertage's Jobs for Ukraine scheme in 2023, working with a dedicated Comensura recruiter to find suitable candidates, while making operational changes such as revising English fluency policy, adjusting role criteria, identifying five role types that don't require English fluency, and translating key documents like Health and Safety to Ukrainian as standard.

02 Ex-offenders' initiative +

Leveraging Vertage's network of prison contacts, Comensura began working with a number of prisons to create more employment opportunities for ex-offenders and help reduce re-offending rates, running "Work Events" to promote the benefits of working with the client, followed by face-to-face interviews to understand skills and availability.

03 Over 55's +

Comensura worked with the client to clearly communicate where vacancies would offer meaningful employment and relevant benefits to over-55s, including flexibility, convenience and opportunities for progression.

04 Women in waste +

A Comensura Business Partner, Sarnj, volunteered to spend a day working hands-on in a role with the client, to prove women can do the job just as well and to be better equipped to talk to female candidates about what the role is really like, breaking misconceptions about working in the waste sector.

Results

Growing diversity and inclusion across the contingent workforce.

The partnership helped the client make real progress against its ED&I goals, from placing Ukrainian refugees into meaningful work to building a clearer picture of its contingent workforce's diversity and inclusion experience.

Ukrainian employment

23 of a 50-person target already placed

Prison partnerships

Including HMP Drake Hall's Reducing Re-Offending Team

Over-55 retention

80% would like their role made permanent

Female inclusion

92% feel the client offers a safe, inclusive platform

Progress on Jobs for Ukraine

30 suitable candidates have been identified and 23 are already working in the business, putting the client on track to meet its goal of 50 placements by the end of 2023.

Growing prison partnerships

Significant partnerships are now in place with prisons, including HMP Drake Hall, where the Reducing Re-Offending Team works closely with offender management and partner agencies on education, training and employment.

Insight into the over-55 workforce

Research found over a third of the contingent workforce was over 50, with shift flexibility and pension top-ups cited as key reasons for working with the client, and 80% said they would like their role made permanent.

Building female representation

20% of respondents were female — a growing presence whose feedback will shape future recruitment marketing — and 92% felt the client offers a safe, inclusive and equal platform to thrive, with shift flexibility, pay and reputation the leading draws.

Book a discovery call with
our workforce experts.

Talk to our team →

Solutions

About Us

Discover the latest news and insights