Rebecca Perrault has championed DE&I in the professional world for over a decade, partnering with business and nonprofit leaders to help them develop and implement effective diversity and inclusion strategies in their enterprises. Over the years, however, she noticed that a critical piece was missing from many workplace DE&I initiatives: the contingent workforce. Research shows that organizations that invest in DE&I can lead to higher return on investment, higher sales — the list goes on. The inclusion piece is critical to all those benefits, Perrault reasons. “You don’t get those unless you have inclusion. Yet here we are on the contingent side [with] none of those things.”

Perrault was determined to find a way to bring the benefits of DE&I to the contingent workforce. In her role as Pro Unlimited’s VP and global leader of diversity, equity and inclusion, she helped launch Pro Unites, a DE&I solution for the contingent workforce that uses robust data to inform strategy and customize solutions to meet the unique needs of clients. It also gives contingent workers the opportunity to participate in awareness campaigns on gender and racial literacy, training modules about unconscious bias, and facilitated community circles similar to employee research groups that help foster a sense of belonging and inclusion.

"Contingent workers are being left out of the DE&I journey, but knowing that we have the influence to drive such critical change for millions of people globally is very exciting."

According to Perrault, data is extremely important to these DE&I programs. “We not only strive for the highest levels of inclusion in our questions; we take the data to another level with actionable metrics, looking at levers that impact diversity. This includes understanding the demographics of those terminating contracts early. Are we getting women in the door, but then they leave? In addition, who is getting converted to full time or being redeployed within the organization?” Digging deeper into these metrics through focus groups and surveys unearths new opportunities to develop targeted interventions for contingent workers, which in turn creates a greater impact across the organization.

Perrault aims to continue the growth of Pro Unites and expand on a market that she says is in its infancy. “Contingent workers have been left out of the DE&I journey,” she says. “But knowing that we have the influence to drive such critical change for millions of people globally is very exciting.”

2023 DE&I Influencers List