SKOL

SKOL, The Finnish Association of Consulting Firms, is the industry and employers' organization for independent consulting firms. The Association represents 150 member companies in design, consulting engineering, and architecture, employing around 19,000 people in Finland. SKOL promotes professional, independent, sustainable, and ethical design and consulting engineering, which provides the best value to the Client organisations.

Building the foundation for Finland’s best employee experience

In the autumn of 2024, SKOL launched a large-scale development project to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion as a strategic priority across the industry. The project ultimately focused on laying the foundation for the industry to deliver Finland’s best employee experience. SKOL contacted deidei as they wanted to take an ambitious, data-driven, and strategic approach to the work right from the start.

“We chose deidei because they demonstrated a strong understanding of our needs around DEI work and presented a clear, consistent plan for implementation. The project design also thoughtfully included member company involvement at every stage. deidei also took an inclusive and collaborative approach in working with SKOL. Our perspectives and feedback were genuinely considered, and adjustments were made whenever necessary. The timeline was clear, and we were consistently kept informed of the project's progress.”  Anastasia Buhanist Specialist, Communications, SKOL

Our collaboration focused on three main phases:

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1. Operating Environment Analysis

A report examining key social responsibility legislation, the current industry landscape, its challenges, opportunities, and risks, as well as the potential value of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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2. Maturity Assessment for Member Companies

Mapping how far each member company has progressed in building inclusive practices and providing actionable and data-backed recommendations tailored to companies at different levels of their inclusion journey.

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3. DEI Strategy for 2025-2030

Building a comprehensive, yet clear and practical strategy, goals, and metrics that reflect the needs and ambitions of the industry as a whole.

🔍 Spotlight: Maturity Assessment for Member Companies

In the second phase, we surveyed SKOL’s member companies to explore how inclusion is currently being developed. The goal of the assessment was two-fold: first, to gain a clear understanding of the strengths, challenges, and areas for improvement, and second, to provide actionable, tailored recommendations that help companies advance their inclusion development.

To ensure the recommendations were practical and relevant, they were tailored to four distinct maturity levels and three company size groups. This approach allowed each company to receive targeted, actionable insights that aligned with their current stage of development and organizational needs.

Key findings included:

• 61% had already integrated social responsibility or inclusion into their strategy

• 70% saw inclusive practices as key to attracting new talent

• 42% had developed more inclusive recruitment processes

• 36% were already offering services or products where inclusion is embedded

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The results showed a strong foundation and willingness across the sector to evolve, also highlighting the need for more systematic and long-term development. With practical tools, data-driven insights, and a shared strategy in place, the industry is now well-positioned to take concrete next steps, both as individual companies and as an industry.