WSP is at its core a people business, and its success is dependent on the ingenuity and expertise of its employees. Our people power everything we do at WSP. Investing in our approximately 55,800 colleagues is more critical today than ever before. COVID-19 has radically shifted expectations around where and how we work. It’s the reason why, of the four strategic foundational pillars set out in our new global strategy, the People & Culture pillar comes first.
Our people are driven by two things: possibility and purpose. They want to be empowered by a flexible and supportive workplace, and they want to make a difference through meaningful work in the community. WSP’s responsibility is two-fold. For our employees, we must provide a fulfilling, inclusive and enabling environment to ensure an exemplary experience with clear paths for career advancement. For our clients, we must strive for the most diverse workforce possible to leverage our collective talent and ensure innovative client delivery.
Can you define the “WSP Way”?
One of WSP’s greatest attributes is the multiplicity of our professionals worldwide, all with different specialties, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Unveiled in the Plan, the WSP Way is a new initiative which aims to harness our purpose, brand and culture to both retain our incredibly diverse cohort of professionals and attract new talent. The initiative will unify and embed the core practices, skills and mindset that are central to WSP’s ethos, via a global curriculum. With the focus on supporting our people as they pursue technical and functional excellence, we believe it will form the foundation for driving a rewarding employee experience and provide a magnet for our employees of the future.
WSP is aiming to create a best-in-class work environment. What does that mean for employees?
With the pandemic, the past two years have been unquestionably challenging, but this unprecedented period also showed us how remote working is both achievable and effective. Going forward, we want to facilitate working routines which reflect this new reality. It is important that we offer our workforce a hybrid working environment, where going to the office is not an obligation but a welcome opportunity to collaborate - and socialize - with colleagues through purposeful meetings. We are reimagining our office spaces away from traditional office desking to multi-use areas that are better suited to fostering the collaboration that is critical to what we do. This is particularly important to allow our emerging professionals to make new connections and tap into the experience of senior team members, while bringing their own ideas and perspectives to the mix.
