Sector News

How to ensure you have an inclusive workplace

November 29, 2017
Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity is an essential part of all organisations. It brings different ideas, different thoughts and different strategies to the table, be that at the top of the organisation or right down at the junior levels.

While having a diverse workforce is vital, it’s not as important as inclusion, according to Mitchell Cash, director of talent acquisition, development and inclusion at Fidelity Investments Ireland.

Cash said that inclusion allows employees to bring their “full selves” to work. This has become especially important as the line between professional and personal lives becomes more blurred.

“Asking someone to park their persona at the door is effectively leaving some of their skillset at the door,” he said.

Different demographics over the years have faced different challenges, which can make them more resilient to certain things, or help them develop stronger skills in negotiation. These are excellent skills to have for certain roles and they are also very much a part of the person themselves.

Fidelity Investments Ireland works hard to ensure diversity and inclusion is a key focus throughout its recruitment process.

“We invest a lot of effort and time into making sure that anyone in the recruitment process has their unconscious bias training badge,” said Cash. “That makes sure that they understand the reasons for why we put time and effort into it as well as keep themselves honest in the decisions that they’re making.”

Fidelity also runs events to encourage diversity and, importantly, it runs those events for all of its associates, not just for certain members.

“We’ve also engaged with our women’s leadership group to put together a maternity buddy programme, and that’s essentially geared to help Fidelity mothers come back into the workforce after a significant break,” said Cash.

At Fidelity, it’s not just about working internally with its own employees, but about reaching out to the wider community.

Cash said that Fidelity has a number of different projects, from small to large. He added that there’s nothing better than 300 people in Fidelity T-shirts ready to turn a field into a sensory garden or a wheelchair-accessible park.

By Jenny Darmody

Source: siliconrepublic

comments closed

Related News

March 31, 2023

Women Matter, Spain: Women are still far from top corporate-leadership positions

Diversity & Inclusion

Women are well represented in the country’s workforce but are relatively scarce at the top—and that won’t change anytime soon given current promotion trends. There has been almost no growth in the representation of women in top roles during the past two years. Despite the efforts of companies to develop policies that promote equal opportunity, Spain’s glass ceiling apparently won’t shatter anytime soon.

March 25, 2023

Why communicating organizational identity is the first step to get belonging right in the workplace

Diversity & Inclusion

How can leaders integrate belonging into DEI strategies without overreaching or using problematic rhetoric? The answer begins, like so much of DEI work, with getting clear about what exactly you mean by belonging, and articulating your organizational identity—what you do, and how you expect your team to do it.

March 19, 2023

The gender pay gap hasn’t changed in 20 years — here’s what it’ll take, according to Chief members

Diversity & Inclusion

It’s been nearly 60 years since the Equal Pay Act, and while women have made major strides both in the workforce and in higher education, the gains are far from equitable. In honor of Equal Pay Day, four Chief Members share the barriers women face when it comes to earning fair pay, and the policies and practices leaders should implement now to really move the needle forward.

How can we help you?

We're easy to reach