RiskSpan’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative
RSOne Vision
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion has been a recent focus of RiskSpan as of early 2021, and Managing Director Christabel James has led the effort. She works closely with RiskSpan’s executive team to initiate and build out RSOne DEI strategies. Christabel has established a mentoring program and organized a number of team building events. She is also active in coordinating and attending events geared towards women in finance.
Formal Mentorship Programs
- Open to all employees companywide
- One on one conversations with team members to understand their personal and career aspirations and match them to a mentor
- Guide executive and management team on mentorship community
- Heavily promote reverse mentoring
- Created and shared guides with both mentors and mentees providing guidance on the program
Engagement
- Implement DEI Images for laptop screensavers
- Host competitions with the goal of raising awareness
- Initiate and share results of survey along with action items
Observances
- Established Juneteenth as a corporate holiday
- Regular companywide communication drawing attention to a DEI resources
Women’s Employee Resource Group (ERG)
- Established ERG to support and encourage the women in the firm
- Established a women’s forum and schedule individual conversations with junior staff
- Hosted female’s get together which included women at all levels from associate analysts to CEO
Industry DEI Committees and Events
- RiskSpan is an active contributor to the Structured Finance Association’s DEI Toolkit Initiative, which provides guidance and resources on best practices related to DEI. SFA’s Toolkit includes a combination of video interviews, member-written blogs, articles, podcasts, and member-firm submitted resources centered around diversity recruitment.
- Participated in the Virtual National Diversity and Leadership Conference 2021
Training Framework
- Available to anyone seeking assistance with certifications and customized training programs
- Built a framework for team to take advantage of courses included as part of memberships for free or a reduced cost
- RS Portal integration was initiated
What Is Your DEI Strategy?
Inclusive Recruitment
Christabel James | DEI Lead, RiskSpan
Companies that have implemented intentional diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and strategies have not only a great and inclusive corporate culture, but also increased employee retention, productivity, quality of decision making – all of which positively impact the bottom-line.
Building a strong, diverse, and inclusive culture starts with recruitment, the beginning of the employee life cycle.
What does it mean to be inclusive in recruitment? Why is inclusive recruitment important? How can we proactively implement inclusive recruitment practices? Read on to find out how inclusive recruitment cannot only strengthen you DEI policies but be a powerful tool that helps shape the culture, the bottom line, and perceived value of the company.
What is inclusive recruitment?
While it seems like machines are replacing most jobs, people continue to be an organization’s most valuable asset. There is not denying that the quality of a company’s human resources, and their active engagement, continues to drive business performance. Research from Gallup has shown that disengaged employees cost companies $450-to-$550 billion in lost productivity annually. Given, this, recruitment is the first step to attracting bright and diverse talent, encouraging not only diversity but also increased engagement and inclusiveness.
Inclusive recruitment recognizes that diverse talent exists and employs practical, intentional tools to not only attract, but also level the playing field for this talent and in the process removes unconscious biases and discriminations that plague traditional processes. Inclusive recruitment ensures that candidates are hired based on their skills, abilities, and expertise, and not based on their characteristics or background.
Why is inclusive recruitment important?
It’s no surprise that hiring a diverse workforce that brings in potentially diverse thought leadership is critical in today’s competitive business landscape. While companies are bound by law to treat every candidate equally, what is also important for businesses is the impact that their corporate culture has on the branding of their organization. A company whose culture emphasizes diversity and inclusion signals greater acceptance of diverse talent, thereby attracting a larger, more diverse talent pool, all of which positively impact not only the company’s bottom-line, but also, its reputation. According to Pew Research Center, millennials are the largest generation in the US workforce and in a research by the Read More