The charge for more diversity is constant. But at some point the idea has to take hold, and we’ll start seeing more and more diverse people occupying C-suite offices (virtually or otherwise) across the nation and world. Here are a few companies that are ahead of that curve, and a little about how they got there.
It always seem hardest to find diversity reflected at the top. Please share with us your process of adding diversity to your leadership team.
At Geneva, being “Good Humans” is encouraged from the top down. Part of that is ensuring employees feel comfortable and supported in the workplace and beyond. Our leadership team has fostered a diverse community with employees of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and orientations, creating a culture that is welcoming, supportive, and inclusive in a way that is unheard of in an industry that can be very uniform.
Can you tell us about some of the resultant successes your company has seen?
Diversity at Geneva is evident in our leadership team, our branch managers, and even our operations team members. With over 30% of our leadership team a part of the LGBTQ+ community, they understand the importance of diverse viewpoints and values in the workplace. Because of that effort, Geneva was named a Best Workplace for Women and a Best Workplace for Diversity by Comparably based on reviews from our female and minority team members and their experiences working here at Geneva.
Check Out Geneva Financial’s Careers Page Here!
It always seem hardest to find diversity reflected at the top. Please share with us your process of adding diversity to your leadership team.
Our CEO signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion Pledge, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. One hundred percent of our employees, including senior management and the Board of Directors, are provided training on unconscious bias. And we recently introduced a Diversity Network, our affinity group for historically underrepresented individuals, as a companion group to the Company’s Women’s Network. These groups host events for members and allies throughout the year for the purpose of educating, supporting, and uplifting one another. And we are implementing numerous initiatives to increase diversity across our workforce.
Can you tell us about some of the resultant successes your company has seen?
Veris Residential was Great Place To Work® certified this year—83% of employees said it is a great place to work, compared to the 57% at a typical U.S.-based company. We were also awarded an NJBiz “Best Places to Work” award after a rigorous survey process. Currently, 50% of our employees self-identify as diverse. Gender equality across all levels is one of our key objectives, which is why we reiterated our support to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and have committed to achieving gender equality at the management level by 2025. Women currently represent 40% of our total workforce and 39% of management, and three out of five executive officers are women since April 2022.