Fidelity Investments Ireland has been awarded the Gold Investors in Diversity EDI Mark accreditation by the Irish Centre for Diversity. The award is in recognition of its commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI ) across the organisation.
Fidelity’s Gold Award was granted for its performance across multiple areas including having a diverse and inclusive leadership, policies, procedures, recruitment processes, talent retention and development, as well as being an external voice for the promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion in Ireland. Over the past year, Fidelity has provided a range of evidence across these areas leading to the Gold Award, following its Bronze accreditation in 2021, and Silver in 2022
Among these policies included a learning curriculum promoting EDI within the organisation, under which all leaders complete a comprehensive three-year learning curriculum focused on EDI which covers inclusive behaviours and activating allyship in daily activities. Together with this, all Ireland leaders complete annual inclusive and respectful workplace training to ensure they hold each other accountable as leaders within the Ireland business.
Affinity groups supporting the development of an inclusive culture
Another key aspect was the Affinity Groups, of which Fidelity has eight established in Ireland. These groups are a combination of employee resource groups and special interest groups. Fidelity has an affinity group programme in place which includes the formation criteria of an affinity group, membership, governance and available resources. Resources include facilities for onsite events, access to external support, networking opportunities, executive sponsorship, as well as support from communications experts. The well-represented activities and a variety of resources provided by the affinity groups greatly support the development of an inclusive culture. Currently, three-quarters of Fidelity’s employees in Ireland are members of an affinity group.
Creating an inclusive hiring environment
Fidelity’s recruitment process was also key in the accreditation process. All hiring managers and interviewers complete mandatory ‘hiring for success’ training which has a strong focus on interrupting unconscious bias as part of the recruitment process. As part of promoting inclusive hiring processes, Fidelity uses artificial intelligence tool to maintain a commitment to diverse candidate slates and diverse interview panels, as well as an established accommodations contact for candidates and investments in accessibility infrastructure such as wheelchair accessibility, hearing loops and braille signage in the workplace.
Leading in diversity
The Gold Investors in Diversity EDI Mark accreditation is the highest level awarded by the Irish Centre for Diversity and is given to organisations who are leading in equality, diversity and inclusion across Ireland. The award of the Gold mark reflects the significant time and effort invested by Fidelity in strengthening its policies and culture across the organisation over the past several years, and comes after Fidelity received the following rewards in 2023:
GradIreland Awards 2023 - Diversity Recruitment Award
Women in STEM Awards 2023 - STEM Employer of the Year
IBEC Technology Ireland Awards 2023 - Women in Tech Initiative
Regional Chair of Fidelity Investments Lorna Martyn said they are delighted to receive the Investors in Diversity Gold award recognising the inclusive culture where diversity is valued.
“We have a robust strategy in place to continuously sense, learn, and adapt to ensure our environment and practices continuously evolve to attract, develop and retain a diverse workforce. This benchmark recognises the ongoing positive impact of our affinity groups, our focus on education, employee benefits and the many initiatives focused on belonging and ensuring we can bring our full selves to work.
While this is an incredible milestone, we are conscious that it is an ongoing learning journey which requires continued focus, action and robust investment to sustain and evolve.”
Caroline Cummins, managing director, Irish Centre for Diversity said Fidelity’s assessment featured a wealth of evidence that demonstrates an organisation making every effort to foster a workplace culture that is rich in inclusion and belonging. Leading by example, the senior team engages in continuous education to ensure the cultivation of diversity and inclusion best practices.
“The resourcing of affinity groups is a further strength. Colleagues have easy access to a range of well-considered and well-presented tools which is helping to drive engagement with the groups that support the development of an inclusive culture. An exceptionally high standard of recruitment practices is at the forefront.
“These include (and are not limited to ) measures taken to ensure fairness in hiring methods; comprehensive initiatives to support the progression of women and the business is enriched by alternative routes-to-entry opportunities that strengthen socioeconomic diversity. Very well done to everyone at Fidelity and we look forward to sharing more of your journey of continuous improvement.”
