Looking for a job where you feel safe and secure being yourself can often feel like a daunting task – how do you really know if an employer really comes as advertised? Luckily we’re living in a time when many industries are making diversity and inclusion at work a top priority. Here at QueerTech, we’ve partnered with a variety of companies that have set shining examples with their commitment to making workplaces a safe place for Queer people. One company that’s working hard to blaze the way as a leader in diversity is RBC.
Building a diverse workforce
At RBC, the leadership team believes that inclusive hiring is an important way to build a diverse workforce that will reflect the communities in which they live and work, from the ground up. Diversity underpins the culture at RBC, helping the bank drive innovation and growth and fueling their ability to create value for their clients and communities.
Vlada Hans started working at RBC in 2015 as a client advisor. As a trans woman, she says that it has always been easy for her to be open about her identity because diversity and inclusion are a part of RBC’s DNA. Not only does the bank have an Employee Resource Group (ERG) dedicated to its 2SLGBTQ+ employees, it is also actively working to recruit new talent from the community. That’s why, when she had an opportunity to progress her career forward, Vlada was eager to take up the role of 2SLGBTQ+ lead in the Inclusive Recruitment department.
Trickle down diversity
As an inclusive recruitment associate, Vlada is responsible for ensuring that RBC continues to hire individuals from the 2SLGBTQ+ community. She frequently develops shortlists of diverse hiring candidates from the applicant pool, but she also uses a variety of tools like social media, guest speaking engagements, and referrals to proactively discover and introduce new talent. As a testament to RBC’s commitment to diversity, Vlada also explains that she’s not just going out into the community and recruiting students and entry-level employees, she also has a voice in recruiting higher-level associates as well.
This is an important level of commitment to diversity because, although an ERG usually has some form of direct contact with management, truly inclusive policy making comes from management that understands the lived experiences of the communities they work with and for.
Intersectional hiring
Vlada’s role in RBC is an important part of making sure that the company understands the 2SLGBTQ+ community and she’s proud of the fact that she gets to help others with their careers. Part of helping foster diversity, though, is embracing intersectionality. RBC has recruitment associates for all kinds of diverse communities, and one of Vlada’s most exciting opportunities to date was to collaborate with the BIPOC recruitment associate to host a recruitment event specifically engaging with the BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ community.
The folks in our community who live at the intersection of other marginalized communities are often the most vulnerable and underserved. “By hosting this event,” Vlada says, “I wanted to highlight BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ talent and help individuals find jobs they deserve.”
We believe that RBC is a safe place to work, and they demonstrate this fact by forming ERGs, and by actively recruiting 2SLGBTQ+ talent at every level of their organization. You can find job postings from RBC and other inclusive companies on our Job Board, or join us for our Qareers Job Fair to meet personally with recruiters from our partner organizations.