Regions.com
Regions Bank has joined the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, the largest CEO-driven coalition to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Regions joins more than 600 of the world’s leading companies and organizations that have agreed to implement the pledge in their workplaces and to support other companies in doing the same.
Diversity and inclusion advancement is a priority for Regions as it works toward building the best team, one of the bank’s strategic initiatives. When employees perceive their employer supports diversity practices and they feel included, they have increased engagement at work, according to research published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Increased job satisfaction and knowledge sharing amongst employees have been found in workplaces with inclusive cultures, according to 2016 peer-reviewed research.
“The best teams are diverse and inclusive teams. Signing the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge is another way to show Regions is committed to its strategy to build the best team,” President and CEO John Turner said. “Diversity and inclusion are not only fundamental to our corporate strategy; Regions truly values and benefits from the diversity of its associates, customers and the communities we serve.”
The CEO Action coalition represents more than 85 industries, all 50 U.S. states and millions of employees globally. CEO Action signatories have pledged to three core commitments:
- Continue to cultivate a workplace that supports open dialogue on diversity and inclusion
- Implement and expand unconscious bias educational trainings
- Share best practices – and lessons learned – with the collective business community
Regions’ strategic focus on ideating and implementing diversity and inclusion programs, initiatives and activities spans over a decade. With the addition of Clara Green, head of Diversity and Inclusion, in 2018, efforts have amplified. Some of the highlights over the past year include:
Launching Regions’ first Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Center of Expertise to further the bank’s diversity and inclusion efforts:
- Introducing a D&I commitment statement to clarify the bank’s efforts to build a diversity and inclusion framework
- Developing a new landing page featuring D&I resources and information, accessible to all associates via intranet
- Instituting new associate e-learning courses which educate associates company-wide on the importance of D&I and awareness of unconscious bias
- Enhancing the Regions Diversity Network, with plans to form new chapters across the footprint in 2019
“Regions’ commitment to diversity and inclusion is fully supported by our CEO and Executive Leadership team, and signing the CEO Action pledge is a natural outgrowth of that commitment,” said Green. “The primary focus areas of our Diversity and Inclusion Center of Expertise include creating a culture of inclusion and belonging, and recruiting and retaining diverse talent. We’re very proud of the foundation that we’ve laid, but we know there is more work to be done. Our team is empowered to achieve all goals set forth to help build a bank for all.”
At Regions, diversity goes beyond race and gender to encompass age, ethnicity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious beliefs, marital status and other dimensions that make each of us unique. Regions’ approach to inclusion is to make sure that everyone has a seat at the table and importantly, an opportunity to be heard. For more information, visit www.regions.com.
About CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion
CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Bringing together more than 600 CEOs of America’s leading organizations, the commitment outlines actions that participating companies pledge to take to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected, employees feel comfortable and encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion, and where best known—and unsuccessful—actions can be shared across organizations. Learn more at CEOAction.com and connect with us on Instagram: @CEO_Action and Twitter: @CEOAction.
