Very paramount to structure, commitment, culture and regulatory compliance is the issue of Diversity & Inclusion. We pride ourselves in being an equal opportunity Employer and have integrated Diversity policies and awareness into our practices.
The following are highlights of some of the areas that we have incorporated this:
- The Bank has a diversity team responsible for ensuring the Bank has a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace with opportunity for the talents of all employees to create value, deliver a superior client experience and develop innovative solutions for the markets and the communities we serve. In the team, we have a visually impaired staff of the Bank as one of our Diversity Champions (key driver of diversity initiatives). We have also set aside a Diversity & Inclusion Day to create awareness and ensure an inclusive workplace/work culture.
- As part of recruitment and posting this is subtly worked into selections without dampening the meritocracy that needs to be entrenched in the system. For example this year prior to the Graduate test we deliberately carried out a campaign in 6 Northern Universities which yielded a significant improvement in the number of graduates in these regions that sat for the Entry test.
- Create a working environment where the various workforce generations of will thrive. We have also reviewed the gender policies and demographics.
- We have a male and female ratio at 61% and 39% respectively across the workforce while at the senior Management Level (SM and above), the male/female ratio is 66% and 34% respectively. At the Board level, the male: female Gender Diversity ratio is 84% and 16% respectively.
- The Diversity objective of the Bank is to be a recognized industry leader in workforce diversity and leverage diversity for the growth of FirstBank and the success of the customers and communities we serve.