Diversity & Inclusion at Dext

We promised to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do. Here’s how we’re keeping our promise.

Diversity and inclusion are the backbone of a happy, productive team. For us at Dext promoting diversity means transparency, targets, and constantly challenging ourselves to do better. It means looking beyond familiar networks of people who look and sound like us when hiring, and nurturing the incredible diverse talent we already have. We will always champion diversity at Dext.

Our Stance

In June, we shared our stance on the global anti-racism movement that intensified after the brutal murder of George Floyd.

Since then, we’ve been working behind the scenes to make some bold changes in our business. We’ve created a sustainable, long term strategy for Diversity & Inclusion. This includes our full Diversity Report – shared with all employees in October 2020.

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We’re taking ownership

We’ve appointed a Director of Development & Diversity

In July, we levelled up our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion. That meant assigning clear ownership of our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) agenda.

We’ve created an internal community of Diversity Champions

This 40-person-strong group of colleagues have pledged to amplify the voices of people from underrepresented groups and act as key stakeholders for our initiatives.

We’ve formed an action-led Task Force

This small, diverse group of Diversity Champions work with our Director of Development & Diversity to drive our D&I initiatives.

We’re making clear commitments

We conducted a company-wide survey

As a tech company, we’ve always been data-led. In July, we undertook our first ever Diversity & Inclusion survey. The survey was voluntary and anonymous. Just over 56% of the organisation participated.

Leadership
Increase Black representation at ‘Head of’ level & above to +10%, increase female leadership at this level to +30%
Diversity
Increase Black representation across our Toronto & Washington, D.C. offices to +30%. Increase Black representation in our London office to +10%.*
Inclusion
Roll out a series of initiatives to ensure we create an environment of belonging for our underrepresented colleagues.

We’re taking action

Community Outreach Programme

We’ve partnered with Circl.org to build ties with the local community and develop a more inclusive leadership culture. Circl’s accredited coaches are training 10 of Receipt Bank’s leaders, to be paired with talented underrepresented young adults aged 18-24. They will use coaching to lead and be led through real life experience. We’re also planning to launch more community outreach initiatives – so watch this space!

Mentorship Programme

Our survey findings made clear that some colleagues feel less included and supported than others. We’re launching a scheme to pair subject-matter experts across the business with colleagues who are keen to take their career to the next level.

Apprenticeship programme for underrepresented talent

We’re taking part in the CS YOU initiative. This aims to diversify the tech industry by helping underrepresented job seekers start a full-time career in Customer Success. We are offering a paid internship in our Washington D.C. office from February 2021.

Partnerships with inclusive talent networks

Our task force has been tackling the challenge of our lack of diversity in hiring. We know that attracting more diverse talent is absolutely central to this. So we’ve begun talks with networks that specialise in sourcing diverse talent at all levels, and aim to confirm key partnerships before 2021.

We’re educating ourselves

We’ve launched the Diverse Voices Book Club

This is a space for educating ourselves on social issues that impact the lives of marginalised people, and amplifying underrepresented voices.

We’re running a series of anti-racism workshops

Their focus will be on embedding anti-racism into our DNA, and strengthening relationships with Black employees across the business. We’re bringing in experienced diversity, equity and inclusion consultants to lead this training.

We’re running internal ‘Superpower Sessions.’

Learning needs to be blended and multi-faceted. That’s why we’re not only working with experienced external consultants but also leveraging the experience, knowledge and wisdom of our internal staff.

We’re celebrating the diversity that already exists at RB

Our task force initiative ‘Project Belonging’ was founded to celebrate the diverse cultures of our colleagues and provide a sense of belonging for all. We began by celebrating ‘Heritage Week’ back in September. Since, we’ve shared stories and recipes from every corner of the Receipt Bank world.

We’re proud of what we have done so far and we’re ambitious about what the future holds. But this is just the beginning.

A huge part of our journey ahead is about listening and learning. We would love to hear from you, our community, on what’s working for you too. After all, the tech industry will only become equitable if we’re collectively willing to be vulnerable to share what is and isn’t working.