InteRvIew

Sustenance is more important than initiation: Wells Fargo's DE&I leader

In this exclusive conversation with People Matters, Sneha Suresh, VP & Head – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), Wells Fargo India and Philippines, talks about the biggest pitfall for LGBTQ+ inclusion at the workplace, the emerging relevance of technology in DE&I, and more

by Bhavna Sarin

Sneha is a Vice President and heads Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) for Wells Fargo India and the Philippines. She leads and drives the inclusion strategy across Gender, LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, and Veterans, and coaches senior executives on embedding DEI within their businesses and in their role as inclusion champions. An experienced DE&I professional in the financial services industry, Sneha has strong expertise in building inclusive cultures, talent strategies, and employee engagement.

Here are excerpts from the interview.

What does a day in the life of a DE&I leader look like?

Not like yesterday and not like tomorrow. Each day is unique because we primarily work with people and culture, which is ever-evolving. Be it leadership coach-

ing, inclusion strategies, or advocacy, the lens that we apply to each of these is distinctive.

The spectrum of my work includes developing diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies for India and the Philippines. This involves a plethora of efforts such as enabling individuals to bring their most authentic selves to work; building equitable workspaces; driving external advocacy; and equipping managers as inclusion champions and leaders.

What I feel most lucky about my role is that no two days are alike because no two people are alike.

Given your strong background in the diversity, equity, and inclusion vertical for top players in the financial services industry, what are some key learnings that have shaped your outlook?

The lens that I keep in mind when thinking about strategies is typically three things: • Never underestimate the power of visible and vocal advocacy, especially at the top. Leadership advocacy plays an integral role in building the culture of inclusion itself. That's something I learned and use as a guiding principle. • The organization is obviously a microcosm of the environment. So, how are we enabling the envi-

ronment to support our microcosm? I find asking myself some questions always helps: How are we building a grassroots talent pipeline? How are we enabling entrepreneurship at the grassroots level? Enabling each other's environment and ecosystem is something that guides a lot of my thinking. • I'm personally also focused on the sustenance of an initiative.

It's very easy to run initiatives and programs, but the effort is to establish a self-sustaining culture and ecosystem of inclusion. Therefore, I value consistency and sustenance more than initiation. Because what you're hoping for is a multiplier effect. You touch one life, and that one person touches five more. That's going to work only if they genuinely believe in it.

Wells Fargo was recognized as a top employer in the bronze category of the 2020 Workplace Equality Index. What are some key practices that led to this accomplishment?

We are very excited about the recognition as it reaffirms the direction of our strategy, especially since we recently started our journey in the space. Leadership commitment at the top definitely sets the foundation for our efforts.

Some of them from a policy and infrastructure perspective include genderneutral policies, same-sex partner benefits, gender affirmation surgery insurance coverage, genderneutral restrooms, etc. We are also continually focused on building an inclusive

environment for LGBTQ+ professionals through awareness-raising sessions and workshops. We are very proud of also being able to demonstrate our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion through displaying a huge Pride flag outside our building premises during Pride month. This is an ongoing, long journey and we are happy to have made a good impact in the first year of the same!

How are you mapping the progress made towards LGBTQ+ inclusion at the workplace? What are some milestones and pitfalls that remain critical in the journey ahead?

I look at measuring the impact of a particular strategy in terms of how equipped the overall ecosystem of that strategy is. In the space of LGBTQ+, it becomes even more important because of the cultural nuances, because of the environment, and the framework in which we operate. I define clearly what the end goal for us is: for example, are we looking at attracting these professionals, hiring them, developing them, and so on. For all these things to happen, we need to have a whole structure in place. Then, we tackle the next set of questions. Do we have the right policies, infrastructure, and benefits? Do we have the right culture to support individuals from the community? Are we communicating that we are advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion externally and internally? If you look at the impact, you have to look at it holistically.

The biggest pitfall that you could encounter in the LGBTQ+ space is to look at only one part of the employee lifecycle in isolation. You can't just look at hiring, because you need to think about the support mechanism that is also in place. Neither can you think about only external advocacy, if you don't have an internal mechanism to support LGBTQ+ individuals?

From a milestone perspective, it's important for us, especially in India, to bear in mind and celebrate incremental progress. We work against many years of culture and societal influences, so celebrating even the smallest of wins is crucial. My biggest personal/professional achievement is the first time somebody came out to me, and I was the second person in their whole life that they shared their story with. At that point in time, I felt like I must have done at least something right that they trust me with their story.

We need to keep in mind that it’s not the number of individuals you have in your organization, it's how you impacted an individual's life authentically. And organizationally, if that individ-

2020 threw a lot of light on micro-inequities in the broader society and startling inequities in the environment. I view 2021 as a year of opportunity

ual has trusted me to come and share their story, there are better chances for me to retain that individual because they feel safe. So it's really a mutually beneficial relationship.

Beyond hiring, how do you see the role of technology in fostering inclusion?

Technology is definitely a boon in this space. Having said that, we'll have to be mindful of the regulations around it as well. For example, some applications screen certain traits that are more prone to bias. I'm curious to understand who designed that program. If it's a man, will that application be free of stereotypes that his life experiences exposed him to? Similarly, if it were developed by a woman, I would ask the same questions. Who makes a product/tool is as important as how it is made. This is the conversation around AI and biases; how do we govern that sort of opportunity available? Technology has opened up talent channels in a manner such that assistive technologies are available for people with disabilities. So that's proven to be a boon.

In the learning space, there's also a great opportunity because it provides a voice to conceptual learning. For example, in interactive learning and game design. Game design is fantastic for DE&I training because it puts you in a situation and gives you options to choose from. That’s a safe space for a learner, it's between them and the AI; the AI is not judging them.

In the learning space, technology also provides the opportunity for scalability. Especially with the kind of increase in workload currently, for us to be able to communicate our broader DE&I strategy and touch individuals in a meaningful manner, technology is very helpful.

What does 2021 look like for you from the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion?

I view 2021 as a year of opportunity. 2020 threw a lot of light on micro-inequities in the broader society and startling inequities in the environment. The last year also taught us a lot of things in terms of access to resources within equitable populations. Understanding what our role is in bridging that gap became important in 2021. In the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of a global crisis, the need to belong to space, to a group of individuals, is essential. As organizations, can we provide those safe spaces? Can we provide those opportunities where people feel valued? 2021 is also an opportunity for us to reiterate the business case for inclusion. It is imperative to understand that inclusion isn’t about altruism. It makes business sense to have a diverse workforce and, as studies have shown time and again, investing in inclusion enhances productivity, team performance, innovation, and just is a business smart decision. In 2021, and from here on, we cannot forget that fact.

2021: The Year of Continuous Reinvention

COVID-19 pandemic has expedited a shift in how and where we work, putting organizations and their business models, and the mode of work to a test. The year 2021 will see the continuation of the ‘reinvention of work’

by Mastufa Ahmed

The long awful year 2020 is over but we are still in the dark. The year 2021 will be crucial for leaders globally to reinvent the new world of work as we come out COVID-19 crisis. Straightening out the nittygritty of business —amid the ongoing chaos —including settling into the new mode of work, redefining processes and policies, embracing the new virtual culture, and tackling new challenges warrant radical transformations. Understandably, companies are at different stages of this reinvention. However, some trends are already in action. Remote or hybrid work for instance has gained widespread adoption led by large companies such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Microsoft. And the overriding priority for the majority of organizations today is increasing support for remote and hybrid working configurations. While “remote is the future of work” is still being debated, it has opened up avenues for leaders to think beyond the horizon and opened our minds to new ways of working in the future. As we move forward and get used to the new normal, the biggest question is how this experience will shape the future of work.

As companies continue to adapt to changing times with their transformation initiatives and make steady progress, we see organizations embracing “purpose”. Digital agendas of several organizations now reflect ''purpose'' which connects with quantifiable goals and objectives that can be measured. They know long-term value is created only when you stay true to your organization’s purpose and meet responsibilities to society as a whole. Hence, leaders must pay attention to how their leadership is experienced, and whether the processes and digital technologies and techniques are making their stakeholders including employees, feel more valued.

The continuous reinvention should encompass innovation and sustainability measures for businesses to come stronger on the other side. Given today's market conditions, innovation is a survival strategy. Everyone wanted to innovate before the pandemic, but now everyone needs to innovate. 2021 will see organizations strive to maintain the spirit of innovation as they try to create a healthy remote/virtual culture. Tech companies are playing a critical role by helping organizations weather the storm and preparing them to shape a sustainable post-COVID-19 world. Investors and multinational corporations have made pledges to integrate sustainable development at the heart of the recovery process.

The pandemic also offered an opportunity for organizations to revisit policies and practices to get work done more efficiently. This makes the role of HR even more strategic in today’s time. The sphere of HR has evolved from being limited to employee satisfaction to a larger impact on the company’s overall growth. The ongoing transformation of the corporate world due to COVID-19 will make the role of HR even more central to organizational success. Finally, the continuous reinvention needs to address learning and skilling as COVID-19 has accelerated the need to acquire new skills because there is a clear mismatch of skills that the workforce has and what businesses are looking for.

The April 2021 issue of our magazine will attempt to find out from global leaders how they are reinventing their business to stay future-proof.