In conjunction with Northern Trust’s Global Fund Services (GFS) group, our disability business resource council (DBRC) has launched a program of support, awareness and education around mental health at work. Although one-in-four people in the UK will experience mental ill-health, and sickness absence due to mental health issues is rising, mental health is still a highly stigmatized subject. This discrepency poses a significant problem to workplaces.
In an effort to increase collaboration and transparency, our Éléonore operation formally established a site-based grievance mechanism in 2016 using the principles set out in our Sustainability Excellence Management System (SEMS). Through discussions with our Cree Nation of Wemindji partners, a joint decision was made to refer to it as a “dialogue mechanism,” with the intent of facilitating meaningful conversations with our stakeholders. In 2017, Éléonore volunteered to pilot a new internal tool developed by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team to assess the effectiveness of the dialogue mechanism.
Northern Trust believes in fostering an inclusive environment where our employees’ unique mix of attributes and diversity of perspectives can serve as catalysts for innovation. To help ensure our commitments to diversity, inclusion and innovation are embedded in the fabric of our company, Northern Trust sponsors 11 business resource councils (BRCs). These councils are employeeinitiated, governed and led, and are open to all Northern Trust employees around the globe who share an affinity for the strategic mission of the group.
In 2017, Northern Trust signed the UK Women in Finance Charter and committed to raise the ratio of women in the levels of senior and executive vice president to at least 35 percent by 2020. This is a commitment by the UK’s HM Treasury and signatory firms to work together to build a more balanced and fair finance industry
Today, Walmart announced $2 million in grants to organizations working to expand internship opportunities for diverse youth populations, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). The grants build on previous Walmart funding to the two nonprofits, bringing the company’s total investment to more than $6 million over the last several years. The funding will help provide career pathways on Capitol Hill for students and young professionals through education and hands-on experience in the nation’s capital.