CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You don’t often hear about CEOs of global financial institutions getting personal and vulnerable with their employees. That’s exactly what one company is doing – TIAA has thousands of employees in Charlotte and they’re tackling the topic of racial injustice head-on.
The new company t-shirts at TIAA say “Be the Change,” and employees at the global financial services company say the phrase is much more than just a catchy slogan.
“It’s been a pretty powerful initiative so far, “ said Craig Parkin, a senior managing director who has been with the company for 16 years.
He says diversity and inclusion are a part of the company's DNA — TIAA was the first fortune 500 company with an African American CEO — but he says they can always do better.
That’s why they launched the "Be the Change" initiative — starting with a very frank discussion on race lead by the company’s CEO and involving Parkin and other top executives.
“It was powerful – it was vulnerable and candid. You definitely don’t see that," Parkin said. "I've never experienced that and most people I spoke with they hadn’t experienced anything like that either.”
TIAA Associates around the world took part in a virtual Race Against Racism where they were encouraged to connect with team members of a different ethnicity to spark an open dialogue.
“Probably more than anything was hearing reaction from employees saying, 'I thought I knew but I really had no idea,' or 'I thought I was supportive of people of color or I wasn’t racist but I can be anti-racist,'” Parkin said.
Employees were also asked to submit ways they plan to make a difference moving forward.
Jillian Peat is the director of Corporate Responsibility at TIAA who helped organize the efforts and read over employee submissions.
“Whether it is to shop at black-owned stores or to continue the conversation or to stand up for others when they see injustices taking place- all of our associates have taken on something along those lines," Peat said.
Corie Pauling is the Senior Vice President in charge of diversity for TIAA and helped craft the Be the Change program.
“I really want it to be a platform where we're uplifting ourselves but also sending a message to the broader community and every time that happens that is being the change in ways big and small," Pauling said.
Part of the "Be the Change" initiative means getting involved in the summer of service — employees at TIAA are all giving back to the community as well.